Kabanjahe

Kabanjahe is the capital of Karo Regency in North Sumatra, the main market town for the Karo Batak people. It's located near Berastagi in the highlands and is a transit point for exploring the surrounding Karo villages and volcanoes.

From Medan, take a bus (2 hours). Kabanjahe is on the route to Berastagi.

Lingga village, about 5 km west of Kabanjahe, is the most accessible of the three preserved Karo cultural villages and holds the largest surviving cluster of traditional Karo houses (rumah adat, known as siwaluh jabu — houses built without nails, traditionally sheltering eight families under one thatched roof). Dokan and Peceren are the other two traditional villages in the wider Karo highlands, though further from Kabanjahe itself. Mount Sibayak, a semi-active volcano near Berastagi, is a popular hiking destination in the area (unlike Sinabung, its trails have generally remained open, but check current status before going).

Visit the Karo traditional villages, especially Lingga. Shop at the Kabanjahe market.

Karo cuisine: babi panggang Karo, cimpa (traditional cakes), grilled corn.

Basic hotels. Most visitors stay in nearby Berastagi instead.

Karo handicrafts, traditional cloth, and local fruit (especially passion fruit and oranges).

Berastagi (15 minutes). Medan (2 hours). The Mount Sibayak trailhead. Lake Toba (3 hours).