Tomok
Batak village with old royal stone graves and the wooden Sigale-gale puppet dance.
At a glance
- Entry fee
- A small entry charge to the tourism village, reported at around IDR 10,000 per person, plus a separate tip for the Sigale-gale dancers. Nothing here takes cards, so carry small notes.
- Opening hours
- Daylight hours. Go in the morning, before the ferries and domestic tour groups arrive and before the lane gets hot. The Sigale-gale performance runs when enough people have gathered rather than to a fixed timetable.
- Time needed
- An hour or so. The site is compact and partly shaded, and the tomb complex is about 200 metres uphill from the harbour.
About Tomok
Tomok is where the car ferry from Ajibata lands, and where most people get their first look at Batak stone-carving. The tomb complex sits about 200 metres uphill from the harbour, at the end of a lane packed shoulder to shoulder with ulos cloth, wooden calendars and carved masks.
At the top are the tombs of the Sidabutar line, three generations of them, held locally to belong to the man credited with first opening settlement here. The main sarcophagus is cut from a single block of stone with no joints or mortar, and the lid carries a human face with large staring eyes said to represent the king himself. Local accounts put it at more than 450 years old. That figure comes from tradition rather than from any archaeological dating, and it is worth holding lightly.
There is a rule here that is genuinely observed rather than performed for tourists: before you step into the burial area you drape an ulos cloth over your right shoulder. They are handed out at the entrance.
The other draw is the Sigale-gale, a life-sized wooden puppet worked by ropes from behind a screen, dancing to gondang music with jointed arms and a head that turns. It is used at funeral performances and the effect is unsettling in a way photographs do not carry. Guides tell an origin story about a grieving king and a dead son; treat it as the story told locally rather than documented history.
The souvenir lane is relentless and the site takes under an hour. Both of those things are true at once.
Getting there
Tomok is on Samosir's east coast, about 10 to 15 minutes by scooter south of Tuk Tuk, and the tombs are roughly 200 metres on foot up from the ferry pier. ASDP runs car ferries between Ajibata (near Parapat) and Tomok on the KMP Tao Toba I and II, with around a dozen departures each way through the day from early morning until evening, so many people arrive here first if they are bringing a vehicle. If you are already staying in Tuk Tuk, the easy move is to ride down to Tomok and continue north to Ambarita in the same outing.
Best time
Go in the morning, before the ferries and domestic tour groups arrive and before the lane gets hot. The site is compact and partly shaded, so any dry day works. The Sigale-gale performance runs when enough people have gathered rather than to a fixed timetable, so mid-morning tends to be the sweet spot: enough of a crowd to trigger a dance, not enough to queue for it.
Good to know
There is a small entry charge to the tourism village, reported at around IDR 10,000 per person, plus a separate tip for the Sigale-gale dancers. Carry small notes, as nothing here takes cards. Put the ulos over your right shoulder before entering the graves; it is not optional and it is not a tip prompt. The stall lane is persistent. Prices open high and a friendly, firm refusal works better than haggling for something you do not want. If you do want ulos cloth, this is a reasonable place to buy it, but compare a few stalls first.
Things to do at Tomok
Put the ulos over your right shoulder before entering the graves
They are handed out at the entrance. This is a rule genuinely observed rather than performed for tourists, and it is not a tip prompt.
Look at the Sidabutar sarcophagus
Three generations of tombs, the main one cut from a single block of stone with no joints or mortar, its lid carrying a human face with large staring eyes said to represent the king. Local accounts put it at more than 450 years old, a figure from tradition rather than archaeological dating.
Walk the stall lane, firmly
The 200 metres uphill from the harbour is packed shoulder to shoulder with ulos cloth, wooden calendars and carved masks. Prices open high and a friendly, firm refusal works better than haggling hard.
Wait for the Sigale-gale to dance
The wooden puppet figure performs when a crowd has gathered rather than on a schedule, so it is worth timing your walk up the lane around it.
Tomok FAQs
Whose graves are at Tomok?+
They belong to the Sidabutar family, three generations of rulers, with the founding Raja Sidabutar credited by local tradition with first settling Tomok. The main sarcophagus is carved from one solid block of stone and topped with a face representing the king.
Do I need to wear anything special to enter the tombs?+
Yes. Visitors drape an ulos cloth over the right shoulder before entering the burial area. Cloths are provided at the entrance, so you do not need to bring your own.
What is the Sigale-gale puppet?+
A life-sized carved wooden figure operated by ropes from behind a screen, made to dance to gondang music at funeral ceremonies. Its limbs and head move, and visitors are often invited to join the dance in return for a tip.
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