Best Eco-Friendly Resorts and Sustainable Stays in Medan
Words by
Dewi Rahayu
The best eco friendly resorts in Medan have grown from a quiet niche into a genuinely exciting part of the city's hospitality scene, and I have watched this shift firsthand over the past several years. What was once limited to one or two bare-bones guesthouses with bamboo walls and composting toilets has evolved into a small but meaningful collection of properties that balance comfort with a lighter footprint on North Sumatra's threatened rainforests and river systems. A note of honesty first: "eco-friendly" in Medan's context does not mean the same as in Bali or Ubud, where luxury sustainability brands have had decades to mature. Here, the movement is grassroots, often family-run, and deeply tied to conservation of the nearby Leuser ecosystem.
### Medan's Green Travel Story and What It Means for Your Stay
"Green travel Medan" is a phrase I hear more often now at local warungs and tour offices than I did even three years ago. The reason is simple: Medan has always been the gateway to Toba Samosir, the Leuser National Park, and the Orangutan rehabilitation centers of Bukit Lawang, and travelers arriving early to acclimate or recover from jungle treks are asking harder questions about where their accommodation money goes.
I have stayed at rustic guesthouses along Jalan Sei Deli that run on solar water heaters and source breakfast from their own permaculture plots, and I have also checked into mid-range hotels near Medan's Polonia district that have quietly eliminated single-use plastics. The spectrum is wide. What connects these places is a shared awareness, even if imperfect, that Medan's rivers (the Deli, the Babura, the Belawan) and remaining mangrove corridors along the coast are under genuine pressure from unchecked development. When a boutique lodge near Jalan Gatot Subroto tells you they compost kitchen waste and it actually smells like a working compost heap out back, you know they are not just slapping a green label on a brochure.
One thing most visitors miss: Medan's eco-conscious accommodations often double as bases for volunteering with local wildlife NGOs. A morning at a riverside property on Jalan Pemuda might include coffee from a community cooperative before a half-day helping with mangrove planting in Belawan. That is the texture of sustainable hotels Medan tends to offer, practical, community-connected, not polished.
### Bukit Lawang Eco Lodge and the Orangutan Corridor Connection
Bukit Lawang itself sits about 90 kilometers southwest of central Medan, and I make this drive regularly because the eco lodge scene here is the closest thing North Sumatra has to a fully formed sustainable tourism circuit. I first visited in 2018, and the place has since become a working model for how orangutan conservation (through the Bohorok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre) funds rainforest rehabilitation, and how small lodges participate.
Most of the eco lodge Bukit Lawang options sit along the Bukit Lawang Jungle Trail access road, just past the suspension bridge over the Bohorok River. I stayed at one particular property on Jalan Bukit Lawang, the main guesthouse strip, where the owner, Yanti, told me plainly: "We don't have air conditioning in the jungle rooms. We have mosquitoes, and that is the point." The multi-day package included half-price for guests who joined guided jungle walks with a former illegal logger who now leads reforestation treks.
What to Do: Sign up for the pre-dawn jungle walk with a local guide; the dawn chorus along the riverbanks gives you gibbon calls within the first 30 minutes, and the guide insists on carrying out any waste the group generates.
Best Time: June through September, when the trails are least impassable and the orangutans are most visible near the feeding platform.
The Vibe: Rustic, humid, communal longhouse energy with bamboo platforms and river sound at night. Bring your own insect repellent because the ones sold locally run out fast.
Insider Detail: Several lodges here maintain a small plastic buy-back program; you collect waste from trail hikes and receive a rice-and-coffee voucher at the next meal.
Complaint: Wi-Fi at most jungle lodges is virtually nonexistent after 8 PM; if you need connectivity for work, stay in the Medan city center and day-trip the jungle.
Connecting to Medan's Character: Bukit Lawang's eco tourism was born from the 2003 flood crisis that destroyed much of the old village. Locals rebuilt with sustainability partly out of necessity and partly from NGO-driven reforestation programs, so these eco lodges are woven into a story of communal rebuilding.
### Jalan Pemuda Guesthouses and the Zero-Plastic Experiment
Back inside Medan proper, Jalan Pemuda and the surrounding streets of what locals call the old Chinese district (near the Tjong A Fie Mansion) host a handful of budget guesthouses that have quietly adopted zero plastic policies. I have stayed at one family-run place near the intersection of Jalan Pemuda and Jalan Bali where water is served only from a refill station in the lobby. Rooms come with a stainless-steel bottle you carry for your entire stay.
What struck me most was the breakfast: nasi goreng made with rice from the owner's relatives in Karo Highlands, fried with local chilis and morning glory from a market vendor one block east on Jalan Selamat. It feels small, but in a city where mountains of single-use sachets pile up along the Babura River every monsoon season, it matters.
What to Order: Ask for the Karo-style breakfast platter on weekends when the owner's aunt cooks; it includes ayam gula ardan (spiced chicken) and is not on the printed menu.
Best Time: Weekday mornings, when the nearby Pasar Rame market is calm and you can walk back through streets less choked with motorbikes.
The Vibe: Sparse but clean, tiled floors, hanging plants, a quiet courtyard with a single mango tree. You hear the city, not nature.
Insider Detail: The guesthouse keeps a plastic audit jar in the lobby; guests can see how much plastic the property avoided that month. It is not performative; the family tracks it carefully.
Complaint: The refill water station occasionally has a queue before 8 AM when every guest fills their bottle at once. Arrive a little early.
Connecting to Medan's Character: Jalan Pemuda sits in the historical heart of Medan's multi-ethnic trading community, once dominated by Chinese, Malay, and Indian merchants. These plastic-free guesthouses, run by third-generation Chinese-Indonesian families, represent an environmental consciousness rooted in older values of frugality and resourcefulness rather than imported Western sustainability branding.
### Riverside Retreats on Jalan Kota Wisata in Cemara Asri
Cemara Asri is a residential complex on Medan's eastern fringe, near Jalan Boulevard Raya, and it surprises visitors who think of Medan only as a chaotic river-port city. A small cluster of serviced apartments and homestays here have started marketing "green weekends" for local families and international backpackers. The draw is two things: a man-made lake system that actually supports some waterbird life, and proximity to the remaining buffer greenbelt between Medan's sprawl and the rice fields toward Pancur Batu. The units I have tried on Jalan Kota Wisata are mostly two-bedroom apartments rented by the week, with kitchens that encourage cooking from local pasar pasar markets rather than eating at the chain restaurants along Jalan Kyai Haji Hasyim Ashari.
What to See: The evening bird roost along the Cemara Asri lake after 5:30 PM; egrets and kingfishers gather as the city heat drops.
Best Time: Friday and Saturday evenings, when the local community organizes a small night market (pasar malam) along the boulevard with reusable-container food vendors.
The Vibe: Suburban calm, almost residential anonymity; you are less a tourist than a temporary neighbor.
Insider Detail: Several homestay owners coordinate with a nursery in Pancur Batu that grows native North Sumatran trees; guests can sponsor a sapling and receive a photo update via WhatsApp every three months.
Complaint: The nearest minimart with a good supply range is a 15-minute drive down Jalan Gatot Subroto; stock up on essentials before settling in.
Connecting to Medan's Character: Cemara Asri represents Medan's middle-class aspiration for green living within a rapidly urbanizing landscape. These serviced apartments are not luxury eco-resorts, but they reflect a growing domestic demand for cleaner air, less plastic, and weekend nature access that mirrors the broader green travel Medan movement.
### Belawan Mangrove Stays and Coastal Conservation
Belawan, Medan's port district about 20 kilometers north of the city center along Jalan Pelabuhan, is not where most tourists look for accommodation. But I have spent several nights at a community-run homestay near the Belawan mangrove boardwalk, and it is one of the most eye-opening sustainable stays in the Medan area. The homestay is basic, wooden stilts, shared bathroom, mosquito nets, but the host family runs mangrove planting excursions twice a week. You wade into the mud at low tide, plant Rhizophora seedlings, and learn how the coastline has retreated over the past two decades.
The family also operates a small fish-smoking operation using sustainably caught local species, and dinner is whatever came off the boat that morning. I had grilled tongkol (skipjack tuna) with sambal matah that I still think about.
What to Do: Join the mangrove planting session; it runs on Tuesday and Saturday mornings starting at 6:30 AM, and the family provides boots and gloves.
Best Time: Dry season (May through August) when the mud is firmer and the planting survival rate is higher.
The Vibe: Working waterfront, diesel and salt air, children playing on the boardwalk at sunset. Not romantic, but real.
Insider Detail: The homestay keeps a hand-drawn map of the mangrove zones they have replanted since 2015; guests can see exactly where their seedlings from previous visits are now standing.
Complaint: The shared bathroom has limited hot water, and the neighborhood dogs are loud before dawn. Earplugs are essential.
Connecting to Medan's Character: Belawan is Medan's historic port, the entry point for the tobacco and rubber trade that built the city's wealth in the Dutch colonial era. The mangrove restoration work here is a direct response to decades of port expansion that destroyed coastal ecosystems, making these homestays a living counter-narrative to Medan's extractive economic history.
### Karo Highland Homestays Near Berastagi
Berastagi sits about 66 kilometers south of Medan, up in the Karo Highlands along Jalan Letjen Jamin Ginting, and the drive itself is part of the experience, winding through volcanic terrain past the Sibayak and Sinabung volcanoes. Several homestays on the outskirts of Berastagi, particularly along Jalan Raja Berastagi and the smaller roads toward Gundaling, operate with a low-impact philosophy that predates the term "eco lodge Medan" by decades. These are Karo Batak family compounds where guests sleep in traditional-style wooden rooms, eat from the family garden, and use composting outhouses.
I stayed with a family on Jalan Musala, a small road off the main market strip, where the grandmother still cooks over a wood fire and the son runs guided hikes to the Sipiso-Piso waterfall and the hot springs at Sidebuk-debuk. The family collects rainwater in a large concrete tank and uses it for everything except drinking, which comes from a spring uphill.
What to Order: The family's version of cimpa, a Karo Batak rice cake cooked in banana leaves; it is only made on request, so ask the night before.
Best Time: April through June, when the highland weather is cool but the volcanic views are clearest before the monsoon haze sets in.
The Vibe: Mountain quiet, wood smoke, roosters at 4 AM. The family compound feels like stepping into a slower century.
Insider Detail: The family maintains a small seed bank of heirloom Karo vegetable varieties; guests can take a packet of seeds home if they ask, a quiet act of agricultural conservation.
Complaint: The composting toilet takes some getting used to, and the wooden floors creak loudly. Light sleepers will notice.
Connecting to Medan's Character: Berastagi has long been Medan's cool-escape, a place where the city's wealthy built weekend villas during the colonial period. These Karo homestays represent an indigenous sustainability that existed long before the eco-tourism label, rooted in the Karo people's deep connection to volcanic soil, forest, and water.
### Sustainable Hotels Medan: The Polonia and Setiabudi Corridor
Within Medan's urban core, a small number of hotels along Jalan Imam Bonjol, Jalan Setiabudi, and the old Polonia airport district have adopted sustainability measures that are modest but real. I have stayed at a mid-range hotel on Jalan Setiabudi that eliminated plastic water bottles in 2021 and installed a greywater recycling system for garden irrigation. The lobby displays a monthly water-usage chart, and the staff can explain what it means.
Another property near the old Polonia airfield, now a commercial district, sources its breakfast eggs from a free-range farm in Lubuk Pakam and its coffee from a women's cooperative in the Karo Highlands. These are not dramatic gestures, but in a city where most hotels still dump laundry water directly into storm drains, they stand out.
What to See: The hotel's rooftop garden on Jalan Setiabudi, where they grow lemongrass, pandan, and kaffir lime for the kitchen; ask the chef for a quick tour.
Best Time: Sunday mornings, when the hotel runs a small farmers' market in the parking lot with vendors from Pancur Batu and Tembung.
The Vibe: Business-hotel efficiency with a conscience; clean lines, potted plants, a quiet sense of purpose.
Insider Detail: The Polonia-area hotel keeps a partnership with a local school; guests can donate used books to a small library in the lobby that feeds a reading program in Medan Marelan.
Complaint: The greywater system occasionally produces a faint earthy smell near the ground-floor garden in humid months. It is not unpleasant, but noticeable.
Connecting to Medan's Character: Polonia was Medan's first airport, a symbol of the city's early 20th-century modernization under Dutch plantation capital. Hotels here adopting green practices represent a quiet reclamation of that modernization narrative, this time oriented toward environmental responsibility rather than extraction.
### Medan's Green Markets and Where Eco-Conscious Travelers Shop
No guide to sustainable hotels Medan is complete without mentioning the markets that feed them. Pasar Rame along Jalan Teuku Umar, Pasar Petisah near Jalan Tjong A Fie, and the smaller morning pasar loak (flea market) along Jalan Selamat are where I go to understand how Medan's green economy actually functions at street level. Vendors at Pasar Petisah sell reusable woven bags (called "tas anyaman") made from pandan and water hyacinth, a material that is itself an invasive species in Medan's rivers.
I buy my coffee at a stall on Jalan Selamat that sources directly from smallholders in Lintong Nihuta, south of Toba, and the owner roasts in small batches using a wood-fired drum. The packaging is a simple kraft paper bag, no plastic lining.
What to Buy: Water-hyacinth woven baskets from Pasar Petisah; they cost between 25,000 and 60,000 rupiah and support a women's cooperative in Belawan.
Best Time: Early morning (6 to 8 AM) at Pasar Petisah, when the produce is freshest and the crowds are thinnest.
The Vibe: Sensory overload, motorbike exhaust, the smell of durian and clove cigarettes, but also genuine community commerce.
Insider Detail: Several vendors at Pasar Rame now accept returned plastic packaging for a small discount on your next purchase; ask for "program plastik" and they will point you to the right stalls.
Complaint: Pasar Petisah's narrow aisles become nearly impassable by 10 AM on Saturdays. Go early or skip it.
Connecting to Medan's Character: Medan's markets are the city's oldest institutions, predating the colonial plantations. The shift toward reusable packaging and direct-trade sourcing in these markets reflects a grassroots environmentalism that is more powerful than any hotel certification program.
### Eco Lodge Medan: The Pancur Batu Cliff and River Circuit
Pancur Batu, about 17 kilometers south of Medan along Jalan Letjen Jamin Ginting, is where I send every visitor who asks for something green within easy reach of the city. The area is known for its white limestone cliffs and the river that runs through the recreation park, and a handful of small guesthouses along Jalan Pancur Batu have started marketing themselves as eco-retreats. I have stayed at a property near the cliff base where the owner, Pak Hendra, built the bungalows from reclaimed teak from demolished Medan shop houses.
The breakfast is river fish grilled over coconut husk, and the owner runs a small nursery of native trees that he plants along the riverbank each wet season. Guests are invited to plant one on arrival. It is a small gesture, but after three visits, I have a row of six trees along that riverbank with my name on a bamboo marker.
What to Do: The river swim in the natural pool below the cliff; the water is cool and clear in the morning before the day-trip crowds arrive.
Best Time: Weekday mornings before 9 AM; weekends bring large family groups from Medan and the noise level rises considerably.
The Vibe: Riverside calm with a DIY aesthetic; reclaimed wood, mismatched furniture, a sense of something being built slowly and honestly.
Insider Detail: Pak Hendra keeps a guest tree map behind the reception desk; returning visitors can find their planted trees and see how much they have grown.
Complaint: The natural pool can become murky after heavy rain, and the guesthouse does not always post water-quality updates. Ask before swimming.
Connecting to Medan's Character: Pancur Batu has been Medan's weekend escape since the 1970s, a place where working families picnic by the river. The eco-lodge movement here is a natural extension of that local love for the landscape, now formalized into conservation action.
When to Go and What to Know
The best months for green travel Medan are May through September, when the dry season makes jungle treks, mangrove planting, and highland hikes most accessible. Medan's wet season (November through February) can make roads to Bukit Lawang and Berastagi treacherous, and river levels at Pancur Batu rise fast. Budget travelers should know that sustainable hotels Medan options in the budget range (under 300,000 rupiah per night) are plentiful along Jalan Pemuda and in Bukit Lawang, while mid-range eco-conscious properties in Cemara Asri and Polonia run between 400,000 and 800,000 rupiah. Always carry cash; many eco-lodges and homestays outside the city do not accept cards. Bring a reusable water bottle, a good rain jacket, and sturdy sandals for mangrove mud.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best free or low-cost tourist places in Medan that are genuinely worth the visit?
The Maimun Palace on Jalan Brigjen Katamso is free to photograph from the exterior and costs only 5,000 rupiah for interior entry. The Tjong A Fie Mansion on Jalan Jenderal Ahmad Yani charges around 35,000 rupiah and offers a self-guided tour of one of Medan's most significant heritage buildings. The Babura River walkway near Jalan Pemuda costs nothing and gives a raw, unfiltered view of daily riverside life. The Cemara Asri lake area is open to the public and free for birdwatching after 5 PM.
How many days are needed to see the major tourist attractions in Medan without feeling rushed?
Three full days in Medan city cover the Maimun Palace, Tjong A Fie Mansion, the Grand Mosque, and the major markets at a comfortable pace. Add two more days if you want to include a day trip to Pancur Batu or the Belawan mangrove boardwalk. A full Bukit Lawang jungle experience requires at least two nights, bringing the total to five or six days for a combined city-and-nature itinerary.
What is the safest and most reliable way to get around Medan as a solo traveler?
Ride-hailing apps (Grab and Gojek) are the most reliable option, with fares typically between 15,000 and 50,000 rupiah for trips within the city center. The local angkot minibuses are cheaper (around 5,000 rupiah) but routes are confusing without Bahasa Indonesia. For trips to Bukit Lawang or Berastagi, hiring a private driver for the day costs between 400,000 and 600,000 rupiah and is the safest option on mountain roads.
Do the most popular attractions in Medan require advance ticket booking, especially during peak season?
Most Medan city attractions, including the Maimun Palace and Tjong A Fie Mansion, do not require advance booking and accept walk-in visitors. Bukit Lawang jungle trekking permits, however, should be arranged at least one day in advance through your lodge or a local guide office, particularly during July and August when daily visitor quotas at the orangutan feeding platform can fill up. The Berastagi fruit market and hot springs do not require tickets.
Is it possible to walk between the main sightseeing spots in Medan, or is local transport necessary?
The Maimun Palace, Grand Mosque, and Tjong A Fie Mansion are within a 2-kilometer radius in the old city center and can be walked in about 25 minutes, though the heat and traffic make it uncomfortable after 10 AM. Beyond this cluster, Medan is not a walkable city; distances between neighborhoods are large, sidewalks are often broken or absent, and the tropical heat is relentless. Local transport via Grab, Gojek, or angkot is necessary for reaching Cemara Asri, Belawan, Pancur Batu, or any destination outside the old city core.
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