SULAWESI TOURS

Home The Stunning Taka Bonerate National Park Stretching south of the main island of Sulawesi into the Flores Sea, the  Taka Bonerate National Park  in the Selayar Regency is a dominantly rich marine park, but it is also habitat to a number of bird species from land birds to coastal and sea birds that frolic on the many sand dunes. Image source: shutterstock The Island of Selayar  is the gateway to this extensive 530,765 hectares national park, of which 220,000 hectares form an expanse of atolls and lagoons. Taka Bonerate is the third largest atoll region in the world after Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands and Suvadiva in the Maldives. Image source: https://id.wikipedia.org Taka Bonerate, together with  Wakatobi , Ambon , Banda and  Raja Ampat ,  together with  Bunaken as well as the  Derawan islands in Kalimantan, are at the heart of the Coral Triangle which stretches from the Solomon Islands in the east, t...

Home Located at the most southern end of  South Sulawesi , this quiet and now isolated  island of Selayar , with its swathes of pristine white sand beaches and crystal clear tropical waters used to have an illustrious past. Ancient Javanese writings in the  Nagara Kertagama  mention that in the 14th century there was already a thriving kingdom on Selayar. This pre-Islamic kingdom seemed to have been a hub of trade, visited by merchants from China, the Philippines and Thailand, having left evidence of its existence in the many precious artifacts excavated here. Most notable is the beautiful  Dongson Kettledrum, the largest in the world,  that is said to be 2,000 years old dating back to the Bronze Age. Other artifacts include delicate Chinese and Sawankholok (Thai) porcelain, which were found in abundance on the island. Islam seems to have entered Selayar in the 16th century spread by followers of the Sultan of  Ternate , in Maluku. In...

Home When sailing in the Indonesian seas one invariably meets one of these majestic traditional schooners at full sail. These are the Bugis pinisi, - or sometimes written phinisi - that have for centuries plied these waters journeying as far away as Malacca, Burma, Vietnam and Australia. Today one can see these large traditional boats at anchor along the Sunda Kelapa harbor in Jakarta and at the Ujung wharf of Surabaya unloading timber from Kalimantan, or at the Paotere harbor in Makassar, South Sulawesi, or even at the small port of Labuan Bajo on Flores. The Bugis together with the Mandar, both of South Sulawesi, are master shipbuilders and superb mariners. These pinisi boats have carried the Bugis far across the archipelago and many have further settled on Java, Kalimantan, Sumatra, Papua, and the Nusatenggara islands. The Bugis were not only respected as master seafarers but were also greatly feared as pirates. In the 18th century when the Dutch colonized their homelan...

Home When approximate amounts of funds have been pledged by members of the family of the deceased Don or patriarch to ascertain that a funeral ceremony can be held, a meeting is gathered in the village attended by all family members, traditional aluk leaders and village heads to discuss details of the funeral ceremony, funds required, the minimum number of buffaloes to be slaughtered, -  for guests may run into the thousands, - and most importantly, the actual date of the funeral. All know that funerals may take place only after the harvest and before the first sowing of the rice seeds, which normally falls between July and September.      Toraja Funeral Ceremonies are not only sad events, but are occasions for entire families to gather from around the globe, and for villagers to participate in communal events, renewing relationships and reconfirming beliefs and traditions in the way of the ancestors. In preparation of the Funeral Ceremony, villagers a...

Home According to myth, the original ancestor of the Toraja came down from heaven by way of a star-lit stairway to live in this beautiful part of earth.  This myth, told from generation to generation continues until today where the people of Toraja believe that the star- lit stairway down from heaven is a  media for people on earth to communicate with Puang Matua (The Only One True God). The name Toraja was first given by the Bugis Sidenreng tribe who called them  the“Riaja” ("The people inhabiting the upper part of the mountains").While  the people of Luwu called them,“Riajang” (or "people inhabiting the west"). Another version says that ‘Toraya’ is coined from the word To (Tau= meaning people), and Raya (comes from the word Maraya = great). The two words together mean “great people”, or the nobility. Eventually, the term morphed into Toraja. The word “Tana” means land. Therefore Tana Toraja means the Land of the Nobility.   In social life, the Toraj...

Home Located at the most southern tip of South Sulawesi’s peninsula, 153 kilometers south of Makassar, lies the district of  Bulukumba  , holding hidden marvels in its pristine beaches, underwater gardens, and   unique maritime culture. The district is also known as Butta Panrita Lopi or ‘the land of the phinisi schooners” for its long tradition in building these majestic crafts, the pride of the Bugis people. According to the ancient  I La Galigo  manuscript , phinisi schooners have been built since the 14 th century. These  schooners are mostly crafted  in the area called  Tanah Beru , located about 23 kilometers from the capital of Bulukumba, or 176 kilometers from Makassar. Along the shores of  Tanah Beru , you will see tens of dry-docks where phinisi schooners are in various stages of construction. Here the skillful hands of the Bugis with amazing precision, carefully craft the Phinisi that has become the icon of In...

Home In 1857, leading British naturalist, Alfred Russell Wallace discovered wonders beyond his imagination as he travelled into the interior of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. He found himself surrounded by thousands of enchanting butterflies of various sizes and colors.  Fascinated by the scene, he dubbed the area “the Kingdom of Butterflies” and later spent most of his life in this region to enjoy and examine the 150 species of butterflies not found elsewhere. Today the area is known as the Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park, which is not only the scene of butterflies but also of magnificent caves and a stunning waterfall. Located in the Maros regency in the province of South Sulawesi, the Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park is a mere 50Km from Makassar   or 20Km from the Sultan Hasanuddin international airport. The Bantimurung National Park has a total area of approximately 43,750 hectares and is divided into three major types of ecosystems, namely the k...

Home Fronting the city of Makassar are a cluster of islands basking in the sun, numbering 55 in all, some large, while others are merely sand bars that disappear at high tide. This cluster of islands is known as the Spermonde Archipelago, but locals  know them only by their individual names. The islands nearest to Makassar, such as Lae-lae and Kayangan, can be reached within 15 minutes by speedboat and are popular weekend getaway resorts, others have fishing villages, while the furthest away such as Kapuposang island, immediately face the deep sea and are therefore ideal for diving and snorkeling. Best time to visit the islands is during the east-monsoon which is between May through September. This is also the perfect time to go sailing around the islands. The island of Kayangan  is about 2 km from the city facing the harbor and is filled with simple restaurants and has rooms for rent. While Lae-Lae is situated some 1.5 km. from town and is the closest ...

Home Safely protected beyond the lofty mountains and rugged granite cliffs of the central highlands of the island of Sulawesi, are the Torajan People  who live in valleys that are lush with green rice terraces and fertile coffee plantations. "Discovered" and opened to the world from their long isolation only since the beginning of the last century, the Toraja today still adhere to their age-old beliefs, rituals and traditions, although many of her people are modernized or have embraced Christianity. When one travels to the Tana Toraja highlands, therefore, expect to be awed by the spectacular beauty of nature, at the same time experience how communities have through the ages sustained their beliefs and traditions in splendid isolation in order to survive this eternal cycle of life and death on earth. The road from Makassar to Toraja runs along the coast for about 130 km's and then hits the mountains. After the entrance to Tana Toraja at the...

Home Standing majestically at the western coast of Makassar, Fort Rotterdam is recognized as the city’s most iconic landmark. With historical traces dating back to the Kingom of Gowa from the 16 th th century to colonization by the Dutch, this Fort has silently witnessed many episodes in Makassar’s history, playing a most essential role in its development. Its magnificence and authenticity has always captivated those who set eyes on it. A journalist from New York Times, Barbara Crossette even described it as “the best preserved Dutch Fort in Asia”. Originally called  Benteng  or Fort Jumpandang or Ujung Pandang, the huge complex was first built in 1545 in the era of Imanrigau Daeng Bonto Karaeng Lakiung or Karaeng Tunipalangga Ulaweng, the tenth King of Gowa. Initially, the fort was made from a mixture of Stone and burnt clay, and took the shape of a typical square Portuguese architectural style. During the reign of Sultan Alau...

Home Formerly called Ujung Pandang, the city of Makassar is the largest city in east Indonesia. Capital of South Sulawesi, Makassar enjoys a central location in the Indonesian archipelago and today Makassar is Indonesia’s busy air hub, connecting Sumatra, Java, Bali and Kalimantan in the west with Sulawesi, the Moluccas and Papua in the east.  In fact,  ever since the 14th. century Makassar was already known as a thriving sea port where merchant vessels from far away China, India and Cambodia called regularly to trade in silks, tea and porcelain in exchange for cloves, nutmeg and pearls from the Moluccas and gold and forest products from Makassar and its hinterland.  And when in the 16th century the Europeans discovered the sailing route to the coveted Spice Islands, the Spanish and Portuguese made Makassar their important entrepot to store valuable spices before shipment to Europe.   Meanwhile, in this southern peninsula of Sulawesi, the Bugis, Makassar and...