Translate to :
When viewed from the mountains above, Danau Maninjau looks as if a piece of the sky had grown weary with its eternal floating and crawled to earth for an afternoon nap. And the pace is just as sleepy: no jarring call to prayers, no overload of ‘Hello mister’ calls. Just the basic elements: land, sky and water.
The final descent to Danau Maninjau, on the road from Bukittinggi, 38km west, is unforgettable. The road twists and turns through 44 hairpin bends, and offers stunning views over the shimmering blue lake and surrounding hills.
Orientation & Information
The only village of any size is Maninjau, but most people stay near Bayur, 3km north. Tell the conductor where you want to stay and you’ll be dropped off at the right spot.
In Maninjau village, most businesses center around the junction of Jl H Udin Rahmani and the highway to Bukittinggi.
INTERNET ACCESS
Bagoes Cafe (h10am-9pm).
MONEY
There’s a small branch of BRI bank in Maninjau, but it doesn’t offer foreign currency exchange. Several losmen in town change money but rates are much better in Bukittinggi
POST & TELEPHONE
The post office and Telkom wartel are next to each other, on the lakeside junction of Jl H Udin Rahmani and the highway.
TRAVEL AGENCIES
PT Kesuna Tour & Travel. Arranges air tickets and minibus charters to Padang. It will also change money.
Sights & Activities
At 500m above sea level, Maninjau has an ideal climate, and hanging out by the lake is the most favoured activity. Although the lake is 480m deep in places, the water is considerably warmer than at Danau Toba, so it’s a good place for s wimming. Some guesthouses hire dugout canoes or inflated truck inner tubes. Generally, the further away you travel from town, the cleaner the water.
There are some strenuous and slippery hikes to make you earn your dinner. Catch a Bukittinggi-bound bus to Matur and walk 5km to the lookout of Puncak Lawang. Half-way between Lawang and Bayur is Ana’s Homestay, deep within the jungle. Ana’s is popular with trekking tours from Bukittinggi, but you can arrange a visit from Maninjau through the guesthouses along the lake.
Festivals & Events
Rakik Rakik is celebrated on the night before Idul Fitri (the end of Ramadan) by building a platform to hold a replica Minangkabau house and mosque. The offering is then floated out onto the lake on canoes accom- panied by fireworks and revelry.
Sleeping
Want to stay in a postcard-perfect setting? Then migrate to the guesthouses around Bayur, where you can watch the quiet industry of cultivating the land and lake. Fisherfolk paddle silently to the shore to ravel and unravel weighted nets and stoic coconut hunters command their trained monkeys to scale the towering palms and pluck out only the good fruit.
If you need more city-ish action, there is a louder heartbeat in Maninjau village, but the shorefront is dominated by small-scale fish ponds, making swimming less appealing.
MANINJAU
Riak Danau. The best of a cluster of cheapies in town.
Pillie Homestay. South of Maninjau’s main junction, Pillie’s draw is the personality of the pleasant family: mama, papa and the girls.
Muaro Beach. Well hidden past the village schools along a twisty footpath, Muaro has basic numbers on the beach.
Hotel Mutiara. Next door to Pillie, Mutiara is a breezy spot with clean, tiled rooms.
Maninjau Indah Hotel. Of the hotels in town, Maninjau Indah has the best location: overlooking the lake far enough from road noise.
Hotel Tan Dirih. Rooms here are better than at Maninjau Indah, but the location is lacking.
BAYUR
To get to the following from the main road, take the tiny tracks through the paddy fields to the lakefront.
Arlen’s Paradise. From the front porches of Arlen’s grown-up bungalows, you get a full shot of Maninjau’s scenic beauty and enough privacy to swim in modern fashions.
Further south is Bayur’s primary clutch of bungalows. Some close for the season, some for good. These were the ones open during research:
Lili’s Beach Homestay. A hardcore backpacker spot with bungalows just a notch above camping.
Batu C. Next door, Batu C has a bed-head vibe with basic huts on a nice beach, but the toilets are still terrible.
Eating
Most of the guesthouses serve basic meals such as mie/nasi goreng, some Western favorites and freshly caught fish. A few places in Maninjau village are also worth checking out.
Bagoes Cafe. A tourist-friendly place with all the usual fare and a few local specialities. There are free movies on demand, and internet.
Cafe 44. Budget views of the lake, with a good selection of local food and a friendly atmosphere.
Waterfront Zalino. A little classier than the rest of Maninjau, this waterfront restaurant does grilled fish with a perky attitude.
Rumah Makan Sederhana and Bundo Restoran, both serve a good selection of Padang food.
Getting There & Around
There are hourly buses between Maninjau and Bukittinggi (1½ hours).
To reach Padang without backtracking to Bukittinggi, catch an opelet to Lubuk Basung (20 minutes), then a bus to Padang (3 hours). There is also an economy bus to/from Dumai.
Several places rent out mountain bikes, motorcycles and canoes.
Buses travel throughout the day between Maninjau and Bayur - just stand by the road and hail one. Alternatively, you can take an ojek between the two.
