Tana Toraja: Land of Heavenly Kings
Safely protected beyond the lofty mountains and rugged
granite cliffs of the central highlands of the island of Sulawesi, are the Toraja people who live in valleys that are lush with
green rice terraces and fertile coffee plantations.
"Discovered" and opened to the world
from their long isolation only since the beginning of the last century, the
Toraja today still adhere to their age-old belief
In Rantepao, explore the colourful traditional ‘Pasar
Bolu’ market where you can get top end Toraja coffee beans, such as Robusta and
Arabica. Here you may also find necklaces of antique beads. When you
happen to visit Rantepao during the weekly market days do make an effort to see
the market when water buffaloes and pigs are being auctioned.
Visitors are expected to keep to local dress and customs and
to bring a token present, such as cigarettes or coffee when entering a
Tongkonan.
As roads are not always paved, it is necessary to
use a jeep or walk, even when the weather is good (between May and October).
•Beware of your head whenever going inside a
Tongkonan, the Torajan traditional house, since passageways are lo
Visitors who wish to stay in the heart of Toraja
have many choices since there are many large and small hotels available,
however, only few have their own website. Others may be booked through hotel
reservation systems or travel agents. Or if you have an adventurous soul, you
can sleep in villages on the way.
A number of addresses of hotels in Tana Toraja
are listed below:
There are souvenirs shops in Rantepao where you can buy
everything specific from Tana Toraja. There are clothes, bags, wallets and
other handicrafts.
A Bemo – local transport is the best way to get to know the
locals, besides chartering vehicles (minibuses or Jeeps) with or without
driver. Enjoy walking around villages.
To get to Tana Toraja one must fly to Sultan Hasanuddin
airport in Makassar, capital of the province of South Sulawesi. As a hub for
East Indonesia there are many airlines flying to and from Makassar both from
Jakarta, Bali, Manado and other cities
The only way to Toraja from Makassar airport is overland.
There are no flights between Makassar and Toraja
Most of the time, you will not find restaurants near tourist
sites; however warungs and restaurants appear along the road. Best bring your
own lunch box. When taking a tour, your travel agent will take the group to a
restaurant or provide lunch boxes in the bus.
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