Sumatra: Kerinci > Bukit Tapan > Padang

May 11-14 2025 |

Section 6 and the final leg of my West Sumatra tour. This ride was a whopper, with great views of Kerinici, then onto the incredible Bukit Tapan Road through pristine jungle and over the coast mountains, followed by an epic cruise up the world-class coast to Padang. I planned to do this over 2 days, but ended up plowing right through on a very long and butt-debilitating ride that was worth it in the end.

I was keen to push my trip a bit further off the beaten track. Rather than do a shorter West Sumatra trip and return to Padang from Butansangkar and then Arosuka (which I accidentally did do part of after missing a turn - it is a traffic-clogged nightmare), I had a premonition that there must be an alternate route over the mountains somewhere further south. There is very little info on this topic. But I did manage to find a route on Google Maps, from Sungai Penuh south of Kernici to Tapan near the coast. But even then, it wasn't clear if this is a passable road. These mountains are intense, and this area is off the beaten track.

Anyways, I decided to just go for it, fingers crossed. Great decision - this was the best stretch of road I travelled in West Sumatra.

Kerinci, Indonesia's highest volcano, continues to dominate the landscape from many angles, whether looking back or sideways. It's a pleasant 1-hour ride south to Sungai Penuh.

From there, you turn off and quickly work your way up the start of the Bukit Tapan road. After climbing a twisty up into the mountains, I soon came to the entrance of the park. And right there, I heard the distinctive and incredibly loud hoots of Gibbons. I had heard this before in North Sumatra, but I couldn't actually see the Gibbons in the dense jungle. But lucky for me, this time they were there in the trees beside the road. I had about 15 minutes of viewing from a distance, about 6 of them swinging around through the trees. Unfortunately, I didn't get any decent pics, they were just to far away (I later got a pic of a Pig-tailed Macaque, see below; they are not shy like the Gibbons).

From there the ride just continued to grow in sheer awesomeness, the road winding through an epic valley between steep mountains and a raging river, incredibly dense jungle. There's no settlements in the park, and very few vehicles or people seen. I had the road to myself for 2 hours. And it's superb - smooth pavement, constant curves - truly one of the world's great unknown routes (ooops).

Back onto flatter ground it was another 30 minutes to Tapan. I started riding north from there with the idea of staying the night along the way. After an hour, I was on the coast. But there is not much tourist infrastructure along here, so I just kept riding. Once I got about 3 hours from Padang, I decided, screw it, I was just going to ride all the way. Honestly, this was not a great decision - it was just too long a day.

This area is an incredible coastline, with amazing sights and an excellent road. One stretch I highly recommend is from Sungaitalang (a really nice town) along the coast. Google Maps was directing me to follow the main highway, which was inland. But I re-routed up the coast and it was well worth it.

Unfortunately, I ended up riding in the dark for the last hour and missed the views closer to Padang. But I know it is really good, and I recommend anyone looking for a day trip out of Padang to take this road.

I was keen to get back to civilization after a few days of roughing it. So I booked a room at Bat & Arrow, the hip place to stay in Padang, and also one of the few drinking establishments in town. It's located in the old section of Padang with its epic history and mix of gentrified and crumbling buildings.

I highly recommend you drop into The Surf Supply PDG and connect with John,the owner. He's from Santa Cruz and has been in Padang for 13 years. A solid dude, he has a board and merch shop and cool lounge in an old warehouse, and he also runs surf safaris to Mentawi on his liveaboard.

Padang is a really cool city, one of the better places I have seen in my extensive travels throughout the archipelago. It's clean and organised, and the home to Padang food, one of my favorite cuisines on the planet. People are super friendly, and foreigners are welcome. It's the staging point to Mentawi or Bukittinggi, and many people pass through in a hurry - but it's worth a longer stay. The old town is a great chill place, with lots of seafood, coffee shops, and a couple of bars.

Another excellent part of Padang is Chinatown, 100 meters from Bat & Arrow in the old town. It's impressive and speaks volumes of the huge role the Straits Chinese played in the development of Padang and Sumatra. I have never seen so many different guardian lions in one small area.

I returned my bike back to the Rent Bike Padang Auto which was just as fast and seamless as the collection 1 week earlier. I highly recommend them if you are looking for a rental.

Ride: 340 km / 10 hrs

Stay: Bat & Arrow / $25 ***

Questions or comments?

Drop me a line: terraxplor1@gmail.com