Tana Toraja

In the land of the Toraja people, many people are notionally Christian, but most are, in practice, animist. They are above all famed for their spectacular (and rather gruesome) burial rites. After a person's death, the body is kept — often for several months or even years — while money is saved to pay for the actual funeral ceremony, known as tomate. During the festival, which may last up to a week, ritual dances and buffalo fights are held, and buffaloes and pigs are slaughtered to ferry the soul of the deceased to the afterlife (puya). The deceased is then finally buried either in a small cave, often with a tau-tau effigy placed in front, inside a hollow tree or even left exposed to the elements in a bamboo frame hanging from a cliff.

Tana Toraja has unique culture set in stunning scenery. Globalisation and tourism may have impact, but if you venture away from the tarmac roads you will find soon a way of life that may seem to a visitor as if it has not changed much in the last 100 years.

Traditional Tongkonan houses stand proudly in this setting. These intricately decorated houses with upward-sloping roofs are the centre of all Aluktodolo (Torajan religion before the coming of missionaries; the ancestors' belief) rites; from storing the harvest in the carved rice barns, "alang", to slaughtering sacred water buffaloes at funeral ceremonies that last a week or longer. Tana Toraja's beauty is also reflected in its people. Although they are mostly devoutly Christian (there is a small number of Muslims especially in the southern area), they combine this religious belief with magic and mysticism, and welcome visitors to witness their ceremonies.

Tana Toraja is a sleepy rural region cultivating rice, cacao, coffee, and cloves most of the year. Toraja's arabica coffee carries a high reputation and is something that visitors may be interested in trying. During the dry season, from June until September, when children are home from school, the rice is harvested and it's time for a "rambu solo'", a complex funeral ceremony of the ancestors. During the time, Rantepao is transformed into a major tourist attraction for national and international visitors. Nevertheless, the region remains far less touristy than many other tourist spots in Indonesia (such as many places in Java or Bali), perhaps due to the relatively long way to come until there (which includes at least 10 hours of transportation from Makassar).

At 300 to 2,880 metres above sea level, Tana Toraja combines tropical lushness with alpine freshness, with daily temperatures between 16 and 28 degrees Celsius.

Bright green rice terraces, tall limestone outcrops and bamboo graves are set against a backdrop of blue misty mountains.

Toraja is in the UTC+8 time zone (known in Indonesia as WITA, Waktu Indonesia Tengah), same as Western Australia, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, mainland China, Bali but one hour ahead of Jakarta.

Prime funeral season is after the harvest in July to October.

From the Hasanuddin Airport in Makassar, you can fly to Pongtiku Airport (Rantepao ^IATA) with a 900-metre runway in Tana Toraja. TransNusa airline and Trigana Air Service fly to Makassar. The flight takes about 55 minutes.

The flight could be cancelled, however, at the last minute due to aircraft maintenance or insufficient passengers.

Buntukunik Airport has a 1,900-meter runway in Tana Toraja. It is going through technical trial operation, and will be opened soon to accommodate ATR 72.

Tana Toraja is a solid 300-km, 8-to-10-hour drive from Makassar with various stops between the route to take some rest. Most companies run both a morning and an overnight bus, with various degrees of comfort.

Frequent mikrolets/bemos leave from Makassar to the Daya Bus Terminal and take about 40 minutes.

The buses from Makassar to Tana Toraja come with various levels of comfort. Routes going further north are generally slower, in poor condition and far less comfortable. The most expensive are luxury class buses with sleepers, relatively clean and comfortable.

Generally, most regular commuters between Makassar and Tana Toraja understand the importance of riding new buses with better engines. Hence the ticket prices differ not only based on the classes but also on the engines as well. Better engine means the price will be more expensive.

Famous companies that provide more comfort include:

• 🌍 Departure point of most buses (main crossing in Rantepao). (updated Jul 2016)
• 🌍 Bintang Prima. 185,000 Rp (as of 2016), departure daily at 21:30 from Makassar, and 21:30 from Rantepao, arrival 06:00-07:00 in both directions. The most expensive buses (Scania) are not very clean but offer almost a bed (including blanket and pillow, though probably not washed often). No Wi-Fi, no electricity, no toilet. The bus stops often near Makassar and near Rantepao, but none in between, so make sure you have water and food (and no need to use any toilet). (updated Jul 2016)
• 🌍 Kharisma. Advertises free Wi-Fi. (updated Jul 2016)
• 🌍 Litha & co. 200,000 Rp (as of 2016), departure daily 20:30 from Rantepao (arrival 05:00 in Makassar). Very modern (and fairly comfortable) buses. However note that the air-con temperature is incredibly low; boarding the bus in Rantepao (with an outside temperature of 18-19°) will make you feel like entering a fridge. Be sure to bring tons of warm clothes. No Wi-Fi, no electricity, no toilet. (updated Jul 2016)
• Putra Jaya, Veteran Utara No. 198 street, Makassar, ☏ +62 411 3624867, +62 851 45988883 (Makassar), +62 471 326552, +62 851 45988882 (Palopo). Their recent units have 3 classes. VIP Class with electric and massage seats, executive class with reclining seats and leg rests, and sleeping cabin with bed facilities and amenities, plus tap card to gain access to the cabin for added convenience and security. (updated Jun 2018)

A chartered car usually costs 850,000 - 1,200,000 Rp one-way from Makassar. It is possible to find one for a few hundred thousand less if you can coordinate with someone who is driving in that direction. If you plan on staying for a few days and would like the return trip as well, a driver with car should cost about 550,000 Rp per day.

Please beware that if you are planning to drive your own car, the stretch of road from Makassar, starting from Maros district area up to the town of Pare Pare is undergoing a road widening works. You may have to suddenly switch onto the opposite lane, because the lane you are on is blocked for the construction work. Be very careful and watch out for this kind of roadblock, because road signs indicating this is virtually non existent. This problem is made incredibly worse during night time by the absence of proper street light, so exercise extreme caution.

The road from the town of Enrekang to Makele (the town before Rantepao) is a stretch of unlit, small, winding, uphill road, accompanied with some fogging and drizzle at night. Along this road, you will frequently come across big buses going downhill from Makele. Gas station is few and far between, with intermittent local shops along the way. Again, these conditions make night time self driving best avoided.

There are many walks (1-3 hours) that pass by many different types of grave sites, including the most popular sites. Most can be reached by short bemo rides from Rantepao and do not require guides.

If you come to Tana Toraja during the funeral season (peak is in July and August), attending a funeral is certainly a must-do.

Funerals (entrance fee 20,000 Rp) are public events and served by public transport. Avoid offers by guides, telling you that they are private or difficult to access!

Your hotel probably will not help you to locate the funeral, claiming it is hard to find by yourself (it is not). In summer, (fake) guides might tell you that you are a lucky person because there is a funeral exactly the day you came. In fact, during the funeral season (July and August), there are funerals virtually every day except perhaps Sunday.

To go to a funeral, simply spot the pick-ups loaded with people with (more or less) black clothes, that go throughout Rantepao all day long. Just flag one down, and they will certainly be happy to have you on board.

The custom is to bring a present for the family of the deceased; most guides will tell you to bring (several packets of) cigarettes, but tea or candies for children can also do.

There is no official tourist information in Tana Toraja, but you may go to Tora Tora Primitive Art Gallery, which has a very friendly English-speaking owner who provides free maps of the area. It is on the main street in Rantepao. Beware of every offer that may look suspicious, though.

There are some restaurants in Rantepao and Makale. They serve menus of Indonesian, Chinese and Western food. Torajan specialties, such as pa'piong (chicken/pork or fish cooked with vegetables in bamboo tubes), are also available and usually must be ordered in advance (usually at least 2 hours).

See the Rantepao page for restaurants in Rantepao. Some restaurants in Makale or along the road between Rantepao and Makale:

• Wae Rumbang, Main Road to Makale, Pao Rura
• Idaman Restaurant, 28 Merdeka St. , Makale
• Rama, Main Road Makale - Rantepao
• Flamboyan, Main Road Makale - Rantepao
• Sallebayu, Ke'te kesu' st.
• Damai, Main Road Makale - Mengkendek, Makale

Local Torajan palm wine, Ballo', is easily found. Buy it on the street. The darker, the stronger but be warned, it can be very strong.

The Tana Toraja region is famed for its coffee. In your local coffee house it will cost a small fortune. Drink the real thing here for a fraction of the cost. There are many places to drink coffee (see the Rantepao listings).

Do not get fooled by the relatively more comfortable temperatures than in Makassar (the temperature hardly goes above 28°, and nights tend to be cool): the sun is dangerous here, and you will use a lot of sun screen. Also bring a pullover for outdoor evenings or nights.

It often rains in Tana Toraja, even during the "dry season", and much more than, e.g., in Makassar. As a rule of thumb, it tends to rain more often in the afternoon or evening than in the morning.

There is a low risk of malaria in Tana Toraja. Contact your favorite tropical doctor before departure to decide whether you need a treatment. In any case, try to avoid mosquito bites, as the region is also infected by dengue.

Avoid contact with dogs and other animals that may carry rabies.

The air quality along the main road of Rantepao (along which most touristic facilities are located) is extremely bad, and bringing an N95 mask may be of great help.

The 3G connection is overall bad (and often non-existing) in Tana Toraja. Only parts of Rantepao have 3G, the rest only getting a slow edge network. Most tourist sites (Lemo, Londa...) won't be connected to any Internet network, and sometimes not even to any phone network.

• Ambulance: 118.
• Police stations:
  • Polres Tana Toraja, Jl. Bhayangkara, Makale. Tel: +62 423 22100
  • Polsek Rantepao, Jl. Budi Utomo, Rantepao. Tel: +62 423 21358
• Army Headquarter:
  • Kodim 1414 Tana Toraja, Jl. Pong Tiku, Rantepao. Tel: +62 423 21255

Hospitals:

• Lakipadada Hospital, Jl. Poros Makale - Rantepao, ☏ +62 423 22118, +62 423 22023, +62 423 22264. 
• Fatimah Hospital, Jl. Nusantara, ☏ +62 423 22058. 
• Elim Hospital, Jl.Jend. Ahmad Yani, ☏ +62 423 21258. 
• Marampa' Childbirth Hospital (RS Santa Teresa Marampa), Jl. A.Mappanyukki, ☏ +62 423 21036. 

The hospital is fairly serviceable by developing world standards, however, for serious problems you should return to Makassar. For more serious problems, head immediately to Singapore or Australia.