Tana Toraja - Tana Toraja

Tana Toraja is a hilly region in northern South Sulawesi known for its unique Christian animal culture and funeral rites. Most of the tourists who visit this region come in the city Rantepao under.

getting there

Rantepao is the tourist center of Tana Torajas. Almost all buses that connect Tana Toraja with the rest of Sulawesi arrive there. In the article too Rantepao Various travel options are listed that apply equally to all of Tana Toraja.

places

• Rantepao - tourist center
• Macals - administrative center

background

language

The original local language is Torajan, but all residents also speak Bahasa Indonesia. English is spoken almost exclusively by people in the tourism industry.

mobility

• Most of the attractions in Tana Toraja can be reached from Rantepao with a combination of public transport and walking to reach. Bemos They are often Jeep-sized and can be easily recognized by the inviting horns or a yellow license plate.
• Private car with driver cost 400,000 IDR a day.
• Scooter cost around 80,000-100,000 IDR a day.

Tourist Attractions

Altogether there are three types of sights:

1. Typical Toraja houses (or collections of the like) with steep gables and on wooden pillars, decorated with a variable number of buffalo horns
2. Rock tombs carved into the stone
3. Other types of graves (normal cemeteries or tree graves) and "grave accessories" like Dew dews (dolls that resemble the dead), monoliths, etc.

For those who are not incredibly interested in culture, it is probably enough to visit one or maybe two sights of each kind. Rock graves or Toraja houses can also be found in the landscape anyway without them being specifically advertised. After seeing two richly decorated houses, the third one doesn't look any more impressive and the 20,000 IDR entry fee might be better invested in a Nasi Goreng on the roadside. So it is no drama to pick out individual interesting sights with admission and to forego the rest with a clear conscience, because you do not miss anything. In Europe you wouldn't pay a new entrance fee for every quarter of an old town. Some villages, which were previously "normal" villages and open to the public, seem to adapt to tourists as easy money and now require entry. You should generally insist on the ticket as a receipt, otherwise the money will seep away in the ticket seller's pocket.

The larger sights are here according to their location around the centrally located Rantepao listed sorted.

South of Rantepao

The sights south of Rantepao can be easily reached by public transport. On the road between Rantepao and Makale, bemos run every 5 minutes during the day. The prices are in the range of 3000-10,000 IDR per trip.

• Ke'te 'Kesu is a collection of traditional Toraja houses adjoined by a cemetery carved into the rock. There the bones of the dead lie or hang more or less scattered in rotting wooden coffins. Between the two parts of the sight there is a tourist gauntlet from souvenir shops. getting there: On the southern outskirts of Rantepao (at a statue showing a bull) a road branches off to the east, which you follow for 2km. There are also bemos or locals take tourists with them for free. entry: IDR 20,000 (Sept. 2016)

• At Londa The dead rest in partly open coffins in two caves (connected by a narrow passage) and a high rock face above. A flashlight is required, which you either bring with you (mobile phone light also works, head torch is more convenient) or rent it on site for 30,000 IDR from a guide. getting there: From Rantepao take a bemo towards Makale (5000 IDR) and get off at a junction 1.5km from Londa; the rest then go. There is also a shorter cul-de-sac further south, which is less scenic and much steeper. Entry: 20,000 IDR (Sept. 2016)

• Lemo is another burial place with graves carved into the rock, surrounded by rice fields. getting there: From Rantepao or the junction for Londa take a Bemo (5000 or 3000 IDR) and get off at the crossroads for Lemo; go the rest. Entry: 20,000 IDR (Sept. 2016)

West of Rantepao

North of Rantepao

• The area around Batutumonga offers beautiful views combined with many traditional villages and houses. There are also three guest houses in the village. getting there: A Bemo / Kinjang from Terminal Bolu in Rantepao costs 20,000 IDR.
• At Pana 'are Baby graves. The graves are carved into the rock and integrated into trees. The best thing to do is to ask the ticket boy about the trees that are not obvious. getting there: Via Batutumonga and Embatau from the north or via Tikala from the south (uphill). The graves are located slightly east of the road and are marked with a large sign on the road. entry: IDR 20,000. (Sept. 2016)
• Lembang Tonga Riu is a large grave rock northwest of Embatau. getting there Via Batutumonga or Embatau, from there just under 20 minutes on foot. entry: was not claimed in September 2016. But there is a ticket counter

• Palawa ' is a village with Toraja houses, which have an above-average number of buffalo antlers (sometimes over 20 per house). Getting there: A Bemo from Terminal Bolu costs 8000 IDR. Entry: 20,000 IDR.
• The village Bori has a large central village square with a few monoliths. Getting there: Bori is on the road between Bolu and Palawa '(see above). Entry: none.

East of Rantepao

activities

Funerals

Many tourists visit Funeral and burial ceremonies. This can also be done without an expensive guide, provided you either know from the guest house where a ceremony is taking place on which day or you look around on the main street in Rantepao for trucks loaded with a horde of black-clad people, they waves to stop and rises.

Overall, guides are a tiresome topic in Tana Toraja. Apart from the fact that they are generally extremely expensive by Indonesian standards, they also do not belong to the most honest sort of person in Tana Toraja:

• Guides claim to have expenses that do not exist or that cannot be redeemed due to "spontaneous" changes to the plan (e.g. restaurant visits).
• In order to urge indecisive tourists to accept, guides claim that they have to make a reservation the day before in the village where the funeral takes place (as if someone there cares whether two or four Westerners are present).

Walks and hikes

The region also offers scenic sights, which can usually be summed up as "rice field, buffalo, mountains".

• The hill Buntu Singki (recognizable from all over Rantepao by the huge summit cross) can be climbed from the southwest from Rantepao.
• The Gunung Sesean is a mountain that can be climbed via a 4 km long and steep but shady path. The way is poorly signposted; "Always uphill" is the best way to get there. The path starts on the road in Batutumonga (blue sign "Alternative to Gunung Sesean") or 1 km further along the road at a crossroads in Embatau (green sign: "Trekking Gunung Sesean") getting there: See Batutumonga, above for sights.
• From Palawa 'to Marante: The trail starts at Palawa ', on the opposite side of the river from the Bolu Strait. Follow the course of the river downstream, always parallel to the road on the opposite side, until you reach ans Negangdem Museum got. There you can make a detour to Bori over a bridge (or join the path from Bori). The path continues south through the rice fields but a little further away from the river, until, after a slight ascent, you reach a shady village and shortly afterwards its idyllic church. Now keep to the right until you cross two bridges in quick succession and come out again either on the Rantepao-Palawa or Rantepao-Palopo road and intercept a bemo into the city. The whole route takes about three hours, leads mostly through rice fields where buffalo roam or small villages with no significant traffic, is either gravel or tarred and has hardly any inclines.

kitchen

See also on this Rantepao.

nightlife

The area is shaped by Christianity. So alcohol is more readily available than in the rest of Indonesia. But there is no real night life. Since 2015, the sale of alcohol in small shops (so-called "tokos") has been banned in Indonesia. This is only available in large supermarkets that do not exist in the "flat country". In Rantepao, however, that is not a problem. Many tokos carry the popular beers in Indonesia (Bintang and Anker). Beer is also available in many restaurants.

We recommend the Café Aras (located directly on the main street), this is frequented by many tourists, there is also alcohol and its interior is comparable to a cocktail bar in Europe.

security

Tana Toraja is very sure. Crime is virtually unknown there. You can also leave the hotel at night without hesitation. As a woman, as in many regions of the world, you should only leave the hotel if you are accompanied. The main danger is the traffic as it is very chaotic and the vehicles are very poorly maintained. In addition, the numerous street dogs should also be treated with caution. Under no circumstances should they be petted and they can react very aggressively if they are surprised or if they have puppies.

health

The vaccination and travel medicine recommendations from the articles about generally apply Indonesia and Sulawesi.

• More consequent Mosquito repellent protects in the damp Tana Toraja during the day Dengue and at night before malaria.
• The many Street dogs can become aggressive; especially if you are surprised. It is advisable to keep your distance and, if necessary, have bites treated immediately. Current rabies outbreaks can be researched online before traveling.
• Accidents with scooters on steep, bumpy and dusty slopes can have serious health consequences.
• A hospital is located in Rantepao. In Macassar there are bigger clinics.

Climate and travel time

The high season is during the months of July and August, which are also the driest months. During this time, most of the burials and, because of the holiday season in Europe, most of the tourists are in Toraja.

The climate is generally less hot than in the lower regions of Sulawesi, so that, for example, many accommodations are neither equipped with a fan nor air conditioning. But rain is also frequent in the dry season from June to September, which is due to the mountainous surroundings.

literature

Web links

• http://www.tanatorajakab.go.id/ - Official website of Tana Toraja