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.