Air Manis Beach, located 10 km south of Padang, is a place with a mystical natural monument. There are also rock sculptures that remind of shipwreck traces.

It is a favourite seaside location among locals and tourists. The sandy coast of Air Manis is shallow, with low waves and a beautiful view of Mount Padang. Pine trees frame the coastline with dark brown sand.

The main attractive detail of this beach is an image of stone sculptures, created on the shore by nature itself. Air Manis is closely related to the Sumatran legend of a young man named Malin Kundang. It’s surprising and a little scary: there is a place on the beach where the shapes of the stones resemble the outlines of a man, standing on the knees. According to the legend, the boyfriend Malin Kundang turned to stone after being cursed by his mother. It happened when the young man refused to recognize his poor old mother after he became a successful merchant.

An ordinary guy managed to find himself on a merchant ship, meet the princess and take her as his wife. Once, when the ship docked at Air Manis, the boy's mother hurried to see her son. But he pretended he did not know the woman. As a sign of great insult, his mother cursed him. So the ungrateful young man remained the stone on his native shore forever.

The natural view and convenient location make this beach a popular holiday destination. There are several cafes, restaurants and shops along the beach where you can buy snacks and drinks. You can rent a quad bike. The beach is quite shallow, and in hours of low tide, you can walk to the islet of Pisang Kecil right on the sand.

Temperature conditions are stable here, and the air is warmed up to 28-30 °C all over the year. In the evenings it is colder, but the temperature is not below 23 °C. It’s better to choose the period from May to August for visiting the beach and the island as a whole. Note that there is a chance to be a «hostage» of the wet season from December to March.

To get to the beach you can take a car or a motorbike. And from the centre of Padang, it’s possible to use public transport on the route Padang-Bungus.