2D1N Toraja Tour Itinerary

Note: Below is the standard itinerary, however the actual program may be different depending on the ceremony schedule, rice field conditions, or your wishes. The overnight dates in Rantepao and in the villages are fixed, though. Meals are only included for long treks.

Day 1: Toraja Tour Highlights (South)

Rantepao >> Lemo – Kambira – Tampang Allo – Lampio – Kete’ Kesu >> Rantepao

Included: guide, car, driver, fuel, parking fees, entrance fees, accommodation in Rantepao*
excluded: meals

Visiting the Southern area will feel as if a cultural documentary has been brought to life. These are the must-sees of Tana Toraja.

Typically we will visit Lemo, Kambira, Tampang Allo, the animistic villages Bebo and Karuaya, and the burial site in Kete’ Kesu. In case there is time, we could also visit the weaving village Lampio.

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.

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 & Karuaya

Bebo and Karuaya are traditional villages, where the villagers still have a traditional, animistic belief. The walk from Bebo to Karuaya takes around 45 minutes, in which you see both traditional Torajan houses and beautiful nature

Kete' Kesu

Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this is perhaps the best known traditional Torajan village and very close to Rantepao. It is renowned for its traditional tongkanan houses, rice barns and its hanging graves. Also, there are a few scenic trekking options from here.

Day 2: Toraja Tour Highlights (North)

Rantepao >> Lombok Parinding – Bori – Palawa – Tinimbayo – Batutumonga – Loko Mata – Kata – Kayurame >> Rantepao

Included: guide, car, driver, fuel, parking fees, short trek (Loko Mata – Kata – Kayurame), entrance fees
excluded: accommodation in Rantepao, meals

We’ll explore the less touristic North, which is the most scenic region of Tana Toraja with some excellent, easy trekking options through picturesque villages and panorama views.

We visit the stone graves and rice burns in the village Lombok Parinding, the megalithic stones in Bori, and the traditional village Palawa and Tinimbayo.

Lunch will be served in Batutumonga, where you enjoy a beautiful panorama. After lunch, we drive to Lokomata 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 village, from where we return by car to Rantepao.

How to prepare for your Tana Toraja Tour?

How to get to Tana Toraja?

Makassar is the gateway to Tana Toraja, and Rantepao is the base from which to explore Tana Toraja.

Fly to Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar. From here you can reach Rantepao both via land and by air.

By Air. Take the morning flight from Makassar to Palopo Bua Airport (±1 hour), located ±2 hour drive from Rantepao. We can pick you up here. Use SkyScanner to search for international and domestic flights.

Warning: While Rantepao also has a small airport "Pongtiku", we advice against flying there, as occasionally flights are either delayed or canceled.

Taxi. Take a private transfer from the airport to Rantepao (±7/8 hours). You could make stops at interesting sites on route (Bugis village, Erotic mountains), make a ±2 hour detour to visit Rammang Rammang, or break the journey with an overnight at Sengkang.

Bus. The cheapest option is to take the bus (±9/10 hours). There are many bus companies with different prices and each bus has several seat classes. Always take the "VIP" seats as these are the most comfortable. Bus companies include Litha & Co, Manggala Trans and Primadona. Usually you need to buy the bus tickets locally, but Primadona has a (primitive) online booking system and an email address ([email protected]).

How to get from Makassar to Tana Toraja by Bus?

There are many bus companies with different prices and each bus has several seat classes. Always take the "VIP" seats as these are the most comfortable. Bus companies include Litha & Co, Manggala Trans and Primadona. Usually you need to buy the bus tickets locally, but Primadona has a (primitive) online booking system and an email address ([email protected]).

What to see on the drive from Makassar to Tana Toraja?

Interesting sites on route from Makassar to Rantepao in Tana Toraja are:

1. The Bugis Makassar village
2. The "Erotic mountain" in Bambapuang
3. The famous stone grave "Lemo"
4. The Torajan traditional village " Sasa"

If you leave early in the morning, you could also consider visiting Rammang Rammang and make a guided boat trip and trek.

Notice that the drive to Tana Toraja easily takes 8 hours and could even be longer depending on traffic. So don't be too ambitious with your wishlist and manage your expectations that some sites may have to be skipped depending on the traffic.

Can I get a private transfer Makassar - Tana Toraja by night?

Yes. Our private airport transport can be at any time you wish.

In case you have an early flight to catch in Makassar, we could either drop you off the night before in Makassar so that you rest in a nearby hotel, or we could transport you at night and drop you off at the airport in the morning. As you wish.

What is the best period to visit Tana Toraja?

From a climate point of view, Tana Toraja can be visited all year long. While the temperature is fairly constant throughout the year, chances for the best weather are in the dry season from mid April to early October. However, the rain season in Tana Toraja is not as wet as in other places in Indonesia; typically there is short rain shower in the late afternoon, if it rains at all. In the worst case it could rain half a day.

The best period to visit Tana Toraja to attend a funeral ceremony is July – August. In these months you will be able to attend a ceremony with near certainty if you stay in Tana Toraja for 3 days or more. At the same time this is the busiest period with crowds or visitors.

The best period to visit Tana Toraja for the scenic treks are the high season and shoulder months (April - October), although the best picture conditions (green rice fields) are in the rain season period October-March.

Can I do the Tana Toraja Tour excluding the Makassar transfer?

Yes. Feel free to get to Tana Toraja on your own. We will reduce the tour price (3 million IDR for a return private transfer Makassar - Rantepao) and tour itinerary accordingly.

Should I tip my Toraja Tour Guide?

Tipping is common in Indonesia, and the staff will be extremely happy and flattered if you decide to do so, but it is entirely voluntary and not expected.

There is no rule for how much to tip, as it really depends on how satisfied you are with the service and on your budget. Some clients really insist to get an indication, so we will give the rule of thumb that for every day you may consider tipping your guide 100.000 IDR and 50.000 IDR to your driver.

Please consider this as very indicative. If you are on a low budget just consider less, and if you are on a high budget you could consider more. But any amount is really appreciated!

Can I visit a funeral ceremony with your Tana Toraja tours?

If there will be a funeral ceremony during your visit then we will attend the funeral if you wish, and we adjust the tour itinerary accordingly.

But we can usually not guarantee that there will be funeral ceremonies during your visit because the funeral schedules are usually not fixed and sometimes only announced a few days in advance.

But if you stay in Tana Toraja for a few days in July and August it is likely that there will be a funeral ceremony during your stay.

How difficult are the treks?

The default treks with the 4D3N Tana Toraja Tour and 5D4N Sulawesi Tour are short (±1 hour) and very accessible even for less fit people.

The default treks with the 5D4N Tana Toraja Tour and 6D5N Sulawesi Tour are also easy but there is an all-day trek that could be tiring for the inexperienced hiker. In that case, we also offer an alternative hike that only takes ±3 hour and includes the highlights.

However, nothing is set in stone, so just contact us about your preferences and we'll tailor the itineraries to your interests.

How is the included accommodation in Rantepao?

The included accommodation in Rantepao is an ensuite room at a local guesthouse with great value for money: Rosalina Guesthouse or alike.

How is the included accommodation in the remote villages?

You will sleep like the local villagers, in basic but clean rooms. Notice that conform local customs, the shower is usually outside of the house. While we cannot guarantee it, we always try to arrange a traditional Tongkonan.

Can I choose my own accommodation in Rantepao?

Rantepao does not have any luxury accommodations, and in our opinion the more expensive accommodations are not good value for money. However, in case you prefer to stay at the more expensive accommodations instead of the included guesthouse, you can book your own accommodation and get a discount for your Toraja tour. Popular hotels in the top category are:

Please notice that you can book your own accommodation only for the part of the tour with overnights in Rantepao as accommodations in the mountain villages with the Toraja Tour & Village Stay tours cannot be booked by visitors themselves. Just let us know if you wish to visit other villages than in our default program and we change the itinerary and accommodation accordingly.

Why are Buffalo's sacrificed with the Toraja Funeral Ceremonies?

According to Torajan beliefs, the ghost of the deceased lingers around his village until the funeral ceremony is completed, after which it will start the journey to the Land of Souls ("Puya").

Buffaloes are considered to be a transportation vehicle for this journey, and during the funeral ceremony as many buffaloes are sacrificed as possible so that the journey to the land of souls can be done as fast as possible.

What are the most famous burial sites in Tana Toraja?

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.

What should I bring to my Tana Toraja Tour?

The general pack list:

Comfortable shoes
Insect repellent (DEET 40%)
Small backpack for the day trips
Camera

Pack also the following for the Tana Toraja treks:

Towel
Pocket light
Mobile charger for your electronic devices (or a spare battery)

When you visit a ceremony, you should bring a small ceremony gift (such as sugar, chocolate, cigarettes), or just ask your guide to make a stop at a local store on the way to the ceremony.

Ready to attend the world's strangest funeral ceremonies, and enjoy stunning treks off-the-beaten-path? Book your Toraja Tour for a lifetime experience!

Or have a look at any other Tana Toraja Tour