Travel Answers

We are a family of four (two older teens) who are interested in going to Sumatra. We have about 16 days (including travel to/from Australia) and were considering flying in Medan, seeing orangutans in Bukit Lawang and possibly trekking a bit there (son is very fit; us not as much!) or possibly saving trekking to do so with elephants in Tangkahan, which sounds amazing. We also want to fit in Lake Toba and a 5+ day beach holiday at the end. We are wondering for the beach part if we should then go up to Banda Ache and on to Pulau Weh (is there snorkelling there as well as diving and is there anything for the kids to do if they get sick of relaxing?) or fly to Padang at go to cubadak paradisovillage where there seems to be diving and snorkelling. As I write all this, I think it sounds ambitious for two weeks, so would like advice about what the best options are. We've been diving/snorkelling in Bunaken, Komodo/Flores and Barrier Reef so wonder how marine life around Sumatra compares. Also visited orangutans in Kalimantan via river boat. We are hoping that Sumatra will be different to those trips to add to our love of Indonesia and our view of how diverse the country is. Thank you for any advice you can provide!