Riau – Pekanbaru, City of Contrasts

View of Pekanbaru city, Riau

The capital of Riau Province since 1959, Pekanbaru began as a small village called Payung Sekaki on the Siak riverbank.

There are a number of interesting buildings in the Riau-Malay traditional architectural style worth seeing in Pekanbaru, including Balai Dang Merdu, the Balai Adat and of course, Taman Budaya Riau or the Riau Cultural Park.

Located on Jalan Jendral Sudirman, not far from the Sultan Syarif Kasim II airport, the Riau Cultural Park is the center of the city’s cultural activities. Right next door is a museum, known as Sang Nila Utama that exhibits various collections of artistic, historic as well as cultural items of local people. The museum is open daily, except on Sundays and public holidays. Also of interest is the city’s oldest mosque, Pekanbaru Great Mosque, established in the 18th century. Within the compound lie the tombs of the two sultans who founded the city.

Pekanbaru An Nur Great Mosque, Riau

After a morning of culture, also recommend to take off for Limbungan Lake. Originally designed for irrigation purposes, the dam and the surrounding hilly areas with its panoramic views has been developed into a recreational area with restaurants, water bikes and cottages to rent. The lake is just then kilometers from downtown Pekanbaru and is served by public transport. Nearby, there is a popular motocross area.

Limbungan Lake, Riau

Another great spot to relax is Alam Mayang. Situated on Jalan Harapan Raya (Harapan Raya street), eight kilometers from the city, the 18,650-square-meter area is dotted with ponds that ate home to various kinds of fish and is a perfect spot to take out the road.

Alam Mayang Fishing Garden, Riau