The nine bends
Viaducts snaking between mountains.
Jnsenaleo — CC BY-SA 4.0 · SpartacksCompatriot — CC BY 3.0 · ihsanadity — CC0 · Rocky bew-bew — CC BY-SA 3.0
A soaring, winding road viaduct that snakes between two mountains in a narrow valley east of Bukittinggi, on the main road between West Sumatra and Riau. Its name means nine bends, after the narrow old Dutch road that climbed the valley in nine hairpins. The modern viaduct opened in 2013, replacing the dangerous old road with twisting elevated spans on tall piers that curve between forest and rock faces, and it has become one of West Sumatra's best-known and most photographed sights, especially from above. It is free, with parking bays, stopping points and stalls selling food and coffee along the road, where travellers pull over for photographs. The old road survives beneath the viaduct, and parts of it can be walked. A stop takes half an hour to an hour. It is near the Harau valley, so combine the two on a day trip from Bukittinggi, or stop on the way to Pekanbaru. Watch out for traffic when stopping by the road.
Viaducts snaking between mountains.
Among the region's most photographed.
Still beneath the viaduct.
Lima Puluh Kota regency, on the Padang-Pekanbaru road, about 60 km east of Bukittinggi
From the stopping points at the top of the road, where all the bends lie below you. Mornings are clearest, before cloud gathers on the mountains.