Recommended Pick for Hikers! Off-the-beaten Trails!
Rantepao >> Lemo – Tampang Allo – Suaya – Bebo – Karuaya – Kete’ Kesu >> Rantepao
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 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 >> Palawa – Akung – Tinimbayo – Lempo – Batutumonga
After breakfast, we are picked up and dropped off at the old village Palawa, which is known for its authentic Tongkonans and rice barns.
In Palawa we start our day trek through bamboo forests, cute mountain villages and stunning panoramas from rice fields. Via the cute village Akung we walk along the hills towards Tinimbayo. Here we find a nice spot in one of the beautiful rice fields to have lunch.
The trek from Tinimbayo to Lempo offers perhaps the best postcard pictures in Torajaland. At times you see the rice fields from a helicopter view and you will be amazed by the many different shades of green. We let the beauty of our surrounding sink in as we walk towards our final destination Batutumonga.
In Batutumonga we check in at Mentirotiku and have diner in the restaurant from where we can see the lights in Rantepao in the distance.
Batutumonga >> Pana – Kata – Kepe – Poya – Perangian – Tinapu
We have breakfast in the restaurant with a breathtaking panorama of rice terraces. After that we drive to Pana and visit the old stone grave, and then start our day trek. We walk to Kata which is 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; 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 you 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 by 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 has 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 – Marante – Londa – Taana Coffee >> Rantepao
After a home-made breakfast in Salu village, we say goodbye to the locals. We visit by car the stone graves and rice barns in Lombok Parinding and the megalithic stones in Bori.
We continue the drive to visit the hanging coffins and the balconies with tau tau effigies in Marante and Londa.
Since the end of an intense hiking trip is in sight, we spoil ourselves with the best roasted coffee in Toraja at Taana Toraya Coffee. As we have lunch and enjoy the traditional coffee we can reflect on the beautiful memories we made together.
This is where our journey together ends. You continue to your next destination.
Nothing is set in stone so we can also visit other sites in the North if you wish. Subject to ceremony schedule and your wishes, we could on this day also visit a funeral or a wedding instead.
In case you depart only the next day, you could book your accommodation on your last day around Rantepao with us (diner and breakfast included).
Accommodations
Torajaland is all about experiencing the culture and nature.
Through our unique friendships with the tribal communities, we we can stay in authentic Tongkonans or Bugis houses among villagers whether we trek through remote mountain villages or visit the cultural highlights around Rantepao.
Nuansa Homestay is located in a peaceful area near Rantepao. You sleep in a private Tongkonan with one bedroom. The Tongkonan has a balcony with garden view. The sanitary is traditional (squat toilet).
Jhoni Tongkonan is located 25 km South from Rantepao. In a picturesque setting where buffaloes walk around freely, you stay in a 2-bedroom private Tongkonan with balcony. The bathroom has a Western toilet & shower.
Salu is a remote, picturesque area that we reach after a day trek. There are several villages we could stay at. This one is surrounded by a bamboo forest. You stay in a private Tongkonan or Bugis house.
Salu is a remote, picturesque area that we reach after a day trek. There are several villages we could stay at. This has a stunning panorama of rice fields. You stay in a private Tongkonan or Bugis house.
Akung is a small and little known mountain village not so far away from the large and touristic village Palawa. You stay in your private Tongkonan or Bugis house among the friendly locals.
In Batutumonga we stay at Mentirotiku in a Tongkonan. Mentirotiku also has a restaurant with a nice panorama of the rice terrace fields. However, it is more touristic and less authentic than the other Tongkonans we stay in.
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.
