Sianok Canyon

The Sianok Canyon (ngarai sianok) is located in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra,Indonesia. Ngarai Sianok (Sianok Gorge) has two hill walls facing each other almost vertically. Its height is about 100 to 120 meters and length around 15kilometers. These wall curved like a gorge where there are wide rice fields and Sianol river’s bends on its base. This gorge separates Bukit Tinggi and Mount Singgalang. The scientists concluded that this canyon is apart of fault, which separated of Sumatra Island to be two stretches along a length path ( Watermelon fault ).

The beautiful Sianok Canyon is a favorite spot for tourists. Sianok Canyon is one of the most impressive sites in West Sumatra, is very very amazing, particularly during sunrise and sunset, and can be best viewed from the Panorama park Bukittinggi or you could also go into the gorge, which is a settlement and paddy field area. In addition to the gorges beauty, visitors can also visit a Japanese bunker (the Japanese bunker is a massive excavation used by the Japanese to hide troops and munitions during WW II) located at the base of the gorge.

Getting There

Ngarai Sianok has abundant natural resources and culture. It is located about 1 km southwest of Bukittinggi, where the distances are between Jam Gadang ( Big Clock ) and Pasar Atas. Ngarai Sianok just a few blocks from one of hotel in Bukittinggi. The tourists are able to reach it by vehicles or walk on foot while heat the Bukittinggi fresh air. Visitors also can take a private car or sado/andong (traditional carriage) from the city center to Panorama Park which is located at Panorama Street while enjoying the cool weather in Bukit Tinggi.

From Minangkabau international airport, you can take a rented car or minibus plying the Padang-Bukit Tinggi route to Bukit Tinggi. The distance between Padang and Bukit Tinggi is about 90 km.

Getting Around

If you want to enjoy the beauty of Ngarai Sianok from Panorama Park, you can use the gazebos while watching monkeys playing around in the park. In addition, there is a 20 meter tall tower near souvenir shops where you could see the beauty of Ngarai Sianok clearer. Alternatively, visitors could travel 2 km using private car go down to the base sianok canyon through between the road from Bukittinggi and rice fields.

There is delightful walk down into the canyon and along the river. This trail goes all the way to Koto Gadang, the home of the Silversmith of WestSumatra. You can hike through the Sianok canyon River, is able to to cross by a canoe that facilitated by Qurays Water Sport Organization at this time.the routes that will be gone trough are from Lambah Village until Sitangkai Batang Palupuh Village along 3.5 hours. On its bank, there are founded are all kinds of plants such as Rafflesia and medicine plants. The wild animals founded like long tile monkey, gibbon, deer, wild boar, panther and tapir. In Dutch Colonial, the chasm also called “Kerbau Sanget, because there are much wild buffalo that lived in free around the river. Woods and grasses on its top plant it.

To DO

In Panorama Park, visitors could enjoy the beautiful scenery while eating in gazebos. You can take pictures of this scenery from the gorges beautiful vistas which draw many photographers and painters to visit Ngarai Sianok. Remember that, you should not miss the beauty of Sianok Canyon as well as foreigners to record for posterity.

In Panorama Park also has a mini theater for local performing arts.

In the North of Panorama Park, there are merchandises stall which sell t-shirts, bag, rattan handycrafts, until paintings which record the exquisite of Sianok Canyon

To Eat

Kiosks within the park only sell snacks and drinks. Outside the compound, you could find many restaurants selling Kapau rice.