Mamasa (via Makale) 135,000 12
Palu 180,000 20
Pare Pare 64,000 5
Pendelo 100,000 8
Poso 150,000 12
Tentena 130,000 10
8Getting Around
Rantepao is small and easy to walk around. A becak (bicycle rickshaw) should cost around 5000Rp in town. Motorbikes cost from 60,000Rp per day to hire; many guesthouses, including Wisma Maria I, rent out bikes.
Makale
%0423
Makale is the administrative capital of Tana Toraja but there's little reason to stick around, other than to switch buses or visit the market. Built around an artificial lake, the town is ringed by cloud-shrouded hills.
The market is a blur of noise and colour. Held every six days, you’ll see pigs strapped down with bamboo strips for buyers’ close inspection, buckets of live eels, piles of fresh and dried fish, and a corner of the market is reserved just for balok sales.
8Getting There & Away
Kijangs connect Rantepao and Makale (6000Rp, 20 minutes) between dawn and dusk. Most of the bus companies based in Rantepao also have offices near the corner of Jl Merdeka and Jl Ihwan Rombe in Makale. The only direct bus connection between Tana Toraja and Mamasa is with Disco Indah, departing daily at around 8am (140,000Rp, 12 hours).
Around Tana Toraja
To really experience all that Tana Toraja has to offer, you’ll need to spend a few days exploring the spectacular countryside. Stunning scenery, cascading rice fields, precipitous cliff graves, other-worldly tau tau, hanging graves, soaring tongkonan and colourful ceremonies: this is the wild world of Tana Toraja.
There are many places that can be reached on day trips from Rantepao, and longer trips are possible by staying overnight in villages or camping out. The roads to major towns, such as Makale, Palopo, Sa’dan, Batutumonga, Madandan and Bittuang, are paved, but many other roads around Tana Toraja are constructed out of compacted boulders; vehicles won’t get stuck, but your joints get rattled loose. Walking is often the only way to reach the remote villages.
A few areas such as Londa, Lemo, Tampangallo, Ke’te Kesu and, to a lesser extent, Palawa are pretty touristy, with stalls selling trinkets and offering a jaded welcome, but this is because these places are exceptionally beautiful. There are still plenty of lesser-visited gems to get to, especially if you take off on foot far from the tour-bus circuit.
Torajan funeral ceremonies are best visited with a guide, who will be able to explain cultural etiquette; for instance, you should always have a gift for the deceased family and it's customary to wear black or dark clothes.
If you're exploring the region on your own, note that signposts are few and far between, so take a map.
CHOOSING A GUIDE
Many guides in Tana Toraja hold a government-approved licence, obtained by undertaking a course in culture, language and etiquette, and being fluent in the local language. There are also competent guides with no certificate (and incompetent licenced guides). The best way to choose a guide is to sit down and talk through a trip before committing. If you feel you are being pressured (or hit on), this is probably a good sign to go and find a different guide.
Guides will approach you in guesthouses and cafes. Freelance guides charge 350,000Rp or so for an all-day circuit by motorbike, including a funeral if there’s one on. You can also hire a guide with a car (for up to four people) for around 500,000Rp per day, but much of the Toraja region is only accessible on foot or by motorbike so this can be a limiting option. For trekking, guides charge about 500,000Rp per day. All these rates are slightly negotiable but the 100 or so guides in the area try to keep their rates equal and fixed. Larger tour agencies usually charge more than the rates quoted.
Hiring a guide can be useful to help you get your bearings, learn about the culture and cover a lot of ground quickly, but there's no reason why you can't explore the area without one if you have a decent map and a few relevant phrases of Bahasa Indonesia.
2Activities
Trekking
Trekking is the best way to reach isolated areas and to really get a feel for Torajan countryside and the people. Always take good footwear; a water bottle and food; a torch (flashlight) for cave exploration; and an umbrella or waterproof gear – even in the dry season it’s more likely than not to rain. It's highly advisable to take a good map, such as the detailed Tana Toraja (1:85,000) map, published by Periplus. If you’re taking advantage of Torajan hospitality, be sure to pay your way.
Shorter hikes are available, but a few of the popular longer treks include the following routes:
Batutumonga–Lokomata–Pangala–Baruppu–Pulu Pulu–Sapan Three days of superb scenery. Batutumonga to Pangala is on a motorbike-accessible road, while the rest is more serious uphill-trail hiking.
Bittuang–Mamasa Three days.
Pangala–Bolokan–Bittuang Two days on a well-marked trail through pristine villages.
Sa’dan–Sapan–Pulu Pulu–Baruppu–Pangala Three days; tough and mountainous – a real mountain trek.
Rafting
Indosella (%0423-25210; www.sellatours.com; Jl Andi Mappanyukki 111, Rantepao) is the most professional and reliable outfit offering rafting trips on Sungai Sa’dan’s 20 rapids, including a few that are Class IV (read: pretty wild). Rafting trips, including transport to/from your hotel, equipment, guide, insurance and food, cost 800,000Rp per person (minimum two people) for one day on Class II to III rapids, or around US$300 per person for three days on Class III to IV rapids, with overnight stays in local rest huts. Trips get cheaper per person as the tour group gets bigger.
SITE ENTRANCE FEES
Most of the tourist sites around Tana Toraja have an entry fee of 20,000Rp. There is usually a ticket booth at each place, complete with the odd souvenir stall…or 10 or more in the case of Lemo and Londa.
8Getting Around
Bemo & Kijang
Local public transport leaves from stops around central Rantepao, as well as from the scruffy and muddy Terminal Bolu north of Rantepao and the town of Makale; there are regular bemos and Kijangs to all main villages. Some of the more useful services head to the following destinations from Rantepao and Makale:
Bittuang For treks to Mamasa; departs Makale only.
La’bo Via Ke’te Kesu.
Lempo Useful for hiking up to Batutumonga.
Pangala Via Batutumonga.
Sa’dan Usually via Tikala.
Sangalla Departs Makale only.
Motorbike & Bicycle
Motorbikes (rental from 60,000Rp per day) and mountain bikes (from 40,000Rp) are available through hotels and agencies. Remember that roads out of Rantepao and Makale are good but often windy, steep and narrow, so they are more suitable for experienced motorcyclists. Bikes can be used along some walking routes, but the trails are often very muddy and rocky.
Batutumonga
One of the easiest places to stay overnight in Tana Toraja, and also one of the most beautiful, Batutumonga occupies a dramatic ridge on the slopes of Gunung Sesean. From here you will have panoramic views of Rantepao and the Sa’dan Valley, and stunning sunrises. It's located about 20km north of Rantepao via Deri, so you could day-trip here for some hiking and a local lunch.
4Sleeping & Eating
MentirotikuGUESTHOUSE$
(%0813 4257 9588; r 125,000-350,000Rp)
With commanding views and landscaped grounds, this place has very authentic traditional tongkonan crash pads – thin mattresses squashed together in a tiny space – plus less interesting modern rooms with private bathrooms. The huge restaurant (geared for tour groups) serves decent, though not great, Indo-Toraja dishes for 30,000Rp to 50,000Rp. Mentirotiku is on the roadside before Batutumonga.
Mama YosGUESTHOUSE$
(%0812 4260 5043; per person incl breakfast & dinner 125,000Rp)
Mama's simple wooden home has a row of small, clean rooms with mattresses on the floor and a basic mandi (Indonesian-style) shared bathroom. No English spoken. It's r
ight on the roadside before Batutumonga.
Coffee Shop & Wisma BarandeGUESTHOUSE$
(%0812 4177 7417; r 150,000Rp)
Extremely simple but clean concrete rooms (with balconies) below an attractive, orderly coffee shop and restaurant (good for snacks). It's very quiet here. Located in Tinimbayo village, 2km east of Batutumonga.
8Getting There & Away
Bemo (12,000Rp, one hour) buzz up to Batutumonga from Terminal Bolu in Rantepao. Sometimes the bemo only goes as far as Lempo (a steep, but pleasant 2km walk away).
North of Rantepao
With dramatic bowls of cascading rice terraces, small villages of tongkonan and lots of harder-to-reach sights that don't make it on every tour-bus itinerary, the north is the most scenic region of Tana Toraja.
For good shopping, head to the weaving centre of Sa'dan (12km north of Rantepao; take a bemo from Terminal Bolu for 7000Rp), where local women set up a market to sell their woven cloth. It’s all handmade on simple looms, though not all is produced in the village.
2Activities
There are some good options for day walks in the area.
The walk from Batutumonga to Tikala is a very pleasant downhill hike (five hours on a paved road) through some of the finest scenery in Tana Toraja. From Batutumonga a beautiful walk west takes you to Lokomata, a village with cave graves hewn into a rocky outcrop, and outstanding scenery. Back-track and take a small, unmarked trail down the slopes to Pana, which has ancient hanging graves, and some baby graves in nearby trees. You can see tiny villages with towering tongkonan, women pounding rice, men scrubbing their buffalo and children splashing in pools. The path ends at Tikala and, from there, regular bemos return to Rantepao. Alternatively, back-track through Lempo to Deri, the site of rock graves; walk down to the Rantepao–Sa’dan road and catch a bemo back to Rantepao.
At 2150m above sea level Gunung Sesean isn't the highest peak in Sulawesi, but it’s one of the most popular for hiking. The summit is accessible via a trail from Batutumonga. The return trip to the summit takes five hours. A guide is a good idea if you’re inexperienced or speak little Bahasa Indonesia.
From Pangala, one of the biggest villages in the region, it’s a lovely 10km hike to Baruppu. Pangala itself has a few streets, a little ayam goreng (fried chicken) stall, and is famous for being the hometown of Pongtiku, a fearless warrior who fought against the Dutch. Pangala is 35km from Rantepao (20,000Rp by bemo).
The traditional village of Palawa, east of Batutumonga, is similarly attractive and not often visited by tour groups; it has tongkonan houses and rice barns. It's possible to overnight in one of the traditional houses, but this can only be organised with a guide as part of a trek. In the dry season you can walk southwest, fording a river and walking through rice fields to Pangli, which has tau tau and house graves, and then to Bori, the site of an impressive rante (ceremonial ground) and some towering megaliths. About 1km south of Bori, Parinding also has tongkonan houses and rice barns. From here you can walk back to Rantepao or on to Tikala.
COFFEE IN TORAJA
Famous for its earthy, full-bodied taste (spicy, smokey and caramel notes, low acidity and a crisp finish), Toraja is one of Indonesia’s most highly regarded regional coffees. Tana Toraja is one of the few areas where the Arabica bean (which is harder to cultivate and less disease resistant than other kinds) dominates, accounting for 96% of local cultivation. Due to the mountainous terrain, the crop is mostly grown on smallholdings, with low annual yields.
Coffee was introduced to Toraja in the mid-19th century by the Dutch, who controlled production. As its value increased exponentially, a ‘coffee war’ erupted between Bugis and Toraja over trade routes in 1890.
Today most Torajan coffee is certified organic and produced by indigenous farmers: the volcanic soil, relatively cool climate and altitude (1400m to 1900m) is perfect for premium Arabica production. Coffee from the cooperative Petani Kopi Organik Toraja has fair-trade certification and is available in North America and Europe.
Torajan coffee is particularly sought after in Japan, where it’s branded as Toarco Toraja. In the Toraja Utara district alone, 7000 small-scale farmers sell coffee beans to Toarco, accounting for an average of 50% of their income; this is way more than rice, for example.
You can tour the Toarco coffee plantation ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0813 4380 0288; Bokin village; 1hr tours 10,000Rp; h7.30am-3pm Mon-Fri, to 12.30pm Sat), located near the village of Bokin, 14km southeast of Rantepao, and learn all about coffee production. Most of the beans are exported to Japan. You'll explore the grounds in company Jeeps. English-speaking guides are sometimes available; call and reserve a tour in advance.
West of Rantepao
About 2km west across the river from Rantepao, Gunung Singki (930m) is a steep hill with a slippery, overgrown hiking trail to the summit. From the top you'll get panoramic views across Rantepao and the surrounding countryside. Return to the road and head to Siguntu (7km from Rantepao), which offers more superb views of the valleys and Rantepao.
The 3km walk from Siguntu to the Rantepao–Makale road at Alang Alang is also pleasant. Stop on the way at the traditional village of Mendoe. From Alang Alang, where a covered bridge crosses the river, head a few hundred metres to Londa, back to Rantepao, or remain on the western side of the river and continue walking south to the villages of Langda and Madandan.
South of Rantepao
There are many popular cultural sights in this region and most are accessible by car. It’s not a great region for walking, but it is suitable for a motorbike day tour.
1Sights
Tour buses love this area for the easy access but also because the sights are simply stunning.
KarasikVILLAGE
On the outskirts of Rantepao, just off the road to Makale, Karasik has traditional-style houses arranged around a cluster of megaliths on a hill.
Buntu PuneVILLAGE
Buntu Pune village has two fine tongkonan houses and six rice barns. According to local legend, one of the two houses was built by a nobleman named Pong Marambaq at the beginning of the 20th century. During Dutch rule he was appointed head of the local district, but planned to rebel and was subsequently exiled to Ambon (Maluku), where he died. His body was returned to Tana Toraja and buried at the hill to the north of Buntu Pune.
Ke'te KesuVILLAGE
About 5km south of Rantepao, Ke’te Kesu can get busy with tour groups in high season. The village is renowned for its woodcarving and traditional tongkonan and rice barns. On the cliff face behind the village there are some cave graves and very old hanging graves. Rotting coffins are suspended on wooden beams under an overhang. Others, full of bones and skulls, lie rotting in strategic piles.
Sullukang & PalatokkeCAVE, GRAVE
From Ke’te Kesu you can walk on a paved road to Sullukang, which has a rante (ceremonial ground) marked by a number of large, rough-hewn megaliths, and on to Palatokke. In this beautiful area of lush rice paddies and traditional houses, there is an enormous cliff face containing several cave graves and hanging graves. Access to the caves is difficult (there's a steep path with rubble to scramble over), but the scenery makes it worthwhile. From Palatokke there are roads to La’bo and Randanbatu, where there are more graves, and on to Sangalla, Suaya and Makale.
LondaCAVE, GRAVE
(entry by guided tours 30,000Rp)
At Londa, 6km south of Rantepao, you'll find an extensive (and very popular) burial cave below a massive cliff face; its entrance is guarded by a balcony of tau tau. Inside there's a collection of coffins, many of them rotted away, and bones lying either scattered or heaped in piles. A local myth says that the people buried here are the descendants of Tangdilinoq, chief of the Toraja. Mandatory English-speaking guides with oil lamps accompany all visitors through the cave.
If you’re thin, and don’t suffer from claustrophobia, squeeze through the tunnel that connects the two main caves, passing some interesting stalactites and stalagmites. Rantepao–Makale bemo will drop you off at
the turn-off, about 2km from the cave. Visit in the morning for the best photos.
TilangaSPRING
(admisssion 10,000Rp)
Ten kilometres south of Rantepao, off the Rantepao–Makale road, Tilanga is a lovely, natural cool-water swimming pool. You can swim, but don’t be surprised if some friendly eels come to say hello. It's best visited during the rainy season.
LemoGRAVE
The best-known burial area in Tana Toraja is Lemo, 10km south of Rantepao. The sheer rock face has a whole series of balconies for tau tau. The biggest balcony has a dozen figures with white eyes and black pupils, and outstretched arms like spectators at a sports event. It’s a good idea to go before 9am for the best photos. A Rantepao–Makale bemo drops you at the turn-off to the burial site, from where it’s 15-minutes' walk to the tau tau.
According to local legend, these graves are for descendants of a Toraja chief who built his house on top of the cliff into which the graves are now cut.
East of Rantepao
This region is often visited on day tours heading between north and south Tana Toraja. It's flatter than the north and beautiful, with plenty of rice fields, sleepy traditional villages and grazing buffalo.
1Sights
MaranteVILLAGE
Marante is a fine traditional village, 5km from Rantepao, just north of the road to Palopo. Near Marante there are stone and hanging graves with several tau tau, skulls on the coffins and a cave with scattered bones. From Marante you can cross the river on the suspension bridge and walk to other pretty villages set in rice fields.
Lonely Planet Indonesia Page 129