Tana Toraja - A Mountain Paradise

Travel Information about Tana Toraja -  A Mountain Paradise

Tana Toraja is known as " The land of kings" or some people in southern region of South Celebes called people from north highland.  Tana Toraja  lies about 328 km north of Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi Province,  in the central highlands of South Sulawesi  ( see the  map).  At 300 to 2880 meters above sea level, Tana Toraja combines tropical lushness with alpine freshness.  Daily temperature of  16 degrees celcius to 28 degrees celcius  promotes rest and recuperation.

Bright green rice terraces, tall limestone outcrops and bamboo graves are set against a backdrop of blue misty mountains.  Traditional Tongkonan houses stand proudly in   this setting.  These intricately decorated houses with upward-sloping roofs are the center  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 a week or more-funeral ceremonies.  Tana Toraja's beauty is also reflected in its people.  Although they are devoutly Christian ( there are small number of Moslems especially in the southern area), they combine this religious belief with magic and mysticism.  Secure in their ethnic identity, they welcome visitors to witness their ceremonies.

Tana toraja is a sleepy rural region cultivating rice, cacao, coffee, and clove most of the year.  Toraja's arabica coffee is known as one of the best in the world.  These all change 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 resort for national and international visitors.

Although Rantepao and Makale are crowded, Tana Toraja is sparsely populated.  However, the population at most of remote areas reveals village that lack of young men.  They have gone to Kalimantan, Java, papua, Malaysia or other areas in searching of works or continuing their studies.  The resultant incoming wealth combined with fertile rice fields and profitable coffee make Tana Toraja a fairly prosperous  area.  The wealth may be  used to pay for cultural ceremonies where as many as hundreds of buffaloes and pigs mught be slaughtered and thousands of people are fed.

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

The Geographical and Administrative Description of Tana Toraja

The area of Tana Toraja geographically lies in the central mountain of South Sulawesi.  This area has 3.205,77 km2  wide or about 5 % of  the whole area of South Sulawesi.    

Administratively,  since November  2008, Tana Toraja has become  two Regencies, those are Tana Toraja Regency and North Toraja Regency. 

TANA  TORAJA  SIGHT                                                                                                            

Tana Toraja has many things to offer to the visitors.  Fascinating historical and cultural sites are scattered throughout spectacular scenery.  Only a  few hundreds meters outside Rantepao or Makale you will find traditional Tongkonan houses, cliff burial sites, and rings of megaliths.  Throughout the year, funeral and wedding ceremonies demonstrate Toraja' unique cultural practices, although daily village life and weekly market days can be just as interesting.

The nature also offers  interesting adventure.  The landscape of Tana Toraja is suitable for any kinds of outbound activity.  Therefore, trekking, hiking, mountain climbing and rafting are good options.

There are a lot of interesting places in Tana Toraja.  Some of them has been admitted and approved officially as tourism objects.  In this page, those tourism objects can be viewed in alphabetical order as follow :