Touring the Harau Valley on the back of a motor, Bukittinggi – Sumatra – What to do surroundings Harau Valley

I hadn’t done a trip on the back of a motorbike yet so when I was in Bukittinggi it was time to do that. After the first one I immediatly desided to stay and do one more the day after. You really feel part of your surroundings on the back of the motorbike. I made some really nice pictures also….while driving… 😉

What to do surroundings Harau Valley – Indonesia

Motorbike ride through the harau valley

Exploring the area from the motorbike is unique, though. That way, you are in touch with your surroundings, I could look around wonderfully and taste the atmosphere. If you drive yourself, of course, it is different again.

Meanwhile, I was even able to take some nice photos which the Harau Valley lends itself extremely well to.

Luxe Hotel Monopoli – Bukittinggi

I stayed at the amazing hotel Monopoli (formerly The Hills) in Bukittinggi. Super nice hotel, and they had a great pool! I was at a point in my trip when I needed some luxury and so I chose this gem!

Nearby, I found a travelagency, Ronis Travel. Roni has a desk at the Orchid Hotel. They had all kinds of trips and were also able to give me some tips in the area for my first day that I could visit on foot. After booking a trip there for the next day, I went to Fort De Kock.

What to do surroundings Harau Valley – Sumatra

Fort De Kock – Dutch Fort

Fort de Kock, the name says it all, is a Dutch fort. The fort was originally built in 1825 at the time of the Paderi wars and was called Sterrenschans. Later, the name was changed and it was named after Dutch army commander Hendrik Merkus de Kock. Surely you feel very much at home in this part of Asia, Malaysia and Indonesia. Many people speak Dutch and have family living in the Netherlands or have lived there themselves. So many people also speak the language a little or even well. Very nice!

There is obviously a negative side to the fact that we as the Dutch have prevailed there but, on the other hand, there have been other nations that have been worse for them.

Fort De Kock & Limpapeh Brigde

So sad….

Bukittinggi Zoo – (Park Kinantan)

I hope Park Kinantan has changed and the above picture is no longer reality. I found it so pathetic and got a bit sick of the sight of it.

Park Kinantan finds its origins in Dutch history in Indonesia, as it was opened to entertain the Dutch citizens living in Bukittingi. This also makes it the third-oldest animal park in Indonesia

At the Orchid hotel, I was also told about the Panorama Park. From there you have a great view into the Sianok valley. Needless to say, I walked there and in that park you are almost overwhelmed by the amount of monkeys. What I did find amazing was a monkey that had got hold of a bottle of Minute Maid and was drinking it deliciously. I also saw one that had got hold of a bag of chips. Well…they are still monkeys aren’t they?

Panorama Park – Bukittinggi

Panoramapark with a great view over Sianok Valley

So the next day, I went to the Orchid Hotel to get on the back of the bike. I was an hour early…I still hadn’t set my clock after coming from Malaysia. I was neatly offered a cup of coffee there and could use the WiFi to surf the Internet for a while.

Touring on the back of a motorbike through the Harau Valley – Sumatra

A little later my guide arrived, introducing himself: An. (Short for Hanafi) He had a helmet with him and gave me a mackintosh in case it started raining and then we could go. We drove a bit through the city and An showed me the market. That market ran a whole section through the city, all the way up to the square where the Jam Gadang sits. That’s the clock tower in the centre square. The day before, I had been there.

There was also another market. This one was in a lower part of Bukittinggi; both markets were large. The whole area came to Bukittinggi to do business as it is the provincial capital. It is also a tourist attraction because of the city’s location, high in the mountains between volcanoes and thus a lovely cool climate.

When we got outside the city, we drove between the two volcanoes. One is Singgalang and the other the famous Marapi. Both volcanoes are still active. Unfortunately, due to all the fog and clouds, I could not take a nice photo of the volcano. Later in the day, I managed to get some!

Minangkabau Houses – Rumah Gadang

First we went to an old Minangkabau house. They call those Rumah Gadang (Minangkabau: Big House) or Rumag Bagonjong (Minangkabau: Spired Roof House) These are the traditional houses (Indonesian ‘Ruma Adat’) of the Minangkabau. What amazing houses they are! I had never seen these kinds of houses anywhere, what super cool shapes! with those points that look like the horns of the water buffalo!

Tapioca Factory – Harau Valley

We drove on and passed through a village where they were processing tapioca root. Of course, they still do it in the original way as they did centuries ago. Outside the house, an old woman was peeling the tapioca root. Inside, two women were burning wood under the large pan of boiling oil. In that boiling oil, they fried the tapioca and then I saw what it became. A kind of chips!

It was really hot in that small space because of that fire. I saw that they had just pushed a whole log under the big pan, so it could burn on for a while 🙂 I tasted some of the chips and the one I liked best bought An for me!

We moved on again, by now the weather had become lovely with the sun burning on my back. I loved being on the back of the bike, looking around and taking pictures of the surroundings. If I wanted to stop, I could do so immediately. With a car you can’t just stop anywhere but with a motorbike you can, great!

What to do in the surroundings of Harau Valley

Lunch in Padang Style

We took lunch at a roadside restaurant. Padang style, of course!!! This means that the whole table is roughly filled with delicious dishes and you can choose what you take from them. You then pay for whatever you actually take. What you then see happening is that one dish goes from table to table. 🙂

Where it’s crowded doesn’t matter, it’s just fresh food and just prepared. I had a delicious meal of some dishes, some egg in curry, a satay and some pieces of beef in soy sauce. With rice as the base, of course.

After the break, we finally reached the valley, the Harau Valley. What an amazing area! At one point you drive between huge high walls, which also gives you really super views! It was difficult to find a nice spot where you could get both walls on the photo, though.

Hiking & Swimming at a waterfall – Harau Valley

In this area, we took a hike, we walked to a waterfall. There were several and at the last one, the most remote waterfall, I swam briefly.

Are you looking for a challenge?

Then go sleep in a cave in this valley! Or go camping on the Marapi volcano

What to do Harau Valley – Make it adventurous

On the way back, we stopped at Abdi Homestay and had a cup of coffee. I had come across the Homestay on the internet but had not set aside time to spend the night there.

For my trip to spend a night in the cave, I slept at Abdi Homestay. Really a super place! Delicious food and a really nice atmosphere there.

The beautiful bungalow of Abdi Homestay

Great view from terrace bungelow Abdi Homestay over rice fields

The way back was another 1.5-hour drive through the beautiful area around Bukittinggi. With, of course, plenty of stops to stretch your legs and body 🙂

Motorbike tour – What to do Harau Valley, Bukittinggi – Sumatra

Stay in Bukittinggi

The Monopoli hotel I tipped earlier is of course already a great hotel but I now also found this The Chateau. If you need some luxury after a jungle trip or other local trip then this is the perfect hotel!

Looking for a hotel that is more affordable on a long trip? Kareem Syariah Hostel is one of the better cheap options and fine in the city centre.

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Want to see some other trips?

Cooking Class at Juwita’s Cafe – Samosir

Seeing the Orang Oetan in the Rainforest – Bukit Lawang

Visiting the Shaman on the Mentawai Islands

Camping on a vulcano – Marapi near Bukittinggi