The Toraja are an ethnic group indigenous to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Their population is approximately 650,000, of which 450,000 still live in the regency of Tana Toraja (“Land of Toraja”).Most of the population is Christian, and others are Muslim or have local animist beliefs known as aluk (“the way”). The Indonesian government has recognized this animist belief as Aluk To Dolo (“Way of the Ancestors”).

The word toraja comes from the Bugis language’s to riaja, meaning “people of the uplands”. The Dutch colonial government named the people Toraja in 1909.Torajans are renowned for their elaborate funeral rites, burial sites carved into rocky cliffs, massive peaked-roof traditional houses known as tongkonan, and colorful wood carvings. Toraja funeral rites are important social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for several days.

Before the 20th century, Torajans lived in autonomous villages, where they practised animism and were relatively untouched by the outside world. In the early 1900s, Dutch missionaries first worked to convert Torajan highlanders to Christianity. When the Tana Toraja regency was further opened to the outside world in the 1970s, it became an icon of tourism in Indonesia: it was exploited by tourism developers and studied by anthropologists.By the 1990s, when tourism peaked, Toraja society had changed significantly, from an agrarian model — in which social life and customs were outgrowths of the Aluk To Dolo—to a largely Christian society.

Ethnic identity
The Torajan people had little notion of themselves as a distinct ethnic group before the 20th century. Before Dutch colonization and Christianization, Torajans, who lived in highland areas, identified with their villages and did not share a broad sense of identity. Although complexes of rituals created linkages between highland villages, there were variations in dialects, differences in social hierarchies, and an array of ritual practices in the Sulawesi highland region. “Toraja” (from the coastal languages’ to, meaning people; and riaja, uplands) was first used as a lowlander expression for highlanders. As a result, “Toraja” initially had more currency with outsiders—such as the Bugis and Makassarese, who constitute a majority of the lowland of Sulawesi—than with insiders. The Dutch missionaries’ presence in the highlands gave rise to the Toraja ethnic consciousness in the Sa’dan Toraja region, and this shared identity grew with the rise of tourism in the Tana Toraja Regency. Since then, South Sulawesi has four main ethnic groups—the Bugis (the majority, including shipbuilders and seafarers), the Makassarese (lowland traders and seafarers), the Mandarese (traders and fishermen), and the Toraja (highland rice cultivators).

Buginese Tribe of South Sulawesi
The Bugis are the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, the southwestern province of Sulawesi, Indonesia’s third largest island. Although many Bugis live in the large port cities of Makassar and Parepare, the majority are farmers who grow wet rice on the lowland plains to the north and west of the town of Maros. The name Bugis is an exonym which represents an older form of the name; (To) Ugi is the endonym.

The Bugis speak a distinct regional language in addition to Indonesian, called Basa Ugi, Bugis or Buginese. In reality, there are a several dialects, some of which are sufficiently different from others to be considered separate languages. Bugis belongs to the South Sulawesi language group; other members include Makasar, Toraja, Mandar and Enrekang, each being a series of dialects.
Bugis belongs to the South Sulawesi language group; other members include Makasar, Toraja, Mandar and Enrekang, each being a series of dialects.

TANA TORAJA AND SOUTH SULAWESI TOURS 06 DAYS 05 NIGHTS

DAY 01 : MAKASSAR – PARE PARE – TORAJA ( L.D )
Upon arrival at Hasanuddin Airport, Meeting Service. Transfer directly to Toraja Land with 08 hours drive takes across the Bugis Village with their houses on poles along the magnificent mountaionous ranges. Lunch will be served at Bukit Indah Restaurant in Pare-Pare, a small port situated 155 kms north of UjungPandang. Refreshment at the Hill-Top of Puncak Lakawan and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Erotic mountain. Late Afternoon Arrive in Toraja Land , check-in to Hotel for overnight and dinner.

DAY 02 : FULL DAY TORAJA TOUR ( B.L.D )
Breakfast at hotel. Full day visiting : the stone grave with tau-tau installed on a high cliff balcony overlooking the green valley of the Toraja at LEMO, The royal family tombs at SUAYA. and then we continue on to royal family tombs at SUAYA. We shall then make a easy walk to see a giant-tree made as burial site for a new born-baby who died before teething at KAMBIRA. After Lunch, we drive to The traditional carving village at KETE KESU, Natural burial cave at LONDA. The typical village at NANGGALA with 16 rice-barns standing in a raw as a sign of their wealthy status in Toraja community. Then continue on to visit the ancient house-grave at MARANTE village. Late afternoon back to hotel for overnight and dinner.

DAY 03 : FULL DAY TORAJA TOUR ( B.L.D )
Breakfast at hotel. Full day visiting ; the Traditional Toraja village with full buffalo horns in front of their houses at PALAWA, Traditional weaving village at SA’DAN, and the ancient Megalithic stone at BORI. Lunch will be served at local restaurant on the slope of Mount Sesean where you can also enjoy the terraced rice-fields with a fascinating mountainous view at BATUTUMONGA, After lunch, take a small trek from LOKOMATA to PANA and will be picked at the other side of the village at TIKALA then we transfer you back to hotel for overnight and dinner.

Note : A traditional funeral ceremony which can be reached by foot will be included within two days Toraja tour. A typical torajan local fruits & live stuff market can also be visited during your two days tour in Toraja Land.

DAY 04 : TORAJA – SENGKANG( B.L.D )
After breakfast at hotel. Leaving Toraja Land for  Sengkang with few stops enroute for some interesting stuff. Lunch enroute at local restaurant. Arrive in Sengkang, take a boat-trip on “TEMPE” lake to see the way of life of those who still live on their floating houses. Take a refresment while enjoying the sun-set view from this floating house. And with your driver and Guide, visiting the traditional silk-weaving village. Late afteroon Check-in to your hotel  for  overnight and dinner.

DAY 05 : SENGKANG – BANTIMURUNG – MAKASSAR ( B.L.D )
After breakfast at hotel. 4 hours drive trip to makassar with a stop at Bantimurung to enjoy the beautiful waterfall and some rare species of most spectacular colorful butterfies at green mountainous view.Lunch will be served enroute. Afternoon proceed to the main city of Makassar and directly check-in to hotel for your overnight stay and dinner will be served at sea-food restaurant in Makassar.

DAY 06: MAKASSAR – AIRPORT ( B )
After breakfast at hotel. A short city tour and then proceed to Airport for your next destination.

Rate : Euro 680/person twin share

Tours Included :
- Pick up and transfer services from Hassanudin Makassar Airport
- English Speaking Guide, Others on request
- AC vehicle
- All Accommodation
- All meals
- All tours per itineraries
- Funeral entrance fees
- All local guides
- Boating at Lake Tempe ( For Other Tours )
- Mineral drinking water

Tours Excluded :
- Return air tickets to and from Makassar
- Alcoholic and non alcholic drinks
- Laundry
- Tipping for the driver and guide
- Village donation
- Phone calls
- Airport porter and airport taxes
- Any personal expenses

The Toraja are an ethnic group indigenous to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Their population is approximately 650,000, of which 450,000 still live in the regency of Tana Toraja (“Land of Toraja”).Most of the population is Christian, and others are Muslim or have local animist beliefs known as aluk (“the way”). The Indonesian government has recognized this animist belief as Aluk To Dolo (“Way of the Ancestors”).

The word toraja comes from the Bugis language’s to riaja, meaning “people of the uplands”. The Dutch colonial government named the people Toraja in 1909.Torajans are renowned for their elaborate funeral rites, burial sites carved into rocky cliffs, massive peaked-roof traditional houses known as tongkonan, and colorful wood carvings. Toraja funeral rites are important social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for several days.

Before the 20th century, Torajans lived in autonomous villages, where they practised animism and were relatively untouched by the outside world. In the early 1900s, Dutch missionaries first worked to convert Torajan highlanders to Christianity. When the Tana Toraja regency was further opened to the outside world in the 1970s, it became an icon of tourism in Indonesia: it was exploited by tourism developers and studied by anthropologists.By the 1990s, when tourism peaked, Toraja society had changed significantly, from an agrarian model — in which social life and customs were outgrowths of the Aluk To Dolo—to a largely Christian society.

Ethnic identity
The Torajan people had little notion of themselves as a distinct ethnic group before the 20th century. Before Dutch colonization and Christianization, Torajans, who lived in highland areas, identified with their villages and did not share a broad sense of identity. Although complexes of rituals created linkages between highland villages, there were variations in dialects, differences in social hierarchies, and an array of ritual practices in the Sulawesi highland region. “Toraja” (from the coastal languages’ to, meaning people; and riaja, uplands) was first used as a lowlander expression for highlanders. As a result, “Toraja” initially had more currency with outsiders—such as the Bugis and Makassarese, who constitute a majority of the lowland of Sulawesi—than with insiders. The Dutch missionaries’ presence in the highlands gave rise to the Toraja ethnic consciousness in the Sa’dan Toraja region, and this shared identity grew with the rise of tourism in the Tana Toraja Regency. Since then, South Sulawesi has four main ethnic groups—the Bugis (the majority, including shipbuilders and seafarers), the Makassarese (lowland traders and seafarers), the Mandarese (traders and fishermen), and the Toraja (highland rice cultivators)

TANA TORAJA AND SOUTH SULAWESI TOURS 07 DAYS 06 NIGHTS
DAY 01 : MAKASSAR AIRPORT – PARE PARE- TORAJA (L.D)
After meeting service upon arrival at the airport, We take an eight-hour drive up to Tana Toraja passing through Bugis villages with a few stop on the way including visiting the interior of the bugis
houses which built on stilt. Stop by Pare-pare to enjoy lunch at a beautiful sea-food restaurant located up on a hill with sea view.
Afternoon, refreshment stop at Bambapuang to see the erotic mountain of Buntu Kabobong and enjoy some local cakes with traditional coffee or tea. Late in the afternoon arriving in Toraja land, directly check-in at the hotel for your overnight stay and dinner.

DAY 02 : FULL DAY TORAJA TOUR (B.L.D)
Morning after breakfast, exploring Toraja: the Land Full of Surprises. First to Lemo, a cliffside burial site with effigies up on balconies. Then to Sangalla’ to see baby graves in a big tree. Visit Suaya, the royal burial site of Puang Sangalla’ where you can see all kinds of graves existing in Tana Toraja from the ancient to the present time. After lunch en route, visit the Ke’te’ kesu’ traditional village with rows of traditional tongkonan houses and granaries and hanging graves. Back to the hotel in the afternoon. Dinner and stay overnight at hotel.

DAY 03 : FULL DAY TORAJA TOUR (B.L.D)
Morning after breakfast, We have another fullday exploring Tana Toraja; the Indonesia’s Mountain Eden. Visit Sadan village, the Toraja weaving center. Visit Pallawa, a spectacular traditional village with rows of tongkonan houses and traditional granaries. Visit Bori, a burial place with megaliths which are the remains of the Torajan ancient stone cultures. After lunch en route, visit Nanggala, a traditional village with thousands of bats up on the bamboo trees, and a traditional tongkonan house with a human skull on top of it. Afternoon, back hotel and stay overnight.

Note : A traditional funeral ceremony which can be reached by foot will be included within two days Toraja tour. A typical torajan local fruits & live stuff market can also be visited during your two days tour in Toraja Land.

DAY 04 : TORAJA – SENGKANG – LAKE “TEMPE” (B.L.D)
Morning after breakfast, take a four-hour drive to the silk city of Sengkang. Stop by Bambapuang for a refreshment to see the erotic mountain of Buntu Kabobong once again. Early afternoon, check-in at the hotel. After lunch, enjoy boat ride on the lake Tempe to the floating villages. Witness the the locals doing their daily activities on the lake. Evening, enjoy dinner in a traditional-bugis-nobel style where we are served by boys and girls in traditional dresses.

DAY 05 : SENGKANG – BIRA (WHITE SANDY BEACH) (B.L.D)
Morning after breakfast. Proceed to Bira with some pictureque-stops on the way and main stop is lunch enroute. After passing through some typical villages of bugis-makassar. You will be arriving at the edge of south sulawesi island which is very famous for the local people who build the traditional wooden-sailing-boats at Tana Beru. Afternoon arrive at Tanjung Bira and Check-in directly at the hotel. free at leisure while witnessing the beautiful sunset from the Bira beach. Dinner and stay overnight at hotel.

DAY 06 : BIRA AT LEISURE (B.L.D)
Morning after breakfast, drive back to Makassar with a stop at Tana Beru boat-building center to watch the boat masters building huge traditional Pinisi boats in traditional way. After lunch enroute, we proceed to Makassar city. Evening, enjoy seafood dinner at the famous sea-food restaurant in Makassar city. Stay overnight at hotel.

DAY 07: MAKASSAR – AIRPORT – OUT (B)
After breakfast at hotel. A short city tour in Makassar city , visiting the sea-shell collection & orchid garden, fortress, sailing harbour and lunch at sea-food restaurant. On time transfer to Airport for your next destination (noon flight.

Rate : Euro 720/person twin share

Tours Included :
- Pick up and transfer services from Hassanudin Makassar Airport
- English Speaking Guide, Others on request
- AC vehicle
- All Accommodation
- All meals
- All tours per itineraries
- Funeral entrance fees
- All local guides
- Boating at Lake Tempe ( For Other Tours )
- Mineral drinking water

Tours Excluded :
- Return air tickets to and from Makassar
- Alcoholic and non alcholic drinks
- Laundry
- Tipping for the driver and guide
- Village donation
- Phone calls
- Airport porter and airport taxes
- Any personal expenses

The Toraja are an ethnic group indigenous to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Their population is approximately 650,000, of which 450,000 still live in the regency of Tana Toraja (“Land of Toraja”).Most of the population is Christian, and others are Muslim or have local animist beliefs known as aluk (“the way”). The Indonesian government has recognized this animist belief as Aluk To Dolo (“Way of the Ancestors”).

The word toraja comes from the Bugis language’s to riaja, meaning “people of the uplands”. The Dutch colonial government named the people Toraja in 1909.Torajans are renowned for their elaborate funeral rites, burial sites carved into rocky cliffs, massive peaked-roof traditional houses known as tongkonan, and colorful wood carvings. Toraja funeral rites are important social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for several days.

Before the 20th century, Torajans lived in autonomous villages, where they practised animism and were relatively untouched by the outside world. In the early 1900s, Dutch missionaries first worked to convert Torajan highlanders to Christianity. When the Tana Toraja regency was further opened to the outside world in the 1970s, it became an icon of tourism in Indonesia: it was exploited by tourism developers and studied by anthropologists.By the 1990s, when tourism peaked, Toraja society had changed significantly, from an agrarian model — in which social life and customs were outgrowths of the Aluk To Dolo—to a largely Christian society.

Tongkonan Traditional Houses
Tongkonan are the traditional Torajan ancestral houses. They stand high on wooden piles, topped with a layered split-bamboo roof shaped in a sweeping curved arc, and they are incised with red, black, and yellow detailed wood carvings on the exterior walls. The word “tongkonan” comes from the Torajan tongkon (“to sit”).

Tongkonan are the center of Torajan social life. The rituals associated with the tongkonan are important expressions of Torajan spiritual life, and therefore all family members are impelled to participate, because symbolically the tongkonan represents links to their ancestors and to living and future kin.[ According to Torajan myth, the first tongkonan was built in heaven on four poles, with a roof made of Indian cloth. When the first Torajan ancestor descended to earth, he imitated the house and held a large ceremony.

The construction of a tongkonan is laborious work and is usually done with the help of the extended family. There are three types of tongkonan. The tongkonan layuk is the house of the highest authority, used as the "center of government". The tongkonan pekamberan belongs to the family members who have some authority in local traditions. Ordinary family members reside in the tongkonan batu. The exclusivity to the nobility of the tongkonan is diminishing as many Torajan commoners find lucrative employment in other parts of Indonesia. As they send back money to their families, they enable the construction of larger tongkonan.

Wood carvings
The Toraja language is only spoken; no writing system exists. To express social and religious concepts, Torajans carve wood, calling it Pa'ssura (or "the writing"). Wood carvings are therefore Toraja's cultural manifestation.

Each carving receives a special name, and common motifs are animals and plants that symbolize some virtue. For example, water plants and animals, such as crabs, tadpoles and water weeds, are commonly found to symbolize fertility. The image to the left shows an example of Torajan wood carving, consisting of 15 square panels. The center bottom panel represents buffalo or wealth, a wish for many buffaloes for the family. The center panel represents a knot and a box, a hope that all of the family's offspring will be happy and live in harmony, like goods kept safe in a box. The top left and top right squares represent an aquatic animal, indicating the need for fast and hard work, just like moving on the surface of water. It also represents the need for a certain skill to produce good results.

Regularity and order are common features in Toraja wood carving (see table below), as well as abstracts and geometrical designs. Nature is frequently used as the basis of Toraja's ornaments, because nature is full of abstractions and geometries with regularities and ordering. Toraja's ornaments have been studied in ethnomathematics to reveal their mathematical structure, but Torajans base this art only on approximations. To create an ornament, bamboo sticks are used as a geometrical tool.

Funeral rites
In Toraja society, the funeral ritual is the most elaborate and expensive event. The richer and more powerful the individual, the more expensive is the funeral. In the aluk religion, only nobles have the right to have an extensive death feast.[23] The death feast of a nobleman is usually attended by thousands and lasts for several days. A ceremonial site, called rante, is usually prepared in a large, grassy field where shelters for audiences, rice barns, and other ceremonial funeral structures are specially made by the deceased family. Flute music, funeral chants, songs and poems, and crying and wailing are traditional Toraja expressions of grief with the exceptions of funerals for young children, and poor, low-status adults.

The ceremony is often held weeks, months, or years after the death so that the deceased’s family can raise the significant funds needed to cover funeral expenses. Torajans traditionally believe that death is not a sudden, abrupt event, but a gradual process toward Puya (the land of souls, or afterlife). During the waiting period, the body of the deceased is wrapped in several layers of cloth and kept under the tongkonan. The soul of the deceased is thought to linger around the village until the funeral ceremony is completed, after which it begins its journey to Puya.

Another component of the ritual is the slaughter of water buffalo. The more powerful the person who died, the more buffalo are slaughtered at the death feast. Buffalo carcasses, including their heads, are usually lined up on a field waiting for their owner, who is in the “sleeping stage”. Torajans believe that the deceased will need the buffalo to make the journey and that they will be quicker to arrive at Puya if they have many buffalo. Slaughtering tens of water buffalo and hundred of pigs using a machete is the climax of the elaborate death feast, with dancing and music and young boys who catch spurting blood in long bamboo tubes. Some of the slaughtered animals are given by guests as “gifts”, which are carefully noted because they will be considered debts of the deceased’s family.

There are three methods of burial: the coffin may be laid in a cave or in a carved stone grave, or hung on a cliff. It contains any possessions that the deceased will need in the afterlife. The wealthy are often buried in a stone grave carved out of a rocky cliff. The grave is usually expensive and takes a few months to complete. In some areas, a stone cave may be found that is large enough to accommodate a whole family. A wood-carved effigy, called Tau tau, is usually placed in the cave looking out over the land. The coffin of a baby or child may be hung from ropes on a cliff face or from a tree. This hanging grave usually lasts for years, until the ropes rot and the coffin falls to the ground.

TORAJA LAND AND SOUTH SULAWESI TOURS 05 DAYS 04 NIGHTS
DAY 01 : UJUNGPANDANG – TORAJA ( L.D )
Upon arrival at Hasanuddin Airport, Meeting Service. Transfer directly to Toraja Land with 08 hours drive takes across the Bugis Village with their houses on poles along the magnificent mountainous ranges. Lunch will be served at Bukit Indah Restaurant in Pare-Pare, a small port situated 155 kms north of UjungPandang. Refreshment at the Hill-Top of Puncak Lakawan
and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Erotic mountain.
Late Afternoon Arrive in Toraja Land , check-in to Hotel for overnight and dinner.

DAY 02 : TORAJA TOUR ( B.L.D )
Breakfast at hotel. Full day visiting : the stone grave with tau-tau installed on a high cliff balcony overlooking the green valley of the Toraja at LEMO, The royal family tombs at SUAYA. and then we continue on to royal family tombs at SUAYA. We shall then make a easy walk to see a giant-tree made as burial site for a new born-baby who died before teething at KAMBIRA
After Lunch, we drive to The traditional carving village at KETE KESU, Natural burial cave at LONDA. The typical village at NANGGALA with 16 rice-barns standing in a raw as a sign of their wealthy status in Toraja community. Then continue on to visit the ancient house-grave at MARANTE village. Late afternoon back to hotel for overnight and dinner.

DAY 03 : TORAJA TOUR ( B.L.D )
Breakfast at hotel. Full day visiting ; the Traditional Toraja village with full buffalo horns in front of their houses at PALAWA, Traditional weaving village at SA’DAN, and the ancient Megalithic stone at BORI. Lunch will be served at local restaurant on the slope of Mount Sesean where you can also
enjoy the terraced rice-fields with a fascinating mountainous view at BATUTUMONGA, After lunch, take a small trek from LOKOMATA to PANA and will be picked at the other side of the village at TIKALA then we transfer you back
to hotel for overnight and dinner.

Note : A traditional funeral ceremony which can be reached by foot will be included within two days Toraja tour. A typical torajan local fruits & live stuff market can also be visited during your two days tour in
Toraja Land.

DAY 04 : TORAJA – SENGKANG( B.L.D )
Breakfast at hotel. Leaving Toraja Land for  Sengkang via Palopo. Lunch enroute at local restaurant. Arrive in Sengkang. Check-in to hotel  for  overnight and dinner.

DAY 05: SENGKANG -  LAKE TEMPE – Makassar (B.L.D )
After breakfast at hotel. Visting Lake TEMPE to see the way of life ofthosewho live at the lakeside with some of them having their floating houseson it.Visiting the traditional silk weaving villagers who make Silk Sarong “The Buginese Skirt. Lunch enoute at Local restaurant. And proceed to UjungPandang Airport for  your next destination.

Rate : Euro 670/person twin share Min 02 person

Tours Included :
- Pick up and transfer services from Hassanudin Makassar Airport
- English Speaking Guide, Others on request
- AC vehicle
- All Accommodation
- All meals
- All tours per itineraries
- Funeral entrance fees
- All local guides
- Boating at Lake Tempe ( For Other Tours )
- Mineral drinking water

Tours Excluded :
- Return air tickets to and from Makassar
- Alcoholic and non alcholic drinks
- Laundry
- Tipping for the driver and guide
- Village donation
- Phone calls
- Airport porter and airport taxes
- Any personal expenses

Tana Toraja or Toraja Land is situated 310 kms north of Makassar ( UjungPandang ), the capital city of South Sulawesi ( Celebes ). Tana Toraja is a mountainous area.The slope of the limestone mountains are covered with various kindsof bamboo, pine trees, coffee and many other kinds of tropical plants. The wet rice terraces and clove bushes also beautify the area.

The total area of Toraja land is 3,205.77  kms. According to the 1995 cencus, the population of the regency numbered 367,371 people living in two towns ( Makale and Rantepao ), and in 65 villages. It is important to note that a million of
Torajans live outside Toraja Land. Most of them comprise job seekers, University students, soldiers and business people.

The long drive from the lowlands to the mountain stronghold of TANA TORAJA opens up a breath-taking new world. The rugged mountains and verdant valleys are home to a  people  who  love  of  religious spectacle is equaled only  by  their  hospitality. With majestic panoramas, captivting villages and dramatic ceremonies, Tana Toraja is the undisputed highlight of any journey to Sulawesi ( Celebes ) – Indonesia.

The trip starts from Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi Province, accessible by flights from other major cities in Indonesia and then proceed by a long drive through spectacular mountain, steep terraced slopes and tall bamboo forests to arrive in Toraja highland, the “Land of the Heavenly Kings”. We will walk across the natural beauties of Toraja highland to experience unique culture of Toraja people which is based on animistic beliefs. Known for their grand burial ceremonies on cliffs or hanging graves, they practice an ancestral cult even today where death and afterlife ceremonies are great feasts when buffaloes are sacrificed in the final death ceremony, after which the deceased’s remains are placed in a coffin and interred in caves hollowed out in high cliffs.

We will visit the cliff-side stone grave with wooden effigies on the balcony at Lemo, the royal family tombs at Suaya, the baby grave in the huge tree at Kambira, traditional dance performance at Sangalla, the natural cave at Londa and the traditional wooden carving village at Kete Kesu.

You’ll also be struck by the unusual architecture of the traditional Toraja house Tongkonan at Palawa. We will also make trekking from Pana through the rice-field and some village down to Tikala to enjoy the beuties scenery of the highland. Another style of adventure in Indonesia.

Explore Toraja Highland with us, a truly rare adventure into the strange and mysterious world of Toraja people.

TORAJA LAND TOURS 04 DAYS 03 NIGHTS
Day 01 : Ujungpandang Arrival
Upon arrive at Ujungpandang Airport, meeting services and direct transfer to Tana Toraja, enroute stops and visiting Bantimurung, Buginese colony with their typical houses on poles, lunch served at best local restaurant in Pare – Pare; late afternoon arrive Tana Toraja check in Missilana Hotel or similliar for dinner and overnight.

Day 02 : Tana Toraja Excursion (BLD)
Breakfast Hotel, full-day excursion Tana Toraja including visit Lemo, Suaya, Marante, Nanggala; lunch served at celebes restaurant, Dinner and overnight at Missiliana Hotel or similar.

Day 03 : Tana Toraja Excursion  ( BLD)
Breakfast Hotel, full-day excursion Tana Toraja including visit Palawa, sadan, Ketekesu, Londa, Siguntu, lunch at local restaurant, dinner and overnight at Missiliana Hotel or similar.

Day 04 : Tana Toraja – Ujung Pandang Departure (BL)
Breakfast at hotel, drive via Pare – Pare to Ujung Pandang with lunch at Bukit Indah restaurant, direct transfer to the airport for flight to next destination.

Rate : USD 490/person twin share  Min 02 person

Tours Included :
- Pick up and transfer services from Hassanudin Makassar Airport
- English Speaking Guide, Others on request
- AC vehicle
- All Accommodation
- All meals
- All tours per itineraries
- Funeral entrance fees
- All local guides
- Boating at Lake Tempe ( For Other Tours )
- Mineral drinking water

Tours Excluded :
- Return air tickets to and from Makassar
- Alcoholic and non alcholic drinks
- Laundry
- Tipping for the driver and guide
- Village donation
- Phone calls
- Airport porter and airport taxes
- Any personal expenses

Tana Toraja or Toraja Land is situated 310 kms north of Makassar ( UjungPandang ), the capital city of South Sulawesi ( Celebes ). Tana Toraja is a mountainous area.The slope of the limestone mountains are covered with various kindsof bamboo, pine trees, coffee and many other kinds of tropical plants. The wet rice terraces and clove bushes also beautify the area.

The total area of Toraja land is 3,205.77  kms. According to the 1995 cencus, the population of the regency numbered 367,371 people living in two towns ( Makale and Rantepao ), and in 65 villages. It is important to note that a million of
Torajans live outside Toraja Land. Most of them comprise job seekers, University students, soldiers and business people.

The long drive from the lowlands to the mountain stronghold of TANA TORAJA opens up a breath-taking new world. The rugged mountains and verdant valleys are home to a  people  who  love  of  religious spectacle is equaled only  by  their  hospitality. With majestic panoramas, captivting villages and dramatic ceremonies, Tana Toraja is the undisputed highlight of any journey to Sulawesi ( Celebes ) – Indonesia.

The trip starts from Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi Province, accessible by flights from other major cities in Indonesia and then proceed by a long drive through spectacular mountain, steep terraced slopes and tall bamboo forests to arrive in Toraja highland, the “Land of the Heavenly Kings”. We will walk across the natural beauties of Toraja highland to experience unique culture of Toraja people which is based on animistic beliefs. Known for their grand burial ceremonies on cliffs or hanging graves, they practice an ancestral cult even today where death and afterlife ceremonies are great feasts when buffaloes are sacrificed in the final death ceremony, after which the deceased’s remains are placed in a coffin and interred in caves hollowed out in high cliffs.

We will visit the cliff-side stone grave with wooden effigies on the balcony at Lemo, the royal family tombs at Suaya, the baby grave in the huge tree at Kambira, traditional dance performance at Sangalla, the natural cave at Londa and the traditional wooden carving village at Kete Kesu.

You’ll also be struck by the unusual architecture of the traditional Toraja house Tongkonan at Palawa. We will also make trekking from Pana through the rice-field and some village down to Tikala to enjoy the beuties scenery of the highland. Another style of adventure in Indonesia.

Explore Toraja Highland with us, a truly rare adventure into the strange and mysterious world of Toraja people.

TORAJA LAND TOURS 03 DAYS 02 NIGHTS
Day 01 : Ujungpandang Arrival
Upon arrive at Ujungpandang Airport, meeting services and direct transfer to Tana Toraja, enroute stops and visiting Bantimurung, Buginese colony with their typical houses on poles, lunch served at best local restaurant in Pare – Pare; late afternoon arrive Tana Toraja check in Missilana Hotel or similliar for dinner and overnight.

Day 02 : Tana Toraja Excursion (BLD)
Breakfast Hotel, full-day excursion Tana Toraja including visit Lemo, Suaya, Marante, Nanggala; lunch served at celebes restaurant, Dinner and overnight at Missiliana Hotel or similar.

Day 03 : Tana Toraja – Ujung Pandang Departure (BL)
Breakfast at hotel, drive via Pare – Pare to Ujung Pandang with lunch at Bukit Indah restaurant, direct transfer to the airport for flight to next destination.

Rate : USD 410/person twin share  Min 02 person

Tours Included :
- Pick up and transfer services from Hassanudin Makassar Airport
- English Speaking Guide, Others on request
- AC vehicle
- All Accommodation
- All meals
- All tours per itineraries
- Funeral entrance fees
- All local guides
- Boating at Lake Tempe ( For Other Tours )
- Mineral drinking water

Tours Excluded :
- Return air tickets to and from Makassar
- Alcoholic and non alcholic drinks
- Laundry
- Tipping for the driver and guide
- Village donation
- Phone calls
- Airport porter and airport taxes
- Any personal expenses

The Cape of Bira is both known for the sharks, rays and other pelagics and its strong and dangerous currents (Want to know more about how to assess accurately the rate of current? Click here. There used to be a German dive operator but he was chased out of the country and only a few months later a tragic accident happened, when 5 Japanese divers were swept out and away from Cape Bira (this story was told me twice by different people, somebody else said it happened at Pulau Kambing). Please heed your dive guide’s advise about currents and the best time of the day for certain dive sites! Visibility is good but I read, that the water can be quite cold (23-24° in August). We had very warm water (29-30°) in April.

Dynamite fishing (blast fishing) is still used around Bira and on our second dive a fisherman dropped a stick of dynamite very close too us. I had just espied an eagle ray in the shallows and considered using my tank banger to attract the attention of my dive buddy then thought better of it – thinking I might scare it off – when a LOUD BANG scared us all nearly to death including the ray who took off really fast! Our boat crew told us later, a fisherman had dropped a bomb (a bottle filled with a mixture of fertilizer and petrol) just around the corner! Some of my dive buddies had dived here before and they were very disappointed when diving at Mamasa Pinnacles

House reef Bira diving resort: A nice wall dive to the depth of about 20. There seems to be a lot of lionfishes here about, from clearfin, spotless to zebra lionfishes and even the shy twinspotted lionfish. Also nudibranchs and lots of coral reef fishes.

Tanjung Bira (Bira bay): a great dive with dozens of sharks and if you are lucky even a hammerhead.

Shark point: This dive site lies close to the harbour. You do a drift dive on a slope and sometimes there can be quite a lot of surrent. A good place for big fish like tunas, trevallies, sharks and cods.

Pulau Kambing (Goat island): In the strait between Selayar island (stress the second vocal) and Bira lie two islands. We did several dives at Kambing, all of them excellent. You dive on a wall that drops down to at least 60m. Sometimes there is a lot of current and you have to know when you can dive and when it is better to listen to the boat captain and dive somewhere else. On the dive there were constantly sharks patrolling back and forth – white tipped, black tipped sharks on the wall and nurse sharks at the coral garden that starts from about 15m up. But you are also very likely to see schoools of hunting mackerels or tunas abd great trevallies as well as groups of bumhead parrotfishes. In the coral garden you might find scorpionfishes, cuttlefish or a octopus and with luck the juvenile zebra batfish. A great place for scuba diving!

Night dive at Coral garden: Night dives close to Pantai Kechil (little beach) just south of Bira harbor are very nive. We encountered many interesting animals: Spanish dancer, twinspot lionfish, a sleeping turtle, several cuttlefish and an octopus. One of the highlights was a huge Conus shell (Conus geographus) hunting for prey such as fish and mollusks. It had expanded its whole mantle to the size of about 30cm and was probing with a trunk-like appendage (siphon) for prey. This slug shoots extremely poisonous darts at its prey. The venom paralyzes and kills the fish and even humans (I read that over 3 dozen deaths are known to have been caused by it).

Tanjung Cumi (Selayar): I liked the diving around Selayar a lot. We started on the Ciska our liveaboard from the southern tip and did a few dives on the east side of Selayar. Diving at Tanjung Cumi was very interesting with a school of barracudas, reef sharks hiding under a table coral and a large grey shark in the blue.

Bira Offshore Dive Safari :
Depart at 08.00 Am
Return at 15.00 Pm

Rates : Euro 75/person/02 dives, min 02 person

Rate included:
- Private Boat
- Dive Guide
- Dive equipments
- Lunch Box
- Coffee, Tea and Cold Mineral Water
- Entrance Fees

Rate excluded:
- Alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks
- Tipping
- Any personal expenses

Source: www.starfish.ch

Kambing or Goat Islands welcome visitors to step in their pristine environment. There are several boats along the coast that are more than willing to take you to the islands. The seas off Tanjung Bira and around Selayar are also ideal for diving.

Around Bira are fringing reefs, but most outstanding by far are the sheer walls at Kambing island, where a stark slab of rock rises out of the ocean between Bira and Selayar. Here the coral cover and schools of fish offer fantastic underwater scenes.

The snorkeling around Bira itself is on nice fringing reefs, but most outstanding by far are the Sheer walls of Kambing island, a stark slab of rock rising out of the ocean between Bira and Selayar Island, where the coral cover and fish life are fantastic.

The best diving spot is Kambing Island (Kambing is a Goat in English). If you are lucky, you can see shark around Kambing Island. Same like how to get  Liukang Loe Island, you can rent a boat from west side of Tanjung Bira Beach

One Day Snorkeling Trip to Kambing Island:
Depart at 08.00 Am
Return at 16.00 Pm

Rates : Euro 45/person, min 02 person

Rate included:
- Private Boat
- Snorkeling Guide
- Mask, Fins and Snorkel
- Lunch Box
- Coffee, Tea and Cold Mineral Water
- Entrance Fees

Rate excluded:
- Alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks
- Tipping
- Diving
- Any personal expenses

LIUKANG LOE ISLAND ONE DAY SNORKELING TRIP
South of the Bira peninsula lies the 80 km long, long-stretched island of Selayar. The 16 km wide strait between Bira and Selayar is well know for its attractive diving spots. The most popular dive locations here are around the islands “Pulau Liukang “, Pulau Kambing” and “Pasi Tanete”. It is strongly advised to be accompanied by a dive guide that knows this area well, as currents can be dangerous.

This tiny little island dominant by rock, there is only 03 beaches on the island and 02 small villages, People on Liukang island is Buginese from Konjos tribe and accoupied the island for more then 200 years.

Liukang Island is located in the district of Bulukumba and dealing with Bira Beach who had already famous for its beautiful beaches.

Liukang Island has a very white beaches, coral reefs, which are very beautiful with coral fish which diverse and colorful, there are more than 50 dive sites around the island liukang and almost all of them are world class diving.

The beauty of the island is very charming liukang foreign tourists, the beach which is clean, very safe for lovers of snorkeling, fishing village on the island of liukang also provide an attraction for visitors of the island.

The beach on the island liukang is one the most beautiful beaches in the world today. beach on the island liukang very clean, stunning landscapes and friendly people who provide comfort for you who visit this island

You can see Liukang Loe Island from Bira Cape, Inhabitant Island that could be reached by motorboat for about 10 minutes.This island is one of the famous underwater heaven that attract local and international tourist for diving or snorkeling.

One Day Snorkeling Trip to Liukang Island:
Depart at 08.00 Am
Return at 15.00 Pm

Rates : Euro 35/person, min 02 person

Rate included:
- Private Boat
- Snorkeling Guide
- Mask, Fins and Snorkel
- Lunch Box
- Coffee, Tea and Cold Mineral Water
- Entrance Fees

Rate excluded:
- Alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks
- Tipping
- Diving
- Any personal expenses

What to bring :
- Cash for drinks, village donation and  tipping
- Hat
- Sun glasses
- Towel
- Swimming Suits
- Suncreen

KAJANG BLACK TRIBE OF BULUKUMBA ONE DAY TOUR
Kajang Tribe, a Unique Ethnic Black Tribe in Bulukumba Regency, South Sulawesi.
Kajang situated about 58 km north-west from Bira beach, Kajang is a sub-district from Bulukumba regency, the interest point in Tana-Toa village where live the leather of Pra-islamic called:”Amma-Toa’”.The village covering the forest conservation area according to the teaching of the;Tana-Toa,every houses inside built in natural material from plant inside the area, and not any modern material use even nail, zinc-roof and electricity, really interest to visit in the global era.

The Kajang people is sub-ethnic of Makassar ethnic who in habited (occupied) a particular area. The area and the people the people are quite isolated from the livings of other people of Bulukumba. The head of this group is called “Amatoa” who considered holy. For those who are eager to see her, are obliged to wear a black shirt and black “sarong”, and it will be better to meet him without any shoes or sandals.

The Kajang Tribe or Kajang People or in Indonesia call it “Suku Kajang” is sub-ethnic to Makassar ethnic groups, who inhabited a particular area in the forest. The area and the people are quite asolated from other people of Bulukumba. The Head of this group who is ruled by a tribal and religious is called “Ammatoa” and their land call it Tana Toa.

Ammatoa is a person who masters of “Pasang ri Kajang” – an oral teaching of Kajang people, which inherited from one generation to the other. The life of Kajang centered to Pasang which is not only rules the relation among man, man to the Creator but it covers the relation of man with the nature. To have a person chosen as Ammatoa the congregation of elders attending the ritual will listen to the supernatural signs. It might be in a form of a buffalo suddenly come to someone house’s and stays there without precedents or a rooster fly in and stops at someone’s shoulder.

Kajang tribe divided into two groups is Kajang Dalam (Inner) and Kajang Luar (Outer) no differences between them. Kajang Luar live and living in villages outside forest and they live more open to change, while the Kajang Dalam live only inside forest with the nature, both the group live harmoniously from the past until now, they always hold fast to the teachings of the ancestors and they always maintain a balance of living with nature and the ancestors.

They live harmoniously with the nature, and they do not use modern facilities i.e. means of transportation. For that reason, no cars and they like permitted to enter this area. The meeting ceremony with “Amatoa” is very unique event.

The most famous adat community in Sulawesi, Kajang Dalam, located within the administrative borders of Bulukumba. Although
the Kecamantan of Kajang has its formal structures with the camat and kepala desa, there is a parallel adat structure under the authority of the Amma Toa that exists and seems not to need formal recognition from the district government.

The size of the adat territory in Kajang Dalam is approximately 25 hectares. The territory is called rambbang seppang. This already includes 2 hectares of the Amma Toa’s land, and the rest is divided into 4 villages; Tana Toa, Malleleng, Bonto Baji, and Batu Nilamung. At present there are community mapping initiatives involving AMAN SS and others to clearly indicate the wilayah adat and to support claims over this territory.

The informal borders that separate this customary territory from the rest of the Kajang Luar are respected by everyone.

If one wants to enter Kajang Dalam, for instance, permission must be requested first, and once this is obtained various protocol have to be followed, such as the removal of ones shoes and socks, the wearing of all black clothes, and so on. While the influence of modern life has started to creep into this territory, the customs of old take precedence and life still reflects the ways of the ancestors.

In the context of nature conservation, the presence of Kajang tribe in South Sulawesi Bulukumba seems to be an oasis. Harmony of life and the lives of people with nature make it sustainable. With the belief that nature is the source of life, Kajang tribe has great respect for nature. They guard the protected forest of the past until now, although they must be anti-modernization. They feel comfortable and safe with houses and villages are not electrified. Rocky road, a house made ??of wood, bamboo, and thatched roofs, and even around the village is by foot.

One Day Tour to Kajang Amma Toa Village :
Itinerary:
08.00 Am : After breakfast, leave your hotel and we will take you on driving to Amma Toa village of Kajang Tribe, This drive will take you approx 2.5 hours through the countryside of the Buginese of Konjos.

10.30 Am : Arrive in Amma Toa gate, If you are Black T’shirt, please wear or we have to rent a Black sarong from the local. Explore the village and also see some of the Megalithes graves of Amma Toa. If you lucky, you can also meet the Leader of the tribe.
Lunch provide on Lunch Box.

13.30 Pm : Drive back to Bira via Ara village, explore the fresh water cave of Passohara, Visiting the Mandala Ria beach.

15.30 Pm : Return to Bira and end of services.

Tour cost : Euro 40/person, min 02 person for guarantee departure.

Tour included:
- Air condition vehicle
- English speaking guide who also speak konjos
- Lunch box
- Cold mineral water
- Entrance fees
- Experience driver

Tour excluded:
- Alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks
- Tipping
- Village donation
- Any personal expenses

What to bring :
- Cash for drinks, village donation and  tipping
- Hat
- Sun glasses
- Towel
- Swimming Suits
- Suncreen

Riswan Guest House is the first accommodation built in Bira Beach of Pasir Putih, The owner Mr. Riswan speak fluent english and he will escort you during your stay in his place.

Riswan Guest House located just 100 meter from the beach front of Bira and short distance walk to all restaurant and mini markets, its quite and has excellent services as escort directly by the owner Mr. Riswan.

He will show you the area, give you a lot of information about Bira, what to do and where to go…He also can arrange the boat trip to the island of Liukang ( www.liukangisland.com ), Kambing island or even to Selayar.

The accommodation is located just next to Anda Bungalows, there is 10 rooms in total and with all standard room with private bathroom.

The island next to Bira call Liukang island has beautiful beaches and coral reefs, Riswan can arrange the boat trip to visit the island with snorkeling equipment and it cost : Rp. 500.000/boat/max 04 people

Standard Room Single    : Rp. 100.000/night
Standard Room Double    : Rp. 125.000/night

All rooms including breakfast and taxes