Danau Maninjau Travel Guide
Danau Maninjau (Lake Maninjau) is a pretty mountain lake to the west of Bukittinggi and north of Padang, West Sumatra. It is a deep caldera lake and comes with good hiking opportunities and accommodation.
- Worth It?
- Yes, as Danau Maninjau is beautifully set amid mountain scenery.
- What to Do
- boating, hiking, relaxing.
- Best Time to Go
- April through to October in the dry season.
- How Long?
- You could easily spend two days at Danau Maninjau.
- Trivia
- Maninjau (meaning 'overlook') was created 52,000 years ago by volcanic eruption.
Danau Maninjau is around 17kms long by eight kilometers wide and is up to 160m deep in places. It is nice and cool around the lake, with a nominal altitude of 460m above sea level, and there are plenty of interesting destinations around the shores to relax and go boating.
The lake is easy to get to from Bukittinggi and Padang and there are many villages where basic accommodation can be had. Of these, Maninjau and Bayur villages have the best facilities for visitors. Activities at Danau Maninjau include swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, and paragliding.
Travel to Danau Maninjau - Getting There
Danau Maninjau is 38kms west of Bukittinggi, or a 90-minute journey via pretty scenery and dozens of tight switchbacks. The bus journey from Padang, the main city in the region, takes around 2 hours, 30 minutes. Flight time from Jakarta to Minangkabau International Airport, Padang, is 1 hour, 30 minutes.
Danau Maninjau Things to Do
Danau Maninjau Attractions
Side trips from Danau Maninjau
- Bukittinggi
- if coming from Padang, Bukittinggi, to the east of Danau Maninjau, is worth a visit for its atmosphere and old buildings.
Events
- Fun Fly in Lake Maninjau
- an annual May event in Maninjau featuring a paragliding competition and contestants from all over the world.
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