Indonesia The original uploader was Rahmatdenas at Indonesian Wikipedia . · CC BY 3.0
The cut
488 metres, to scale.
A slice through Ngarai Sianok where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.
Standing on the floor, to scale: Great Pyramid · 139 m · Empire State · 443 m
Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is.
488m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
17.2km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
29°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
794m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
7 °C warmer at the bottom.
In May the afternoon reaches 25 °C on the floor, against 19 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are from January to February and from June to August. The wettest months are in November.
- 25°18°Jan
- 25°18°Feb
- 25°18°Mar
- 25°18°Apr
- 25°19°May
- 25°18°Jun
- 25°18°Jul
- 25°18°Aug
- 25°18°Sep
- 25°18°Oct
- 25°18°Nov
- 24°18°Dec
Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.
Canyon in Sumatra
Ngarai Sianok is a canyon in Indonesia, cut by the Batang Sianok river. The relief model measures 488 m from the floor to the lower rim, and 1,033 m to the higher one. Rim to rim it is 17 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Bukittingginearest town · 0.6 km in a straight line
- Parking 2,630 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Viewpointsnearest viewpoint · 0.4 km from the floor
- Minangkabau International Airport (PDG)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 54 km in a straight lineCar hire in JakartaDiscover Cars · sponsored link↗
- From January to February and from June to Augustbest months to hike (estimate)
Plan the visit
Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From the sky.
The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.
N
6 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 24 × 24 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 12viewpoints within 5 kmThe Great Wall Koto Gadang, Menara Panorama, Panorama Tabiang Takuruang and 9 more
- 4footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 kmJambatan Limpapeh, Great Wall Koto Gadang and 2 more
- 1rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
- 1swimming spots within 3 km
- 3caves within 3 km
- 5car parks within 3 km
- 1bus stops within 2 km
- 5campsites within 8 kmKapatoman Camping, Tapian Ratu Camp, Kawasan Wisata Tabiang Takuruang and 2 more
- 65hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmOrchid Hotel, Hello Guest House, Khartini Hotel and 62 more
- 63restaurants and cafés within 4 km
- marked hiking routes within 4 km
- via ferrata routes within 4 km
- climbing crags within 3 km
- named waterfalls within 4 km
- information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Towns nearby
- Bukittinggi0.6 km in a straight line
- Kotatua4.2 km in a straight line
- Matur9.2 km in a straight line
- Baso10 km in a straight line
- Maninjau15 km in a straight line
- Padangpanjang17 km in a straight line
- Palembaian20 km in a straight line
- Salimpaung21 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Ngarai Sianok.
The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.
Peakyas9 mountains within 15 kmFigures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Month by month
The weather, at the floor and at the rim.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon · floor | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 |
| Afternoon · rim | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Night · rim | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Rain (mm) | 270 | 268 | 322 | 312 | 229 | 238 | 217 | 250 | 302 | 359 | 449 | 358 |
| Rainy days | 21 | 18 | 24 | 25 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 26 | 25 |
| Sun hours/day | 4.8 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 6.3 | 6.4 | 6.2 | 5.5 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.8 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 18 | 12 | 270 | 4.8 |
| Feb | 25 | 18 | 12 | 268 | 4.9 |
| Mar | 25 | 18 | 13 | 322 | 5.3 |
| Apr | 25 | 18 | 13 | 312 | 5.6 |
| May | 25 | 19 | 13 | 229 | 6.3 |
| Jun | 25 | 18 | 13 | 238 | 6.4 |
| Jul | 25 | 18 | 12 | 217 | 6.2 |
| Aug | 25 | 18 | 12 | 250 | 5.5 |
| Sep | 25 | 18 | 12 | 302 | 4.7 |
| Oct | 25 | 18 | 12 | 359 | 4.5 |
| Nov | 25 | 18 | 12 | 449 | 4.9 |
| Dec | 24 | 18 | 12 | 358 | 4.8 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (794 m) and the rim (1,827 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.
Photographs
Seen from the trail.
Recent years
Wet years, dry years.
Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 111% | 74% | 90% | 122% | 135% | 92% | 189% | 71% | 117% | 88% | 120% | 82% |
| 2021 | 108% | 35% | 175% | 105% | 204% | 107% | 74% | 158% | 193% | 80% | 62% | 142% |
| 2022 | 88% | 135% | 92% | 129% | 96% | 176% | 105% | 156% | 150% | 155% | 119% | 107% |
| 2023 | 120% | 86% | 104% | 98% | 111% | 120% | 141% | 187% | 64% | 44% | 52% | 107% |
| 2024 | 167% | 122% | 105% | 149% | 221% | 148% | 55% | 183% | 92% | 121% | 88% | 93% |
| 2025 | 195% | 105% | 139% | 102% | 82% | 69% | 97% | 119% | 88% | 46% | 143% | 144% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q3869594) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 |
| Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearby | Coastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.You are here