Padang is the largest city on Sumatra’s west coast and has served for decades as the natural gateway to the interior of West Sumatra province. For most travellers it is a practical stop — a place to catch your breath, eat well and head on into the surrounding mountains and reserves. But we are fond of it in its own right: it sits on the coast of the Indian Ocean, has a long trading history and a cuisine known across the whole of Indonesia.
Rafflesia in the Batang Palupuh reserve
Less than an hour’s drive north of Padang, near the town of Bukittinggi, lies the Batang Palupuh reserve. This is home to Rafflesia arnoldii — the plant that produces the largest single flower in the world. In full bloom it can measure over a metre across and weigh several kilograms.
Seeing it, however, takes a little luck and good timing. The flower opens for only a few days, and the bud takes many months to mature, so there is no guarantee that one will be in bloom on the day of your visit. We therefore recommend arranging the visit with the local reserve wardens, who keep track of where and when the next flower is due to open. Our guides know these contacts and can plan the trip so that it is worthwhile.
Kerinci Seblat — home of the Sumatran tiger
South of Padang stretches Kerinci Seblat National Park, one of the largest protected areas on Sumatra. It spans four provinces and protects vast mountain rainforests. It is one of the last refuges of the critically endangered Sumatran tiger and a haven for tapirs, sun bears and hundreds of bird species.
Encountering a tiger in the wild is all but impossible, and it is not the point of the visit — it is more about being in a landscape where these animals still live. The park offers treks of varying difficulty, from shorter walks to multi-day expeditions into the mountains. Moving through the park has its rules and requires a local guide.
Padang cuisine
In Indonesia, Padang is best known for its food. Padang cuisine (masakan Padang) is among the most famous in the country and can be found everywhere. Its serving style is distinctive: a row of small dishes is brought to your table, and you pay only for what you actually eat.
The cornerstone is rendang — beef slow-cooked for hours in coconut milk and spices until it thickens and caramelises. Alongside it come chicken curry, vegetables in coconut, eggs in sauce and a fiery sambal. The dishes tend to be heavily spiced and hot. In Padang itself, where the cuisine originates, everything has a different depth to it.
Practical tips
- Do not count on the Rafflesia as a certainty — have your reserve visit confirmed by locals who know whether a flower is currently in bloom.
- For a trek in Kerinci Seblat, plan for a local guide and a permit; do not set out into the park without them.
- Padang dishes tend to be hot — if you do not enjoy spicy food, say so in advance.
- Bukittinggi, in the hills above Padang, makes a more pleasant base for trips around the area than the port city itself.
- The most comfortable time for travel in West Sumatra is the drier part of the year, roughly from May to September.