Sawahlunto and the Ombilin Mines

Sawahlunto lies in a narrow valley in the Minangkabau highlands and exists because of the coal seam beneath it. From the late nineteenth century the Ombilin mines were worked here and the coal was carried to the coast on a purpose-built railway, including a rack section that climbs through the Anai gorge. The town that grew around the pits kept its shape: mine offices, workshops, a power house, company housing and a station, now conserved together and inscribed by UNESCO. The Mbah Soero tunnel can be walked with a helmet and lamp, and the old station and offices hold displays on the mine, the railway and the workers, many of them convict and contract labourers, who dug it.

What you actually see

• The Mbah Soero tunnel - a short walk into a conserved mine gallery with helmet and lamp.
• The old station - the railway building and its rolling stock, including a preserved steam locomotive.
• Company town buildings - offices, workshops and housing built for the mine.
• The Anai gorge line - the steep railway toward the coast, with its rack section.

When to go

The highlands are cooler than the coast and rain can fall in any month, with the drier stretch roughly May to September. A weekday visit usually means the tunnel and museums to yourself, while weekends bring domestic visitors. Tunnel tours run to fixed times and stop in the early afternoon, so arrive in the morning to fit everything into a day.

Honest expectations

This is industrial heritage rather than scenery, and visitors expecting a pretty colonial town will be underwhelmed: much of Sawahlunto is an ordinary working settlement with heritage buildings scattered through it. Interpretation is largely in Indonesian. The mine tunnel is short, low and humid. The drive from Padang is three hours each way on winding roads.

Nearby

Lake Singkarak, Lake Maninjau and the highland town of Bukittinggi are within a couple of hours.