April 26, 2025, 7:24 a.m. | Reading time: 4 minutes
Lake Toba on the Indonesian island of Sumatra is a body of water of absolute superlatives. The crater lake is the largest volcanic lake in the world and one of the deepest of its kind on the planet. But a deadly danger lurks beneath its water level: the still active supervolcano Mount Toba, whose eruption once created it - and wiped out almost all of humanity in the process.
Anyone standing on the shores of Lake Toba today, the world's largest volcanic lake on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, would probably feel nothing but awe. Strictly speaking, it is actually almost a small ocean, its dimensions are so gigantic. Hundreds of thousands of people live around and with the lake, which is known for its size and depth as well as for its abundance of fish. But the history of how the body of water came into being is likely to send a cold shiver down the spines of many people. Because it was once created in a volcanic eruption, which scientists consider to be the most powerful in history.
The sheer size of Lake Toba simply leaves you speechless. According to the specialist magazine “Geographical”, it is around 100 kilometers long, up to 30 kilometers wide and in some places more than 500 meters deep. This makes it not only the world's largest volcanic lake, but also one of the deepest. Its total area is more than 1,140 square kilometers, which is roughly equivalent to that of the city-state of Singapore. And of course this super lake didn't just come into being because it is a caldera. So the visible remains of a volcanic eruption, a huge crater. And it was created in a catastrophe that came close to wiping out all of humanity.
Only 3,000 to 10,000 survivors
Accordingly, Lake Toba was formed an estimated 74,000 years ago. Namely, during the eruption of the supervolcano Mount Toba, which is still active today. An event that sent the entire world into a global winter for years and almost meant the extinction of humanity. According to scientists, only 3,000 to 10,000 people around the globe survived the unprecedented catastrophe, which went down in history as the strongest volcanic eruption of the past 28 million years. The giant blew 2,800 cubic kilometers of ash and lava into the air, burying parts of Indonesia, India and the Indian Ocean under a 15 centimeter thick layer of rubble.
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Mount Toba had already erupted in a similarly violent manner 840,000 years ago, but the effects of this new eruption on the global climate were devastating. The volcanic winter that followed, caused by the ash cloud obscuring the sun, nearly wiped out our species. Only the people who were able to adapt survived the catastrophe. Genetic studies show that this was the case in Ethiopia, for example. It is now generally accepted that the eruption of Mount Toba had only relatively moderate negative effects on the development of human civilization in Africa.
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And even though the last devastating eruption was tens of thousands of years ago, scientists say the danger from Mount Toba has by no means been averted. It still slumbers beneath Lake Toba, which was once formed by its eruption. This makes it one of only 20 so-called supervolcanoes in the world. Fire chimneys of this species have been shown to have experienced eruptions with an output of more than 1000 cubic kilometers of magma. The most famous of its kind in the world lies beneath Yellowstone National Park in the USA. According to research results, it will probably take up to 600,000 years before the next major eruption of Mount Toba in Indonesia occurs.
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Lake Toba is now a popular tourist destination in Sumatra due to its status as the largest lake in Indonesia and the largest volcanic lake in the world. Also because an original culture has been preserved around its banks, as “National Geographic” reports. Accordingly, you can still find traditional villages of the Batak, a local ethnic group, here. The construction of houses is particularly interesting for visitors. But the nature around the mega lake also plays a big role, for example there are numerous hiking trails. On the water itself, the island of Samosir entices you to visit. The Sipholon hot springs are great for a dip, and then there's the spectacular Sipiso-Piso waterfall. Reasons enough to visit this superlative lake on a trip to Indonesia.
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