INDONESIA – Discovering the Tana Toraja

Departure by scheduled flight from Milan Malpensa.

The trip starts from the airport or your hotel in Makassar. Meet with your guide and driver and start the journey veros the Toraja Plateau. En route you visit Rammang – Rammang by sailing a small local boat on the Pute River from which you can admire the incredible view of the karst stone split by the river. Time at leisure for a walk among the rice fields until you reach a small local village qiasi hidden among the giant karst formations and which holds stories, culture and traditions typical of prehistoric times. Lunch in Pare – Pare at a local restaurant. Pare Pare is small port town with a warm atmosphere and beautiful panoramic views. In the afternoon short stop at Bambapuang Mountain for a coffee/tea break. This mountain is commonly called Erotic Mountain by locals, upon arrival you will understand why. Arrive in the evening in Toraja, check into the hotel and have dinner at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel and depart around 9 a.m. to explore the southern part of Tana Toraja. First stop Tongkonan Papa Batu in Rembon, one of the oldest, most unique and mystical Tongkonan in the country, where to enter you must knock three times with your head on the wooden pillar. Inside this Tongkonan is a sacred buffalo skull that locals believe can

healing diseases or curses. From here we start a short trek by walking the 1,000 steps made by Dutch soldiers during the colonial period.We will visit Rambon where the only Tau Tau craft center with bones resides. Tau Tau are figurines that are placed outside the tamba to commemorate the features of the deceased. Lunch at a local restaurant surrounded by green rice fields. Later visit some cultivation in Kote. On the way back to the hotel stop at Londa, a mystical area rich in culture and history. Here a natural cave has always been used by locals as a burial place. In fact, inside the cave it is possible to see all the boxes where the deceased are buried, each one surrounded by offerings and gifts brought by family members. Return to the hotel at about 4 p.m. and after some time to rest, dinner at a local restaurant in town.

Breakfast at the hotel and depart around 9 a.m. to explore the northern part of Tana Toraja. First we visit Kete Kesu, a traditional Torajan village nestled in verdant rice fields and famous for woodworking. It is possible to admire the quirky typical houses built completely of wood and with the roof resembling the shape of a ship’s keel. Next is Bolu Maket, where the iconic animals of the Toraja are sold and bought every day: buffalo. Don’t miss the opportunity to buy some excellent local products such as Toraja coffee and the famous Lada kattokon (Toraja chili). Then continue to Lo’ko Mata, a huge square-shaped rock that locals use as a burial site by digging graves directly into the rock with a small chisel. You will feel like you are on a movie set given the peculiarity of the setting and the suggestion given by these man-made creations that seem almost unreal. From here you leave for a short trek to Battutumonga. Along the way there are splendid views of rice fields, mountains and local villages. Arrive in Battutumonga de lunch at a local restaurant with beautiful views of the town of Rantepao and its surroundings. After lunch visit To’ Barana, the main center of production of typical Toraja clothes. Here you can see

how the famous Ikats are made using the traditional method that has always been handed down for generations. We then continue to the traditional Rantepao market where you can buy some souvenirs to take home such as traditional bamboo musical instruments, Toraja wooden objects of all shapes and sizes, authentic Toraja clothing and more. Before returning to the hotel, stop at the Toraja Coffee House for some excellent Toraja coffee. Return to the hotel around 4:30 pm. After a few hours of relaxation, dinner at a local restaurant in town and free program. On this day, if the situation permits and there is a chance, you may have the opportunity to attend a funeral ritual. Not all families accept visitors so rely on the experience of your guide who may be able to get you invited to a local funeral. At this point dress appropriately following your guide’s suggestions, bring gifts for the family and enjoy this unique and unforgettable experience.

Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Depart in the direction of Lake Tempe, where the Bugis fishing community lives. This is the only tribe in Sulawesi that lives on fully floating houses. Time at leisure to connect with the locals and observe their lifestyle that has always been closely linked to the water and the lake. The area is inhabited by numerous species of birds and other aquatic animals with which the people have always coexisted peacefully. During the visit there is the opportunity to spend some time with the fishermen enjoying their hospitality and kindness by sharing tea with them. A very enriching experience: meeting an ethnic group still deeply to their own rituals and a way of life still untouched by the arrival of modernity. At the end of this unforgettable day check in hotle and utome free time for some rest

Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Sengkang is famous for being one of the most silk-rich places in Indonesia where beautiful sarongs and other silk garments are produced. After breakfast we visit a completely artisanal silk processing center where, the women who work there, follow very old processing techniques handed down from mother to daughter. A word of advice: on the way to Bira there is a chance to visit Kajang, a village that has given up any kind of technology to live in complete isolation and practically like in the Middle Ages. They are not always willing to accommodate tourists but it does no harm to try. Access to the village is only possible if you are dressed completely in black and without shoes. At the end of this experience arrival in Bira and accommodation in the hotel.

Day dedicated to the beautiful sea of South Sulawesi. Boat excursion to nearby Liukang Island to snorkel and enjoy the snow-white beach or a dip in the ocean to admire some of the most intact seafloor on the planet. Lunch on the beach. Afternoon free to enjoy the island. Toward evening return to Bira.

Day back to Makassar with several stops to see the pinisi shipyards, characteristic wooden boats that are built completely artisanally, or to admire how the people of the South Sulawesi coast extract salt from the ocean waters.

Departure by flight to return to Italy.

Arrival in Italy.

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