Sibolga, Indonesia
Sibolga is a town of 92,244 people in North Sumatra, Indonesia, founded in April 1, 1700.
Why visit Sibolga
Townapedia lists 3 places to eat and 3 places to stay in and around town.
Weather in Sibolga
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Sibolga
Sibolga (formerly sometimes Siboga) is a city and a port located in the natural harbour of Sibolga Bay on the west coast of North Sumatra province, in Indonesia.
From the Wikipedia article Sibolga (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Sibolga on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Restaurants and cafes3
Where to stay3
Hotel Hotma
Motel and hotel · 0.7 km
Prices 2018 : room shared bathroom : 75.000Rp room private bathroom : 110.000Rp
Jalan R. Suprapto
Shopping1
Healthcare1
History
Poncan Ketek Island (Small Poncan Island) in Sibolga Bay was once the location of a fort, with British, Dutch, French, and American traders passing through. It is thought Stamford Raffles passed through before he moved to Bengkulu in southern Sumatra. From Bengkulu Raffles, after relinquishing the port to the Dutch, established the trade port that became Singapore.
At some point between 1890 and 1920, there was a major fire in the city, which was presumably mostly built from wood from the surrounding mountains (shown partly denuded in the 1928 panorama below).
After the Japanese invasion of Sumatra in 1942, a makeshift prison described as a "civilian camp" was set up at Taroetoengweg, in the city center, from 16 March to 4 May 1942. It first housed 10 "European" men from in and around Sibolga, who were then joined on April 24 by another 10 men from the island of Nias. On May 4 they were taken to the Native Secondary School for Boys in Pearadja (Taroetoeng), located in the mountains behind Sibolga.
From the History section of Sibolga on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Map of Sibolga
8 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Dr. F.L. Tobing Airport (FLZ) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 23 km away.
- Tarutung 37 km northeast, about 37 min by car
- Barus 52 km northwest, about 52 min by car
- Padangsidempuan 68 km southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Nainggolan 78 km north, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Parmonangan 79 km north, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Sibolga-pasar-2013-10-18, Pratyeka, CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built November 3, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.