Where is sulawesi indonesia

Rantepao stretches for 1km along the eastern bank of the Sadan. The central crossroads is marked by a miniature tongkonan on a pedestal: north from here is Jalan Mappanyuki, a short run of souvenir shops, bus agents and restaurants; Jalan Ahmad Yani points south towards Makale before becoming Jalan Pong Tiku; east is Jalan Diponegoro and the Palopo road; while westerly Jalan Landorundun leads to the riverside past a small fresh-produce market. You can walk there in half an hour by following Jalan Mappanyuki over the river, passing a few impressive tongkonan before crossing the river again to the market.

Anthropologists place Torajan origins as part of the Bronze Age exodus from Vietnam; Torajans say that their ancestors descended from heaven by way of a stone staircase, which was later angrily smashed by the creator Puang Matua after his laws were broken. These laws became the root of aluk todolo, the way of the ancestors.

Only a fraction of Torajans now follow the old religion, the strict practice of which was prohibited after head-hunting and raunchy life-rites proved unacceptable to colonial and nationalist administrations.

Torajans are masters at promoting their culture, positively encouraging outsiders to experience their way of life. Ceremonies are divided into rambu tuka, or smoke ascending associated with the east and life , and rambu solo, smoke descending west and death. A typical rambu tuka ceremony is the dedication of a new tongkonan. The biggest of all Torajan ceremonies are funerals, the epitome of a rambu solo occasion.

Held over several days, it starts with the parading of the oval coffin. The next day, the major sacrifice takes place: the nobility must sacrifice at least 24 buffalo, with one hundred needed to see a high-ranking chieftain on his way.

Their horns decorated with gold braid and ribbons, the buffalo are tied to posts and their throats slit, the blood caught in bamboo tubes and used in cooking. Finally, the coffin is laid to rest in a west-oriented house-grave or rock-face mausoleum, with a tau-tau, a life-sized wooden effigy of the deceased, positioned in a nearby gallery facing outwards, and — for the highest-ranking nobles — a megalith raised in the village ground.

To visit a ceremony outsiders should really have an invitation, via a guide. You are highly unlikely to be the only foreigner attending; snap-happy tourists are part of the scenery, with each sacrifice a photographic feeding-frenzy. Make sure you take a gift for your hosts — a carton of cigarettes, or a jerry can of balok — and hand it over when they invite you to sit down with them.

Do not sit down uninvited; dress modestly and wear dark clothing for funerals — a black T-shirt with blue jeans is perfectly acceptable, as are thong sandals. Planning to travel here? Go tailor-made! Sulawesi Travel Guide Tailor-made Travel. Book your individual trip , stress-free with local travel experts.

Consider changing the search query. List is empty. Continue reading to find out more about Related tailor-made travel itineraries for Indonesia. The Togian Islands The Togian Islands form a fragmented, kilometre-long crescent across the shallow blue waters of Tomini Bay, their steep grey sides weathered into sharp ridges capped by coconut palms and hardwoods.

Some villas open out right onto the stretch of silvery-taupe sand. At Siladen, you can relax by the saltwater pool, wander the beach, kayak along the coast or take a dolphin-watching trip.

But, the real wonders are underwater. A five-star on-site PADI school covers everything from guided snorkelling sessions to advanced diving qualifications. In the ocean, the walls teem with coral. A rich collection of frothy soft coral sways in the current, interspersed with sprigs of hard coral, sea fans and sponges. On a single dive I saw reef sharks and turtles, eagle rays and a huge humphead or Napoleon wrasse that outsized me.

The sun sets behind the cone of Pulau Manadotua Volcano on the horizon and I spent my last night, cocktail in hand, watching the sky redden as a local band played behind me. Located around the headland from Bunaken Marine Park, Lembeh Resort is tucked into a private cove overlooking the Lembeh Strait, in touch with around 60 dive sites. Chatting to some of the diving staff, I heard that the average visitor to Lembeh has clocked up over dives.

Peering down at the seabed, which is relatively featureless making these macro-creatures easy to see , I spotted some crawling nudibranchs. These psychedelic sea slugs are cartoonish with their ribbons, frills and horns. Ironically, as I watched them, a whale shark came in from the deep to see what we were up to — the largest fish in the sea.

The Lembeh Resort has marine biologists on site, who train the dive guides and are on hand to help identify any unknown curiosities.

The dedicated photography and video department is overseen by a professional underwater photographer, who runs workshops to improve your skills. As many of the dive sites are relatively shallow, this is one of the best places to try muck diving as a newly qualified diver. The islands combine well together. After staying a few nights on Siladen, you can travel by boat to Lembeh, stopping for a couple of dives along the way.

Gunung Lokon and its twin, Gunung Empung, are straddled by a steaming crater. You can hike up to the crater along a dried lava flow that has created a channel down the mountain. It took me about two hours to reach the edge, clambering up this dark-grey, shiny gulley that stands out against thick, waist-high grass.

At the top, you can peer into the crater, as well as look across the surrounding landscape. The changing chemical composition of this volcanic lake shifts the water through a spectrum of shades, from deep blue to red or a Northern-Lights-glowing green.

Start thinking about your experience. These itineraries are simply suggestions for how you could enjoy some of the same experiences as our specialists. Tell us about your plans and one of our specialists will be in touch to plan a unique trip for you Trips to Tomohon usually start from Manado. Sulawesi can be visited all throughout the year. Know that you are visiting an island that lies on top of the equator, so expect hot temperatures and a humid climate.

Luckily there are enough highlands with much more pleasant temperatures. Most of the scuba diving paradises around Sulawesi offer great diving conditions all year long. However, rainy season might influence visibility and currents from November to March, but not enough to the extend of avoiding the area durnig these months.

At diving hot spots like Bunaken you have a luxurious resorts, but nothing for those that come here to really splurge. Lembeh Island also has a few very nice resorts, most of them offer great diving packages. Both Manado and Makassar have many restaurants, shopping malls and a few big luxurious hotels. Makassar is famous for its seafood restaurants.

Manado is the starting point of numerous attractions in Northern Sulawesi. Hotel prices in Manado sometimes are a bit inflated because of its strategic location near Bunaken Marine Park, a popular world class diving destination. Traveling through Sulawesi often is very basic and adventurous. It is also very cheap if you use public buses on longer routes. These buses however are not always safe, and an often heard complaint is that tourists get mugged during a overnight bus drive so always keep your valuables with you.

Domestic flights are an option too, but are not cheap compared to taking a bus. For shorter distances you can use a taxi, do know that most of the drivers do not use the meter. It depends on your bargaining skills what you will end up paying for a taxi ride. Most resorts offer tours that include transport. They also offer airport pick-ups or pick-ups at other locations.

Of course you will pay, but it saves the hassle of having to negotiate on the spot. There are numerous daily flights to Sulawesi. Main ports of entrance to Sulawesi for travelers are via its capital Makassar, via 2nd biggest city Manado and through a direct flight from Bali to Wakatobi Marine Park.

There are not that many international flights to Makassar and Manado. Travelers usually fly to Jakarta and take a flight to Sulawesi from there. From here there are numerous Indonesian airlines that serve destinations within Sulawesi.