Bukittinggi is one of the larger cities in West Sumatera, in English literally meaning "
hgh hill". It is situated in the Minangkabau highlands or the "
Agam Valley", with an area of over 25.24 km2 between
Mount Singgalang (inactive) and
Mount Merapi (inactive). At 930 m above the sea levels, the city has a refreshingly cool climate with an average temperature between 16o Celcius – 25o derajat Celcius due to its elevation. Bukittinggi is known as the cultural centre of the Minang realm and the ancient homeland of the Minangkabau - three valleys of central Sumatera. It has a wonderful highland region of rice fields, spectacular crater lakes, and towering volcanoes.
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| Bukittinggi |
Bukittinggi is formerly known as Fort de Kock in colonial times. There is a lookout tower which is an excellent spot to watch the sunset and take in a view of Mount Marapi that occasionally plumes of smoke. In the centre of Bukittinggi, there is a
clock tower "
Djam Gadang", was built in 1926 and a gift from the queen of Holland. The tower has become a typical Minangkabau roof with the symbol of te
Buffalo horns. It overlooks the market square, a beehive of activity and the best place to shopping. If you want to get an insight into the culture, attend a dance performance at the museum's open stage conducted every Sunday and on public holiday. The night performances are held at Sliguri. See the bullfights at Padang Lawas (6 km south of Bukittinggi) every Tuesday start at 5.00 p.m. The best example to see the traditional Minangkabau architecture is the museum of Bukittinggi. The traditional house provides cultural and historical items of the Minangkabau people.
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| Minangkabau House |
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| Djam Gadang - Clock Tower |
As a tourist center, Bukittinggi has a multitude of souvenir and crafts shops as well as for the jewelry and antiques. for some of the better stuffs of where a lot of it is made, you go travelling out of town where many of the craft villages are. Take one hour hike to
Kota Gadang, a small village of silversmiths a few kilometers from Bukittinggi, you can find all kinds of silverwares for sale, from delicate silver filigree to pins in the form of ornate flowers. On the southern outskirts of Bukittinggi, the
Paronama Park is located, here you can find the great views of the deep
Sianok Canyon. It takes about 4 hours into the Canyon along the river. On the river bank, you can find Rafflesia and a lot of medicine plants. For a truly haunting spectacle, visit the Canyon in the early morning. As river meanders through the rice fields below dissapering in the hazy distance beyond. Inside the canyon, you can see the river of Batang Sianok with clear water. Bukittinggi is also a good place to get in contact with guides for tours such as to Lake Maninjau. Puncak Lawang is a place where you can see a panaromic of
lake Maninjau.
There are still many places to visit in Bukittinggi, such as the King's palace in Pagaruyung, Balimbing village with old century traditional house (more than 350 years old), handcraft in Pandai Sikek (kain songket - tradtional woven clothes), ukiran kayu made of bamboo (handmade crafting), Traditional coffee toasters (Luwak Coffee - "Civet Cat" Coffee), Bika (traditional sweet made from coconut, rice floor and palm sugar). If you want to go for adventure, as for rafting, kayaking, rock climbing, surfing, mountaineering and paragliding, Bukittinggi and West Sumatera is general is a great place to do all of those.
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| Sianok Canyon |
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| Lake Maninjau |
Take a flight from Jakarta to Minangkabau International Airport in Ketaping. From there you can take taxi or bus to get to Bukittinggi. Either way, if you are in Padang (West Sumater's capital city), take a pleasant two-hour drive from Padang through the gorgeous Anai Valley to Agam Plateu.
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