Lonely Planet Indonesia

by Lonely Planet

  NanggalaVILLAGE

  This village has a particularly grandiose traditional house and an impressive fleet of 14 rice barns. The rice barns have a bizarre array of motifs carved into them, including depictions of soldiers with guns, Western women and cars. Keep an eye out for a colony of huge black bats hanging from trees at the end of the village. It's about 16km southeast of Rantepao; take a bemo (6000Rp) from Terminal Bolu.

  2Activities

  From Nanggala you can walk south to Paniki, a tough hike (about 7.5km, five hours) along a dirt track up and down the hills. The trail starts next to the rice barns, and along the way are coffee-plantation machines grinding away. From Paniki walk (two hours) to Ledo and Buntao (15km from Rantepao), which has some house graves and tau tau. Alternatively, catch a bemo from Paniki to Rantepao. About 2km from Buntao is Tembamba, which has more graves and is noted for its fine scenery. Regular bemos run from Paniki via Tembamba back to Rantepao

  East of Makale

  This area is pretty far away from the tourist heartland, which means less crowds, and there are two very intriguing sights: the graves at Tampangallo and Kambira.

  1Sights

  oTampangalloGRAVE

  Tampangallo's tau tau are some of the most impressive in Tana Toraja. Take a Kijang from Makale to Sangalla; get off about 1km after the turn-off to Suaya, and walk a short distance (less than 1km) through the rice fields to Tampangallo. The approach, following a small stream and rice paddies is beautiful. You'll be greeted with a pile of skulls by the entrance.

  The graves belong to the chiefs of Sangalla, descendants of the mythical divine being Tamborolangiq, who is believed to have introduced the caste system and death rituals into Torajan society.

  Kambira Baby GravesGRAVE

  Torajans traditionally bury babies in trees and this is one of the biggest of such graves in the region, holding around 20 deceased infants. By Torajan definition a baby is a child who hasn't yet grown teeth. The site is a shady, tranquil spot. The babies' bodies are buried upright and the belief is that they will continue to grow with the tree. Kambira is 1km south of Sangalla and served by Kijang from Makale.

  GETTING TO THE TOGEAN ISLANDS FROM TANA TORAJA

  Many visitors want to get from Tana Toraja to the Togean Islands, and fast. Unfortunately, this is Sulawesi, and fast doesn't translate well along the winding, narrow mountain roads. Here are your options:

  Cheapest but longest Bus to Tentena; overnight or longer in Tentena; bus to Ampana; overnight in Ampana; ferry to Togean Islands. Total time: about three days.

  Quicker but tough-going Bus to Poso; minibus from Poso to Ampana; ferry to Togeans. Total time: two to 2½ days.

  Most comfortable and quickest Luxury overnight bus to Makassar; flight to Gorontalo; evening ferry to Togeans. Total time: 1½ days.

  There are numerous other possibilities including back-tracking to Makassar and flying to Poso or Luwuk and then travelling overland to Ampana for the ferry.

  The price for a private air-conditioned car to drive from Rantepao to Ampana, with an overnight break in Tentena, is about 2,200,000Rp. Sharing a car can be a great option, allowing you to stop as you wish for photographs and meals.

  Any method is tiring, however, and will ultimately leave you happy to have a beach to lie on for a few days.

  West Sulawesi

  Mamasa Valley

  An area of outstanding natural beauty in Sulawesi, the Mamasa Valley offers wonderful highland scenery and deep tribal traditions. Unfortunately it's notoriously tough to get to; the boulder-rich, mud-bound road links from nearby Tana Toraja deter most visitors.

  Culturally there are both similarities and differences with neighbouring Toraja country. Torajan-style ceremonies survive in the Mamasa Valley; these are generally far less ostentatious affairs than Mamasan. Like Torajan traditional houses, Mamasan tongkonan have long extended roof overhangs and their exteriors are carved with animal and human motifs.

  Mamasans have embraced Christianity with unfettered enthusiasm: choir groups regularly meet up and down the valley. Sambu weaving is a craft that still thrives: these long strips of heavy woven material are stitched together to make blankets, which provide ideal insulation against the cold mountain nights, and are sold by many villagers.

  The best way to explore the valley is on foot. Trails tend to follow ridges, giving hikers stunning views of the mountainous countryside. There are few roads, and many paths to choose from, so you’ll need to constantly ask directions or hire a guide.

  Mamasa

  Mamasa is the only real town in the valley. The air is cool and clean; the folk are hospitable; and the rhythm of life has a languid pace. Market day is Monday, when hill people trade their produce and the streets are filled with colour and bustle.

  Mamasa

  4Sleeping

  1Guest House Gereja TorajaC1

  2Mantana Lodge 2A3

  3Ramayana InnC1

  4Wisma Tongkonan MamasaB2

  5Eating

  5Dian Satria RestaurantA3

  2Activities

  The trek between Mamasa and Bittuang is a classic and there are a few ways to do it. The easiest route to follow is the Kijang road from Mamasa, stopping in Timbaan the first night (23km from Mamasa, about eight hours walking), continuing to Paku the next (20km, about six hours), then heading to Bittuang the following morning (16km, about three hours). Alternatively you can take a quieter footpath though the jungle from Tandiallo, a few kilometres north of Mamasa, via Sóbok and Minanga to stay the first night in Kelama (about eight hours walking). The following night you can make it to Ponding, via Buka, Mawai and Tandung (eight hours) then continue on the main Kijang road to Bittuang the next day (about four hours). Both options take three days if you walk the whole way.

  A third option takes in Salurea and Bulo Sandana, but takes four days to complete.

  You can also trek between Mamasa and Rantepao, but be prepared to seriously rough it. The trek takes you through remote villages, coffee plantations and plenty of big mountain scenery. You'll start to see traditional Toraja boat-roofed architecture near Ponding, when you're officially on Tana Toraja land. Toilets along the way can be little more than a plank over a stream; a bed means a quilt on a hard floor; and you'll have absolutely no privacy (bring sarongs for showering). Half the village children will follow you with laughter and good-natured conversation. Losmen (budget accommodation; often unmarked so you'll have to ask around) along the way charge from 100,000Rp to 125,000Rp per person, which includes a simple breakfast and dinner. For lunch, ask around; someone will surely offer to make you a meal for around 25,000Rp. Bring plenty of water and/or a water filter (some boiled water is available at losmen) and warm clothes. The main route is straighforward to follow; a guide isn't necessary. You could consider shipping your gear to Rantepao by bus to lighten your load.

  4Sleeping & Eating

  Wisma Tongkonan MamasaGUESTHOUSE$

  ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0813 5543 6663, 0813 1919 5535; Jl Demmajannang; r 170,000-220,000Rp)

  One of best places in town, Wisma Tongkonan Mamasa's spacious rooms have en-suite bathrooms, and there's a family feel thanks to the china cups on the table waiting for tea. Serves excellent home-cooked food (meals cost from 20,000Rp to 30,000Rp).

  Ramayana InnGUESTHOUSE$

  ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0854 204 0478; just off Jl Buntu Budi, Kampung Baru Mamasa; r from 150,000Rp)

  This venerable place has been hosting travellers for years and remains a decent option, with two floors of spacious rooms in an attractive building decorated with Mamasa-style carvings. Also known as Mamasa Guest House.

  Guest House Gereja TorajaGUESTHOUSE$

  (Church Guesthouse; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0813 5581 9752; Jl Demmatande 182; r 100,000-130,000Rp)

  There are five basic rooms here in this simple wooden house surrounded by a wild garden. The more expensive ones have terraces. Little English is spoken.

  Mantana Lodge 2CABIN$$

  ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0
852 4261 1875; Jl Poros Polowi; cabins incl breakfast 320,000Rp; W)

  On a little hill above the main road, these big double-occupancy polished pine cabins have hot-water bathrooms and pleasant terraces. They are clean and relatively comfy, but you may get local kids climbing on your roof in the morning to get a look at you. Breakfasts are very basic.

  Dian Satria RestaurantINDONESIAN$

  ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Poros Polowi; meals 20,000-30,000Rp; h7am-9.30pm)

  A welcoming, atmospheric place serving generous portions of noodle and rice dishes, and cold beer. At night you may get serenaded by the local ladyboys who sing (very pro) karaoke.

  8Getting There & Away

  Bus

  Daily buses leave Rantepao for Mamasa at 8am (via Makale) and from Mamasa for Rantepao at the same time. The fare is 135,000Rp and it takes around 12 long, bumpy hours.

  From Makassar, two daily buses leave Terminal Daya for Mamasa (130,000Rp, 12 hours) at 8am and 8.30am; four minibuses (115,000Rp) also depart in the morning between 6.30am and 9am. You can also travel via Polewali (65,000Rp, six hours) at other times, and connect by shared Kijang (70,000Rp, five hours) to Mamasa.

  Kijang

  It's possible to take local transport between Mamasa and Rantepao via Bittuang – at least during the dry season – but it's rough going, requiring lots of transfers, and you'll probably have to stay overnight at least once along the way.

  Kijangs leave Mamasa for Ponding daily at 10am (50,000Rp, three hours) and then head from Ponding to Bittuang the following day at 9am (50,000Rp, two to three hours). From Bittuang there are Kijangs to Makale (25,000Rp, one hour), where you can catch a bemo to Rantepao.

  In the other direction, bemos head from Rantepao to Bittuang; Kijangs leave from Bittuang to Ponding daily at 9am and from Ponding to Mamasa the following day at 9am. Other vehicles, including motorbike drivers, also tackle this road and offer rides for the same price as the Kijang drivers.

  Around Mamasa

  The countryside surrounding Mamasa is strikingly beautiful. You can hire motorbikes around town for around 80,000Rp per day, or charter a bemo for about 250,000Rp. But note that footpaths and very slender suspension bridges offer the only access to most villages.

  Many places are easy to reach from Mamasa, but take warm clothes and gifts for your hosts if you plan to stay overnight: condensed milk, chocolate, sugar, kretek (Indonesian clove cigarettes) and other goods from town are appreciated.

  North of Mamasa

  Rante Buda (4km from central Mamasa), has an impressive 25m-long tongkonan building known as Banua Layuk (High House), an old chief’s place with colourful motifs. This tongkonan is one of the oldest and best preserved in the valley, built about 300 years ago for the chief of Rambusaratu, one of five local leaders. To visit, a donation of about 5000Rp is expected.

  Kole (3km from Mamasa) has hot springs, tapped for the guests at its Mamasa Cottages. Loko (4km) is a traditional village with old houses, set in the jungle. The only way there is to hike via Kole or Tondok Bakaru. Hardy hikers can continue from Loko up the steep hill to Mambulilin Sarambu (Mambulilin Waterfall), and on to the peak of Gunung Mambulilin (9km). Taupe (5km) is a traditional village with jungle walks and panoramic views.

  South of Mamasa

  Rante Sopang (12km from central Mamasa) is a busy centre for weaving and retailing crafts. The path up the hill from the roadside craft shop leads to a few workshops, where women weave long strips of heavy cloth for Mamasa’s distinctive, colourful blankets.

  Osango (3km from Mamasa) is the site of tedong-tedong (tiny structures over graves that look like houses), which are supposedly up to 200 years old. There are lots of paths and the village is very spread out, so you may find that you’ll need to ask for directions along the way. Mesa Kada (2km) are hot springs that are suitable for a swim.

  In Tanete (8km) you'll find mountain graves under a cave. Both Tanete and nearby Taibassi are also centres for traditional weaving and carving. Rante Balla (12km) has big, beautiful tongkonan and woven blankets and baskets.

  Buntu Balla (15km from central Mamasa) has beautiful views, traditional weaving and tedong-tedong burial sites. Close to Buntu Balla there’s a waterfall at Allodio, a traditional village at Balla Peu, megalithic remains at Manta and views along the whole valley from Mussa. Further south, Malabo (18km) has tedong-tedong burial sites.

  Southeast of Mamasa, Orobua (9km) has a fine old tongkonan; it's one of the best in the area. There are more sweeping views to find from Paladan further south.

  Central Sulawesi

  Almost abandoned by tourism during and after a period of religious violence spanning eight years, Central Sulawesi is now back on the itinerary for travellers moving between the Togean Islands and Tana Toraja. Settlements on the vast lake of Danau Poso are an ideal place to break up a long bus ride, but there’s much, much more to this province that’s simply begging to be explored.

  Tranquil Tentena is the easiest place to arrange treks into the Lore Lindu National Park, which is filled with mysterious megaliths and has a wildlife-rich jungle. Those with lots of time and a nose for anthropology should head to the adventurous Morowali Nature Reserve to seek out the Wana people. Divers and beach bums can laze around on the white sands of Tanjung Karang near Palu.

  While some tensions remain in the region, and it's important to check the current situation, by late 2015 the region was largely calm, and things have been stable for some years. Indeed travellers are visiting Central Sulawesi in increasing numbers, with improved flight connections to all the airports of the region: Poso, Palu, Luwuk and Ampana.

  History

  Undated remains from a cave near Kolonedale indicate a long history of human settlement. The most spectacular prehistoric remains are the Bronze Age megaliths found throughout Central Sulawesi, but no one knows who was responsible for their creation. The highest concentration of these is along Sungai Lariang in the Bada Valley, and there are others throughout the region, down to Tana Toraja in South Sulawesi.

  Between 1998 and 2006 this area was a hotbed for religious violence.

  CENTRAL SULAWESI’S TROUBLED PAST

  It’s been pretty quiet in Central Sulawesi for the last decade, but the region was torn apart by Christian versus Muslim violence following the fall of President Suharto.

  The big trouble began in 1998 when a drunken brawl between Christian and Muslim youths sparked clan fighting in Poso. By 2000 paramilitary groups called the Red Force (backing the Christians) and the Laskar Jihad (backing the Muslims) were engaged in full warfare against each other, armed with machetes and bows and arrows, as well as homemade bombs and artillery. Christians grouped in predominantly Christian Tentena, while Muslims stood their ground in Poso and Palu. The Indonesian government intervened in 2001 by organising the Malino Peace Treaty, signed in 2002 by both sides, which produced a decline in the violence but did not stop it. By the end of 2006, more than 1000 people had been killed, 60,000 had fled their homes, markets had been bombed and children beheaded. Tourists were never targets but the region was, for obvious reasons, best avoided.

  It’s still debated as to what caused these communities to start fighting each other after generations of living peacefully together. Some analysts believe this was just another arm in the fighting that had been going on between Muslim and Christian communities in the Maluku Islands. It's clear that an influx of Muslim immigrants from Java, under the transmigration program, abruptly shifted the balance of power in the region, creating tensions. But probably the biggest factors were the power vacuum resulting from Suharto's fall and the incendiary impact of extremist militias.

  Today locals chat easily about this dark time and about how happy they are it’s over. As one Poso Muslim told us, ‘Nowadays I go on vacation to Tentena but before I was afraid I’d get killed if I even went near there.’

  Pendolo

  Pendolo is a dusty, sparse strip of a village right on the southern shore of Danau Poso. There’s not much going on here
beyond swimming at some of the area’s surprisingly lovely white-sand beaches. It’s this calm as well as the connection with the charming locals that draws in the few visitors that stop here.

  There’s a strip of decent and cheap rumah makan (restaurants or warungs) along the main road that cater to long-distance buses that stop here. Stay over at Pendolo Cottages (Jl Ahmad Yani 441; s/d bungalows 75,000/100,000Rp), right next to the boat landing about 1km east of the village centre; it's a rustic place that gets good traveller reviews on both service and ambience. Mulia Poso Lake Hotel (%0813 4227 5454; Jl Pelabuhan Wisata 1; cottages 275,000-350,000Rp) is beautifully located on a sandy beach that has good swimming, but the bungalows are dated and service is patchy.

  There are several daily buses to Tentena (24,000Rp, two hours), Poso (54,000Rp, four hours) and Rantepao (110,000Rp, eight hours) in daylight hours; locals know the exact schedule.

  Tentena

  %0458

  Tentena is a town of white picket fences and churches, cool breezes that come off the lake, and lots of wonderfully strange things to eat. Surrounded by clove-covered hills, it has an interesting market and some natural treasures to explore nearby. There are no beaches in the town itself, but it’s easy to hire a motorbike or an ojek to get to some.