A 100-metre-deep gorge cut into volcanic tuff runs along the western edge of the town, with vertical green walls and a small river snaking through the bottom. The viewpoint at Panorama Park, a five-minute walk from the clock tower, gives the easiest look down. For the better experience, follow the road that drops to the canyon floor and walk through the village of Sianok at the bottom — terraced rice fields, water buffalo, and rumah gadang houses with their saddle-roofed gables.
The canyon is at its most photogenic in the early morning when mist still sits in the bottom and the rice fields are catching the first sun. Allow a couple of hours to walk down and back up; the climb out is steep.