Makassar >> Rammang Rammang >> Sengkang
After pick-up in Makassar, we will visit Rammang Rammang. This is the third largest karst landscape in the world. It is so rough and surreal that we could easily imagine having entered a Jurassic Park scene.
We take a beautiful boat ride and make a short hike through the village, caves and limestone mountains.
Then we continue the drive to Sengkang, where we check in at our hotel and enjoy diner.
Sengkang >> Lake Tempe / Floating Village >> Rantepao
After breakfast we visit Lake Tempe, which is a shallow lake fringed by wetlands with traditional floating houses and a large population of birds. There are around 30 floating houses inhabited by traditional fishermen.
We cruise on the lake with a long tail boat and visit a traditional floating house where we can enjoy drinking tea or coffee and eating fried banana (Pisang Goreng) with the locals.
Then, we return to the car and drive to Rantepao, where we check-in to our hotel.
Rantepao >> Lemo – Tampang Allo – Suaya – Bebo – Karuaya – Kete’ Kesu >> Rantepao
Visiting the Southern area of Torajaland will feel as if a cultural documentary has been brought to life. These are the must-sees of Tana Toraja.
Typically we visit Lemo with its hanging tau tau effigies, the burial cave in Tampang Allo, the animistic villages Bebo and Karuaya, the grave of the seven royal families in Suaya, and the burial site in the picturesque Kete’ Kesu.
Around Karuaya and Tampang Allo there are also beautiful rice fields where we could walk around if weather- and rice field conditions allow.
In the afternoon we drive to an authentic village around Rantepao and check in to our Tongkonan accommodation. Relax, enjoy the view, and meet the kind locals as your guide or the village cook prepares your traditional diner.
Nothing is set in stone so we can also visit other sites in the South if you wish. Subject to ceremony schedule and your wishes, we could on this day also visit a funeral or a wedding instead.
Rantepao >> Pana – Kata – Kepe – Poya – Perangian – Tinapu
After a home-made breakfast, we drive to Pana. We visit the old stone grave, and then start our scenic day trek. We walk to Kata which located in the middle of rice fields.
We continue via Kepe to the very old village Poya, where some still have animistic beliefs: Objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence and are to some extent alive. They care for their environment and individual well-being should never come at the cost of it.
The next stop is at Perangian village, with many joyful children excited to see foreigners. We enjoy here a well-deserved lunch.
We hike through a beautiful and rough landscape before arriving at our final destination Tinapu: A remote village surrounded by bamboo trees and from where we hear the peaceful stream of the Maiting river.
We meet the hospitable villagers and feel the warm Torajan culture where people live humbly and happily. You check-in to your Tongkonan or explore the area as your diner is being prepared outside in a traditional way with fire wood.
Tinapu – Limbong – Parinding – Bela – Salu
After breakfast we start our hike to the authentic village Limbong. Limbong is surrounded with very beautiful rice paddy fields where we will trek through. Underway we see locals working in the rice fields as we enjoy the breathtaking views. Then we arrive at Parinding, with many Tongkonans and traditional rice barns.
We will have lunch in the forest or in the rice fields. Then we continue the trek through bamboo forests and around cacao- & coffee plantations where we realise again that the delicious chocolate we eat and the daily coffee we take originates from a tree fruit. We may also see banana-, papaya- and ananas trees.
At dawn there is also a chance to see buffaloes grazing in the fields, or bathing in the rivers. Torajan buffaloes are a bit spoiled: If they don’t feel fresh and clean, they have difficulties falling asleep. The joke goes around that the Toraja farmers bath their buffaloes more than themselves.
Eventually we arrive at the remote, mountain village Salu. Salu is a quiet place with traditional Tongkonans and Bugis houses, and a beautiful panorama of rice terraces. We’ll check in to our Tongkonan and say hi to the kind villagers while our guide or the village cook prepares a traditional diner.
Salu >> Lombok Parinding – Bori – Palawa – Tinimbayo – Batutumonga – Loko Mata – Kata – Kayurame >> Rantepao
After our home-made breakfast, it is time to pack and say goodbye to the villagers. We explore the less touristic North, which is the most scenic region of Tana Toraja with beautiful trails through mountain villages.
We visit the stone graves and rice barns in the village Lombok Parinding, the megalithic stones in Bori, and the traditional village Palawa and Tinimbayo.
Lunch will be served in Batutumonga, where we enjoy a beautiful panorama of rice terraces. After lunch, we drive to Loko Mata to see the boulder grave.
At Loko Mata we start our scenic trek of 2-3 hours through rice fields, bamboo forests, cacao and coffee plantations, until we arrive at Kayurame, from where we return by car to our accommodation in Rantepao.
Rantepao >> Pendolo >> Tentena
We leave Torajaland and drive via Palopo, Masamba and Pendolo towards Tentena. It is a long drive (ca 10h inc stops), notorious for the breathtaking landscapes and the carnivorous plants along the way.
First, we drive towards Palopo that is know for the beautiful forest area and the large clove plantations on the hills. A bit further is Baliase, around which there are plenty Sago– plantations and Sago; Sago is the main food for the locals.
Lunch is served in Masamba or Mangkutana after which we continue through the forest to Pendolo, where we walk on the white sandy beach of Lake Poso. Finally, we arrive in Tentena and check-in at our hotel, where we can relax and have diner.
Tentena >> Lore Lindu National Park >> Bada Valley
After breakfast we leave we drive towards Bada valley (ca 3 hours). On the way making several stop to see Nepenthes plants, flowers, birds, and other small animals in Lore Lindu National Park.
When we arrive in Bada valley, we check in at our hut at Nensi homestay and have lunch. Then we continue the trip to visit the mysterious megalith sculptures that according to recent archeologic research are thousands of years old.
Lore Lindu Jungle Trekking >> Jungle Camp
We start the day with a breakfast at our hut. We check-out and drive for ca 15 minutes to the starting point of our jungle trek in the Malei jungle, which is part of Lore Lindu National Park.
The Malei jungle is a dense tropical rainforest home to birds such as hornbills, kingfishers and eagles, but also to black macaques and kus-kus bears that we only see if lucky. We trek for 5-6 hours through the narrow jungle paths.
Upon arrival at our the campsite down stream the jungle river Babakodohia, the guide sets up the tent and prepares a well-deserved diner.
Note: This trek is family-friendly. More challenging treks for adventurous and experienced hikers are also available upon request. Please mention this wish in our booking form.
Lore Lindu Jungle Trekking >> Tentena >> Tarsiers
After breakfast at our campsite, we continue our trek in the Malei jungle. After 5-6 hours we arrive at the so-called Coca Cola river where we are picked up by our driver and transferred to our accommodation in Tentena (ca 1 hour).
If you are up for it, we go in the evening just after sunset to a nearby forest to see tarsiers. These cute, tiny animals are difficult to spot since they’re so small and usually hide in between bamboo stalks or high up on trees so expect to spend a few hours hiking in the dark.
Note: In case you have or will visit Tangkoko National Park you could skip the tarsier programme in Tentena.
Tentena >> Saluopo Waterfall >> Ampana
If the weather allows, we swim and relax in the morning at Saluopo waterfall. Then, we start our long drive to Ampana (ca 6-7 hours, inc stops) with several stops to stretch legs, for lunch or to just enjoy the view.
Accommodations
Surrounded by picturesque karst limestone cliffs, this small ecolodge is the perfect place to immerse with the beautiful nature that Rammang Rammang is known for. The bungalows are basic but complete. The ecolodge has a restaurant and is a great starting point for treks to several pre-historic caves that despite their beauty are barely known and rarely visited.
Lemo. Perhaps the best known and most crowded burial site in Toraja. The sheer rock face has a series of balconies with tau tau, wooden statues of the dead persons inside the graves.
Kambira Baby Graves. The most famous baby grave site in Tana Toraja. Torajans from Kambira would carve a hole into the trunk of a Jackfruit tree and place the baby in it. Over time the living tree would grow around the hole sealing the baby into the trunk. Unfortunately, the trees have died by now. This somewhat dark site holds around 20 deceased infants.
Kete Kesu'. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this is perhaps the best known traditional Torajan village with Tongkanan houses. Visit the rice barns, hanging graves, or start a scenic trek from here.
Suaya. Seven royal families from Sangalla are buried at this famous and relatively quite burial site. The wooden effigies tau tau are in balconies that are cut in the large rock face.
Tampang Allo. Perhaps the least known of the fabulous must-sees in the Southern area: A beautiful, natural cave that has been used in the past as burial site, and where you find tau tau and some human bones.
Lampio. Lampio is a traditional weaving village in Toraja. It is the authentic equivalent to the touristic and commercial Sa'dan village.
Bebo and Karuaya. Traditional villages, where the villagers still have a traditional, animistic belief. The walk from Bebo to Karuaya takes around 45 minutes, during which you see both traditional Torajan houses and beautiful nature.
