Tana Toraja and North Toraja are the home of Austronesian ethnic group indigenous to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Torajan population is approximately 1,100,000, of whom 450,000 live in the regency of Tana Toraja and North Toraja. Most of the population is Christian, and others are Muslim or have local animist beliefs known as aluk to dolo. Toraja is well known for their elaborate funeral ceremony, unique burial sites, disctintive traditional house, and scenic landscapes.
How To Get To Tana Toraja
Tana Toraja, Indonesia can be reached by flight, bus, or private driver from Makassar.You can find more info on each option below. Flying to Toraja is the easiest, but bus is the cheapest. Driving there in a car may be best for groups.
• By flight from Makassar
From Makassar you can fly directly to the Tana Toraja airport (TRT) every Wednesday and Friday with Wings Air. Another option is to fly to Palopo (LLO) then continued by private driver from Palopo to Toraja. Wings Air flies every day from Makassar to Palopo.
• By bus from Makassar
There’s a daily morning or night bus to Tana Toraja from the bus terminal in Makassar.
The bus ride from Makassar to Rantepao takes about 9 or 10 hours and there are several stops along the way. The bus departure times from both Makassar and Toraja are 8 AM for the morning bus, or 8 PM for the night bus.
The bus ride costs starting from 250.000 so it makes sense for solo travelers on a strict budget.
• By private chauffeur service
A car with driver can be hired to take you from Makassar to Tana Toraja starting from EUR 90. This is the most cost effective option if you’re traveling in a group with several people. The drive takes around 9 hours and the road is mostly in a good condition.
How to Get Around Toraja
The local public transport in Tana Toraja is called kijang and you can go to most of the top attractions in Tana Toraja by this public transport, but it will take some time. For short rides there are sitor, the three wheeled taxis that can accommodate 2-3 people.
The best way to explore Toraja area is to hire a private driver in Toraja or rent a scooter. It’s relatively cheap to hire a driver for a full day in Toraja. Check here to see our private chauffeur service.
Things to do in Tana Toraja
1.Kete Kesu
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this is perhaps the best known traditional Torajan village with Tongkanan houses and rice barns. Beside traditional houses you can also visit hanging graves, mausoleum, and wooden statues or tau-tau.
2. Londa Cave Grave
Londa is a burial ground for To’lengke clan with two deep limestone caves filled with coffins and bones. Here you need to rent a lantern at the entrance and the guy will also be your local guide in Londa area.
3. Lemo Stone Grave
Here, you will see an impressive burial cliff riddled with hanging graves and a series of balconies with Tau-Tau, wooden effigies of the dead persons. They sit lined up in rows, held in place by beams of wood and staring out at the fields below, making the whole scene hauntingly stunning with the eerie mystical atmosphere.
4. Tampangallo
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.
5. Jesus Statue
Torajan religion was mixed with Christianity after the colonials arrived, and it’s reflected in a giant statue of Jesus Christ that stands on the hill above Makale. This is one of the tallest Jesus statues in the world, although the tallest is the one at Lake Toba in Sumatra, followed by the famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Sao Paolo, Brazil. You can drive all the way up to the statue from Makale. No hiking is needed.
6. Bori Kalimbuang
Bori is a grave site in north Toraja with 102 megalithic stones. All these different sizes of composition and placement looks very beautiful and lovely. There are 24 stones in large size, 24 medium size and other 54 is small-sized. Each menhirs at this place is have the same value even though they have different sizes. The differences from the each menhir are happen because of the circumstances at the time of creation or the retrieval stone building. If you keep following the path, there’s a Boulder grave with more than a dozen tombs in it.
7. Batutumonga
Batutumonga is a highland village in Toraja. Some people say it is one of the most beautiful villages in Indonesia. The sunrise from Batutumonga is beautiful, but you need to get up very early in the morning and do some hiking to get the best spot to see sunrise.
8. Lokomata
Loko Mata is a giant burial stone on the main road near Batutumonga and Mount Sesean. This is probably the biggest boulder in Toraja, and it has dozens of tombs carved into the rock on all sides.
9. Bolu Market
Bolu market is located in Rantepao, the tourist center of Toraja, and is a popular tourist attraction, and an interesting place to visit. As scheduled, the market only opens once in 6 days, and is the main sales center for buffalo as well as pig. Vegetables, fruits, coffee and other food products can also be found in this market.
10. Saddan To’ Barana
Saddan To’ Baraha is known as the center of Toraja weaving, this village offers visitors the chance to observe the traditional weaving process firsthand, meet local weavers, and understand the stories behind each intricate pattern.
11. Funeral Ceremony
One of the most important events in Toraja is the traditional funeral ceremony. These are extravagant, usually last several days, and involve the gory slaughtering of pigs and buffaloes as a gift/honor to the family of the deceased. Toraja culture revolves around funerals, and it’s a big draw for international tourists too. Foreigners are very welcome to attend, but as a guest you’ll be expected to buy a small gift for the family (usually a few packs of cigarettes). If you want to witness a Tana Toraja funeral, the best thing to do is to asknour expert or our chauffeur about when and where the next one will happen. Funeral season is generally July to September.
Food
There are only a few Western-style restaurants in Rantepao. In addition, you can find some local types of fast food and many cafes. Most of them can be found around the Central Square. If you want to try local food, you should order Pa’piong (meat cooked in bamboo) and Pantollo Pammarasan (black stew). Here some of recommended restaurants:
• Aras Cafe
• Kaana Coffee & Roastery
• Randan Uma
• Pong Buri (local restaurant)
Where to Stay in Tana Toraja
Most visitors stay in Rantepao, which is the main tourism area. There are a lot of hotels and other places to stay, from luxurious resorts to budget. You can easily find them on Booking.com or Airbnb. Here are some of our recommendations:
• Pia’s Poppies
• Arrang Homestay
• Torsina Hotel
• Santai Toraja Hotel
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