Lake Maninjau

Maninjau fills an old volcanic caldera in the Minangkabau highlands, a long sheet of water held in by steep green walls. The approach is part of the attraction: the road from Bukittinggi runs along the rim and then drops to the shore through forty-four hairpin bends, each one numbered on a small concrete post. From the top, at Puncak Lawang, the whole lake is laid out below, and the site is used for paragliding launches. Down at the water the pace is slow, with villages, small guesthouses and a road that runs the full way round. It is a place for a bicycle, a swim and not much else, which is the point.

What you actually see

• Kelok 44 - the forty-four numbered hairpin bends on the road down to the lake.
• Puncak Lawang - the rim viewpoint over the whole caldera, also a paragliding launch.
• The shore road - a flat loop right around the water past villages and rice fields.
• Minangkabau houses - the horned roofs of traditional houses in the villages around the water.

When to go

May to September is drier and the views from the rim are clearer; low cloud often sits in the caldera early and late in the day. Mornings are calm on the water. Paragliding at Puncak Lawang depends on wind and is not run every day, so ask locally before making the trip up.

Honest expectations

Intensive cage fish farming has hurt the water quality in parts of the lake, and periodic fish die-offs leave a smell along some stretches of shore. Accommodation is basic and the choice is small. The switchback road makes some passengers ill and can be slow behind trucks. There is little to do here beyond walking, cycling and swimming.

Nearby

Bukittinggi, the Sianok canyon and the Harau valley are all within a few hours.