Jembatan Aka is inferred has been growing up for more than a hundred years. It is a natural phenomenon where the roots of two kubang trees (Ficus sp) are plaited each other. Kubang tree is a clump of trees that grows around riverside.
Starting from the eagerness of unifying two villages separated by a river, a Muslim scholar namely Pakih Sokan designed a root bridge crossing over the river. It spent approximately 26 years so that the root bridge was able to be used as the bridge in common. It was firstly designed in 1896 A.D. but, it could be used in 1916 A.D.
This 25 meters long of root bridge is longer than two other root bridges in Japan and in West Java. It grows stronger as the years go by. Connecting two villages crossing over the river is another distinctive feature of the bridge.You can spend more night around the location as there are many resorts or hotels in Painan. Furthermore. You can easily find restaurants offering Masakan Padang, local cuisines of Padang City. An impressive moment for you tasting Masakan Padang beneath the leafy trees around the bridge.
