Caldera Journey

                 Hutaraja Learning House is a learning center located in Ulos Hutaraja Village. It was founded by Damayanti Sinaga as a medium to channel her hobby and passion for teaching English to children. Besides her hobby and passion, Damayanti aims to help accelerate the development of local human resources in Lake Toba, especially in Samosir. She hopes the community can converse with tourists, particularly as Samosir, especially Ulos Village, is a popular tourist destination often visited by international travelers. Therefore, residents need to speak English to serve foreign guests well. Students The majority of students at Hutaraja Learning House are elementary school children from Ulos Hutaraja Village. Some also come from outside the village, such as SDN 10 Lumban Suhi-Suhi and SD 22 Lumban Suhi-Suhi. For more than six months, children have been learning English for free, from August 2023 to January 2024. Starting in February 2024...

    Samosir, NINNA.ID – Juara Trail of the Kings 100K asal Jepang Hiro Yuki mengaku takjub dengan panorama Danau Toba dan antusiasme masyarakat Batak di sepanjang lintasan. Ia baru pertama kali datang ke Danau Toba. Meski hanya berada di Samosir selama tiga hari, kesan yang didapatnya sangat mendalam. “Pemandangannya sangat indah. Alamnya benar-benar luar biasa,” ujar Hiro Yuki kepada NINNA.ID, Sabtu 13 Juni 2026 sesaat setelah lepas dari kerumunan orang banyak. Sebelum mengikuti Trail of the Kings, pelari yang saat ini bekerja sebagai manajer proyek di sebuah lembaga kerja sama internasional Jepang di Jakarta ini sudah berpengalaman mengikuti berbagai lomba trail di Jepang dan Indonesia. Ia pernah menjadi juara di beberapa ajang trail, termasuk lomba trail run 100K di Bali. Dalam waktu dekat ia juga akan ikut lomba trail run 100 kilometer di Borneo. Namun menurutnya, Trail of the Kings memiliki pengalaman yang berbeda. Ia menjelaskan bahwa banyak lomba lari lintas alam jarak ...

            NINNA.ID - On the evening of May 4, 2026, Kualanamu Airport was still busy as I waited for three very special guests from Slovakia and the Czech Republic. As a tour guide who has spent years guiding travelers around Lake Toba and Sumatra, I know every journey begins with a first impression. Their flight arrived around 8:40 PM, and the warm Medan air welcomed them that night. I still clearly remember seeing Maria, Pavla, and Hana walking out of the arrival gate with large suitcases and tired faces after their long journey. We immediately took a photo together. It became the first photo of our eleven-day journey full of stories and unforgettable moments. [caption id="attachment_37297" align="alignnone" width="1280"]  Picking up Maria, Pavla, and Hana at Kualanamu Airport was not only the beginning of a journey, but also the start of eleven days filled with stories, laughter, and new friendships growing in Sumatra. (Photo © Damayanti)[/caption...

     Samosir, NINNA.ID -One of my biggest motivations for becoming a tour guide was simple: I wanted to have friends from different parts of the world. At the same time, I wanted to help promote Lake Toba, the place I proudly call home. I am proud to be a guide. Over the years, I have come to believe that one of the most important parts of traveling is not the scenery, the hotels, or the attractions. What matters most is how local people treat visitors and whether they feel safe and welcomed. Tourism has a unique power to build understanding and friendship between people from different backgrounds, creating connections that sometimes seem impossible. As time goes by, I notice more and more solo female travelers visiting Samosir and Lake Toba. I have been fortunate to guide many of them, and each journey has left me with memorable stories. Sabine from Germany At the beginning of the year, I received a message from Sabine, who found my contact through Exploring Sumatra. It...