The lake is located in Solok, namely in Alahan Panjang, and consists of two lakes: Lake Diatas is at the edge of the Padang-Muara Labuh road, while the other lake is located in the village of Bukit DiBawah Sileh, Lembang Jaya
One of the attractions in the south of western Sumatra, so many huge natural attractions in West Sumatra, that do not go empty during a day trip, so I have to divide them into two parts of the North and the South. .
Lake Diateh is one of the two lakes and one of the five lakes of West Sumatra (Singkarak, Maninjau, Diateh, Dibawah and D. Talang), approximately an hour and a half by car from the airport.
SUMATERA The province of Barat is rich in lakes. Here there are five lakes, Lake Maninjau, Lake Singkarak, Lake Diatas, Lake Dibawah and Lake Talang. With the exception of Lake Maninjau, there are four other lakes in Solok Regency.
That's why Solok is a lake-rich district in western Sumatra. In fact, Lakes Diatas, Dibawah and Talang are located in an area known as the Twin Lakes region.
See the Lake Twin area, since the two lakes, namely Lake Diatas and Lake Abajo, are adjacent, the distance is only about 300 meters. This area was first known as a tourist attraction because it is located on the edge of the Padang-Muaralabuh-Kerinci road.
Lake Talang is approximately 4.5 km from these two lakes. The location near Mount Talang and far from the road makes it a tourist attraction. Unfortunately, the outbreak of Mount Talang in the last three years has meant that this lake has not been visited because it is still a limited area.
Despite the three volcanic lakes, the Solok government has declared the Lembang Jaya area and the Gumanti Valley district as the Twin Lake tourism area.
The area is currently being developed as a tourist attraction. Solok is not only a tourist attraction, but also the most important in Western Sumatra.
Getting to this area is very easy. From Padang we can take intercity buses in the province to Alahan Panjang or Muaralabuh for 10,000 IDR.
The distance of 60 km is 1.5 hours from a winding road. On the way, we see the position of PT Semen Padang Factory, which is the oldest cement factory in Sumatra and PT perkebunan Nusantara VI, a Kebun Danau Kembar tea plantation. Traveling with a private vehicle only takes about 1 hour.
Along the street
It will be cold in the direction of the sky position and we can see the lake up on the right side of the car window. With the public bus we have to get off at the Simpang market. There are two intersections, the intersection on the right goes back to Lake Diatas, where the lake is clearly visible because it is below.
The other intersections on the left are climbing routes. This road leads to the lower lake. The names of the two lakes that contradict this site make visitors often wonder why the lake is located on a hill called Lake Dibawah, while the lakes are hot at the foot of the hill or under the road of Lake Diatas.
This is because the water level of the lake in Dibawah, although on a hill, is as high as the lake above the lake.
Lake Diatas with an area of ??17.20 square meters, a length of 6.25 km and a width of 2.75 km. The surface of the water is at an altitude of 1,600 meters above sea level. The lake is quite flat, the deepest part is only 44 meters.
The water surface of Lake Dibawah is located at a height of 1566 meters above sea level. That is, the surface of the water is as high as the bottom of the diatase. However, the lake with an area of ??16.90 square meters, a length of 5.62 km and a width of 3.00 km is very deep, with 886 meters.
Once you have left the bus in Simpang, you can walk to Lake Diatas or the lake below. The rate is the same, IDR 2,000. Normally, visitors first choose Above Lake with a 1500 IDR ticket for children and 2000 IDR for adults.
There is a series of motorized transport boats of local entrepreneurs that are used as transport between the villages around the lake. These boats are an important tool for fruit and vegetable producers in the lake to bring their agricultural products to the Simpang market. This pier is managed by the river, the lake and the water transport (ASDP).
Whenever we can take this boat to one of the villages, we come back with a return rate of only IDR 2000. We can see the vastness of Lake Arriba with its small hills that are part of the Bukit Barisan that surrounds it . There are also fish cages belonging to the population.
On Sundays or public holidays, one of these boats usually serves a tourist route around the lake at a speed of IDR 5,000 per person.
Not far from the pier, there is a place that is often used as a seaside resort by visitors, especially children. Around it is also a small field under the shady pines, often used by visitors for various activities.
I can not go down
We can not enjoy traveling on a boat on Lake Dibawah. The lake is surrounded by a large number of hills and water, far from the location of the landscape built by the government. Unlike Lake Arriba, we can not touch our hands or feet in the water. It's only that the landscape is beautiful. From this panorama, we can also see the lake above.
In the panorama of Lake Diatas, there are small stands selling passion fruit and Dutch aubergines as typical fruits of this region. There are also people selling different mountain flowers in small to large pots. One boat costs IDR 5,000 for IDR 15,000.
There are also people selling dry mountain sari for decoration. This dry dried flower of a kind of grass flower that grows in the swamps around the lake. This flower of grass appears only once a year in the Bovenmeer. The way of treating it is taken and dried, so that the juice of the flour comes out. A package costs between IDR 5,000 and IDR 15,000.
After seeing these two lakes, we can go to Talang Lake, located on a hill. We can rent an ojek at a rate of IDR 10,000 for a return flight. Talang Lake has an area of ??1.30 square kilometers, a length of 1.5 kilometers and a width of 88 meters. In Talang Lake, the air is cooler and the atmosphere is calm.
Unfortunately, as the lake is located near the crater of Mount Talang, active and often erupting, this area is closed to visitors. In addition, the last view of the lake was covered with gutters.
The Twin Lakes Region is also renowned for producing vegetables such as carrots, cabbage and high quality cabbage. In addition, it also produces passion fruit and Dutch eggplant. About 45,000 national tourists visit this place at least every year. But foreign tourists only visit 500 people a year.
The Solok District Government is currently trying to develop this area as an attractive tourist attraction. The government of Solok Regency has built a tourist center on the lake in the Gumanti Valley, which is one of the most beautiful sides of the lake.
There is a conference room that can accommodate 800 people and is rented for various events with a daily rate of Rp. 200 thousand. While the accommodation facilities, two large two-story cement villas with three bedrooms are complemented by a living room and kitchen with a speed of 250,000 rupees per night.
In addition, there are two small wooden villas with one bedroom. The price of one villa per night is 125,000 IDR. There are also 10 cabins available, which cost 100,000 Rp per night.
The government of Solok Regency is developing the Twin Lakes tourist area, which has three lakes that make up an agritourism zone where visitors can enjoy the lake while admiring the view of a strip of orchards and fruit and tea plantations.
The tea plantation of PT Perkebunan Nusantara VI, located about 15 km from Lake Kembar, is also a place of agritourism. There are guest houses, tennis courts, football fields, residences and hiking trails in the middle of an expanse of tea gardens on the slopes of Mount Talang.
Unfortunately, staying at home no longer exists. Two years ago, the stay at home was still comfortable with a night of 150 000 rupees, including breakfast. Since no one was specifically involved in the business, this stay at home was neglected. Still, the location of this tea plantation is very well suited to family vacations. In fact, almost all extremes are still students or agency employees who camp there.
