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Sumatra - South Sumatra

Places of interest:

Bandar Lampung
Bandar Lampung is the most southern and with over 60,000 inhabitants the fourths largest city in Sumatra. Bandar Lampung is a name that covers the two city names Tanjungkarang and Telukbetung. Telukbetung is the city at the coast while Tanjungkarang is more inland although you can't see the difference if you travel across Bandar Lampung.
It is a pity that most travellers only come to Bandar Lampung as a transit passenger taking the bus to the ferry to Java or the bus to Bukittinggi. There are some interesting sites near Bandar Lampung. From Bandar Lampung it is possible to visit the national Park Bukit Barisan Selatan or Way Kambas. Also the bay of Bandar Lampung is worth a visit.
The major sites in Bandar Lampung are the Krakatau monument and the Provincial Museum. The Krakatau Monument can be found at Jalan Veteran in opposite of the police station. It is a huge buoy which was floating in the Lampung bay before the eruption. The shock wave of the eruption smashed the buoy into the center of Bandar Lampung at the place where it stands now on a piece of concrete. (To read more about the Krakatau visit the section about volcanoes in Facts about Indonesia)
At Jalan Teuku Umar you can find the Provincial Museum of Lampung. They have a collection of very rare weaving from Lampung as well as a lot of archeologic treasures from the surrounding area.

Way Kambas and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park
The Way Kambas National Park, east of Bandar Lampung, is well know for its elephant reserve. There are at least 350 of them from which 250 are living wild. Other elephants are trained to show the tourists some tricks or you can make an elephant tour for about 2 hours which will cost you about 100,000 rp. Possibilities to see any wild elephants are only when you trek around the park. The park can be reached by taking the bus from the Rajapara bus station in Bandar Lampung to Jepara. If there are passengers for the park the busses will go on to the park entrance in the village Tridatu (12 km north of Jepara).
The Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park lies on the peninsula at the west coast of south Sumatra. This park is more difficult to explore and to reach. From Bandar Lampung take a bus to Kota Agung west of Bandar Lampung. From here you can rent a boat for the 5 hours trip to Tampang at the southern tip of the Peninsula. From here you can walk to the west to Balimbing (32 km) at the east coast. If you want to trek around here you have to hire a guide and take a lot of food and water, so be well prepared.

Danau Ranau
At about 330 km to west from Palembang (7 hours by bus) you can visit the beautiful lake Ranau. The lake lies in the mountains of the Bukit Barisan range. Because it is at a higher altitude temperatures seldom get above 25°C. Except for relaxing at the lake it is a good start for the climb of the 1,881 gunung Seminung. To get there from Palembang take the bus to Baturaja. From Baturaja you can take a bus to Danau Ranau. Coming from Tanjungkarang in the far south take the bus to Bukitkemuning and from there take the bus further on to Liwa. This southern approach is more bumpy but also more spectacular. Also this trip will cost about 7 or 8 hours.

Pasemah highlands
Famous about the megalithic culture are the Pasemah highlands in the hills of Bukit Barisan. The megalithic stones, dating back 2,000 years, are the major attraction here. From Bandar Lampung (9 hours) in the south or Padang (13 hours) in the north take the trans Sumatra bus and get of in Lahat. From Palembang it is about 5 hours to Lahat. From Lahat you can take the local bus to Pagaralam. From Pagaralam you can visit the surrounding villages Tegurwangi, Tanjungraya, Tanjungaro, and Belumai to see the megalithic sculptures. Most of them are very expressive figures of people fighting with animals.
From Pagalaram it is also possible to climb the Gunung Dempo. This 3,159 meters high mountain is the highest in the surrounding area and from the top you can see till the Indian Ocean in the west. The climb is heavy for the second half. The first half can be done by taxi or bemo.

Places to sleep:

Bandar Lampung
Cheap accommodation can be found at Jalan Kalimantan no 30 in Sriwijaya Hotel or New Jakarta Hotel at Jalan Belanak no 28. Prices start at 30,000 rp.
Very nice rooms can be found at Jalan Raden Intan no 114 in Kurnia City Hotel. All rooms have air conditioning and the prices start at 60,000 rp. Also at Jalan Raden Intan but at no 35A you can find the newer Hotel Arinas which has very luxury rooms starting at 180,000 rp.

Way Kambas and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park
At the park Way Kambas are two places to stay the Way Kanan Guesthouse or the much better Way Kambas Visitors Center. Both charge you 100,000 rp a night which isn't very cheap for what you'll get. Otherwise you can find accommodation in Jepara about 12 km south from the park. In Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park you will find no places to stay so you'll have to bring a sleeping bag and a tent.

Danau Ranau
Around the whole lake are places to stay although the best places are at the west side south of Simpangsender. There you have a much better view over the lake and surrounding mountains. The average price is about 60,000 rp for a room. Recommended as the best place is Wisma Pusri which will cost you about 70,000 rp.

Pasemah highlands
For exploring the Pasemah highlands it is the best to stay in Pagaralam. There are several guesthouses but recommended is Losmen Mirasa at Jalan Mailan. Rooms start at 50,000 rp.

Where to eat:

Bandar Lampung
There are many places to eat in Bandar Lampung. Some of them you will find at Jalan Imam Bonjol like Sari Bundo. Also very popular is Rumah makan Pondok at Jalan Kh. Dahlan. They have delicious food in Palembang style.

Way Kambas and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park
At the same two places where you can stay in Way Kambas you can also have a meal. It is nothing special but you can't get any better in the neighborhood.
In the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park you will have to cook your own meal.

Danau Ranau
Wherever you stay around the lake there are many food stalls and small rumah makan. Several guesthouses also offer a meal.

Pasemah highlands
In Pagalaran are a hand full of rumah makan and food stalls. Most of them serve the local food and if you can't get what you want you always can have your dinner at Losmen Mirasa.