Indonesia Traveling Guide

The land of the Minangkabau, West Sumatra has a distinct culture which distinguishes it from the rest of the island. A land of scenic beauty with blue green lakes and mountains, West Sumatra's Centre of culture and tourism is Bukittinggi in the highlands, north of the provincial capital of Padang.

Padang's Tabing Airport is the main gateway to West Sumatra. Garuda Indonesia has three daily flights to Jakarta, one daily flight to Palembang and Medan. Three flights weekly to Pekanbaru, three direct flights to Singapore and two flights to Batam.

The voyage takes some 30 hours. There are also some small vessels from Muara harbor to some small towns along the west coast of Sumatra.

There are regular bus services between Padang and Bukittinggi and other major cities of Sumatra, and via the trans-Sumatera Highway to Jakarta, and onward to Denpasar.

PLACES OF INTEREST (part 2) Mentawai Islands

Four islands make up the Mentawai cluster off the West Sumatra coast: Siberut, Sipora, Pagai Utara and Pagai Selatan. The people of these islands still live in comparative isolation, maintaining their age-old ways. Siberut is well known for its untouched forests, a part of a nature reserve inhabited by a number of animal species not found anywhere else, among them some rare monkey species. Beautiful coral reefs are found offshore.

Anai Valley

The surroundings of the Anai Valley are magnificent. The dense tropical forest all around is most impressive and is a nature reserve.

Below runs the river Anai with its crystal clear water. Just on the side of the road is a 40 m high waterfall.

Ngalau Indah Caves

On the road from Bukittinggi to Payakumbuh these caves extend deep into the mountainside. The domain of thousands of bats which you won't see but only hear and sense as they fly close over your head.

At the main entrance is a stone with an outline of an elephant visible on its face. The coolness and damp air is refreshing after the tropical heat outside. The path through these caves leads out to the top of the mountain from where it is quite panoramic. The drive up to the hillside is itself worth making because of the variety of the exquisite views along way.

Batusangkar

An old small town, 50 km southeast of Bukit-tinggi, it is a centre of the ancient Minangkabau culture. Pagaruyung is the historical site of a Minangkabau kingdom in the 14th century. Nearby is where some archaeological vestiges, such as the Written Stone, the Stabbed Stone and some other relics can be found.

Pariangan/Belimbing

It is said that this little village came into being at the time of the big deluge. It is situated on the slopes of Mt. Merapi, thought to be the cradle of the Minangkabau culture. This historical village still reflects the pure social structure of the Minangkabau conception of a village. A mosque, a council house and traditional house with rice-barns form the nucleus of the village.

Padangpanjang

The conservatory of Padangpanjang is a national institute specializing in the Minangkabau music and dances.

Solok, Diatas and Dibawah Lakes

Solok lies on the Trans-Sumatra Highway, 64 km from Padang and 76 km from Bukittinggi. The town has some fine examples of Minangkabau architecture with horn-shaped roofs and outer walls of wood, completely carved and painted in brilliant colors. Sixty km from Solok are the Twin Lakes (Danau Diatas and Danau Dibawah) which are becoming popular as a holiday resort.

Cool mountain air and beautiful landscapes seen from the hill between the two lakes have made this spot extraordinary.

Set only about 1 km apart, one of the lakes is on a slightly higher elevation than the other.

The spot offers an impressive panorama of the surrounding countryside and offers itself excellently to hiking or camping.

Shopping Hints

Hand-woven silk sarongs, embroidered garments and house-linen, richly woven cloth, gold and silver threads jewelry, wood carving, ornaments of coconut shell and seashells. There are also traditional copper-ware and miniature models of Minangkabau houses.

Accomodation

West Sumatra has several small comfortable hotels, though none of the deluxe class. Three and two- star hotels all have air-conditioning in Padang, with attached bathrooms, telephones and TV sets. A few are such as Muara, Pangeran, Marianis International and Machudum. In Bukittinggi, Benteng and Minang hotels have a homely atmosphere and Denai Hotel has cottages.