Toraja Land

Why do people choose Toraja Land as a destination ?.We Spoke to many travelers while on Sulawesi (Celebes) and they all seemed to say the same things. They had come to Sulawesi (Celebes) and exploring Toraja Land because they either had heard such wonderful things from friends or relatives who had been there, Or they had visited previously themselves. What people seemed to like the best were The friendly people, the culture and the untouched beauty of Sulawesi at most.
After Bali and Java, the third most popular destination in Indonesia is Sulawesi. Sulawesi island contains a great variety of exotic people, culture and natural wonders. It is another unspoilt paradise. A journey into the strange world of mysterious Toraja People is truly a rare adventure, made especially eerie by their hauting tombs - holes carved out of sheer rock faces guarded by wooden effigies that stare out across the jungle.

Toraja Land, is known for its unique culture and ancient traditions. The center of tourism is Rantepao, 328 km from Makassar by road (about 8 hours).

The entry to Tana Toraja is marked by a gate built in traditional boat-shaped architecture. The road passes through the mountains of Kandora and Gandang on which, according to Toraja mythology, the first ancestors of celestial beings descended from heaven. The majority of the people still follows an ancestral cult called "Aluk Todolo" which governs all traditional ceremonies.

Torajan culture is a complex blend of ancestor worship and animistic beliefs where rituals for the dead are colorful festivals to pave the way for the soul's entry into the hereafter. This unique culture, the scenic beauty, cool climate and gentle people are the main reason that Toraja is gaining popularity as a tourist destination. For many visitors, Toraja will linger in their mind as a land steeped in mystery, magic and ancient traditions. It is one of the world's rare cultural treasures.
 
Symbolized in mythology as the land of heavenly kings, its boat-shaped houses face north in honor of the deities. Their traditional house called Tongkonan are related to the settlers who converted their boats into houses, and set the pattern of present-day community life. There is a belief that early settlers came by boats and converted the boats into houses. The houses are beautifully decorated with carvings and geometric designs. The number of buffalo horns hanging in front of the house indicate the status and wealth of the owner. Though Christianity and Islam have found converts here and modern trends have made inroads, traditional rituals remain strong, especially that of funeral rites.

The most spectacular of Torajan rituals are the funerals. For Torajan, a funeral is the single most important ceremony in the life cycle. It is based on a strong belief that the soul of the deceased travels to the land of the south and in this land of eternity, he will need all the requisites of everyday life in the hereafter just like when he was alive in this world. Funeral ceremonies are festival lasting as long as ten days with much feasting and entertainment. Animal sacrifices are made to ensure eternal life in the afterlife and to safeguard the descendants.
A funeral is a festive event for every member of the society. When the funeral is held by noble families then the ceremony will usually involve great fanfare. Buffaloes and pigs are sacrificed as an indication of status and as repayment for gifts received. This ceremony may take days, weeks or months after the actual death and the decreased is referred to as a sick man until he is buried.

Various types of graves are located in Cliffside caves, mountain ledges or in special houses reserved for the dead. The graves in Tana Toraja are made in huge rocks because of their strength and relative safety from animals and thieves. There are many of these graves in the different mountains. And some are well guarded by life-size wooden statues of the persons buried.
 

How to get there?
ust one hour flight from Bali to Makassar Airport then by land transport with scenery drive-trip that takes about 7-8 hours to get into Toraja Land. There is a daily flight going to Makassar Airport from major cities of Indonesia
 
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Bira Beach

Bira Beach (Tanjung Bira) is positioned just 40kms from Bulakumba, which is easily reached from Makassar. Buses leave each morning from Makassar making the journey to Bulakumba in around seven hours. From Bulakumba you can take local taxis or minibuses to Bira Beach.
The main attraction of Bira Beach is the beautiful beaches with their fine white sands and crystal clear waters. There are several diving operations offering PADI approved dive courses as well as snorkeling daytrips on which you can spot see manta rays and turtles. The coastline is truly breathtaking, with stunning views providing the backdrop to a perfect romantic evening walk.

Bira Beach is easily traveled to from the nearby town of Bulakumba. Buses leave on a daily basis from the capital city of Makassar with a journey time of around 7 hours. The airport in Makassar has frequent flights arriving from both Jakarta and Bali, from where international connections are possible.

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Tondano Lake

Lake Tondano is a famous tourist destination in North Sulawesi province. It is located 600 meters above sea level and covers an area of 4,278 hectares (or about 10,571 acres). This lake is situated in Remboken village, or some 3 kilometers from Tomohon city or some 30 km from Manado city.


This lake looks like a bird nest as it is surrounded by mountains of 700 meters high, namely Lembena, Kaweng, Tampusu and Masarang. This lake covers three sub-districts, namely Eris, Kakas and Remboken. By the lake side, you can see clearly Mount Kaweng.
Lake Tondano has a famous tourist object called "Sumaru Endo" Remboken, and Tourist Resort of Bukit Pinus (from Tondano toward Toliang Oki). From this lake side (Toliang Oki), you can see pass Lembean hill to see the beauty of Maluku Sea (on its east), particularly Tondano Pante area in Kombi sub-district, in Minahasa district. Entry fee to this tourist object is Rp 4.000 plus insurance and toilet service.

 
The closest international airport to Danau Tondano is Ninoy Aquino International Airport, in Manila. From here, you can catch a domestic flight to Sam Ratulangi airport in Manado. Alternatively you can fly direct to Manado from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Davao in the Philippines. From Manado's airport, the lake is a short bus ride away. Tweet

Linow Lake, The Colourful Lake

A small lake with high sulfur ingredients, the bubbles in the side of lake transmit hot water vapour. Lake color has change of light and depicts a view. The light shadow is blue, green, turquoise, etc. It is located to the east of Kelurahan Lahendong, Tomohon City, North Celebes, Indonesia.

The colors in this highly sulphurous lake constantly change depending on the light and viewing perspective. Many species of large and small birds make their home around the lake and the grassed area to one side is a very pleasant spot to take a picnic lunch. Be carefull for bubbling mud holes at the edge of the lake, or you will end up with serious burns.

A footpath has been made at the edge of the lake.


As you walk along the path, you can enjoy a lot of animals endemic to Sulawesi, such as Belibis, White Swans and many insects called "sayok" or "komo". Seriti birds flying above the surface of the lake increase the beauty of the lake. The hot water spring around the lake should become one of your choices to visit.

You can take a rest while drinking a cup of coffee and enjoy traditional cookies from the Cafe Coffee. Or you can sit on the wooden terrace sheltered by the pine trees, while gazing at the beauty of the lake and surrounding nature. Tweet

Mount Bromo - Mountain's Famous 'Sand Sea'

The most popular and well known of East Java's tourist attractions is undoubtedly Mt Bromo. The pre-dawn departure and trek across the mountain's famous 'sand sea', to watch the sunrise at the crater rim, has become something of a ritual, enacted daily by people of every nationality. Bromo is actually just one crater in the vast, 800 km2 Tengger massif, which forms the largest of East Java's five main volcanic ranges. Although by no means the highest mountain in the region (2392m), it has gained its reputation partly because of its unique location and partly through the reverence shown to it by the local inhabitants.

A legend connected with Mt Bromo tells of the origin of the Tenggerese people. According to the story, it was during the closing years of the 15th century, when the East Javanese empire of Majapahit was in decline, that a princess of the kingdom, named Roro Anteng, and her husband Joko Seger, retreated to the Bromo region and established a separate principality, which they named Tengger, a combination of the last syllables of each of their names.


The region, it is said, de veloped and prospered, yet no descendants were born to the ruling couple.

Bromo - Tengger located at Semeru National Park. Its covers some 800 square kilometres in the centre of East Java. It is the largest volcanic region in the province and contains the island’s highest mountain, Semeru, which rises 3,676 metres above sea - level. The ten kilometre wide ’sand sea’ of Bromo has become East Java’s most famous attraction.

The Park is home to quite a number of rare and protected plants, among them the dwarf shrub styphelia javanica (L.) with its fragrant white flowers, as well as a special type of rhododendron. Higher mountain regions are covered in hardy cemara (casuarina) trees, while the lower slopes are used partially for commercial forest plantations. The range of fauna here has not been fully recorded, though a few species, such as the wild pig, Timorese deer and muncak (barking deer) exist in considerable numbers. There are also leopards, flying squirrels and a variety of duck and other waterfowl.

The Bromo/Semeru region is inhabited by the Tenggerese, who to this day retain a Hindu/Javanese faith. Isolated for centuries, they have remained loyal to the old ways and practice a religion which is almost identical to that found on neighbouring Bali. A centre for traditional Tenggerese culture is at Wonokitri, where a large Hindu temple has been built quite recently.

Bromo isn’t the highest mountain in Java — that honor goes to nearby Mount Semeru at 3,676m — but it’s probably the most famous one. Bromo is in fact only one of many peaks inside the massive Tengger Caldera, but it’s easily recognized as the entire top has been blown off and the crater inside constantly belches white sulphurous smoke. The inside of the caldera, aptly dubbed the Laut Pasir (Sea of Sand) is coated with fine volcanic sand and the overall effect is unsettlingly unearthly, especially when compared to the lush green valleys all around the caldera.

The major access point is Cemoro Lawang at the northeast edge, but there are also trails from Tosari (northwest) and Ngadas (west). The village of Ngadisari, on the road from Probolinggo about 5.5 km before Cemoro Lawang, marks the entrance to the national park. Both Cemoro Lawang and Ngadisari are rather picturesque, with brightly-painted houses and flower beds outside.


source: http://www.innasimpang.com/ Tweet

Ijen Crater at Banyuwangi - East Java

Ijen Crater is the biggest crater lake in Java. The sulfur crater lake lies between a natural dams of deeply etched rock. It is 200 meters deep and contains about 36million cubic meters of steaming acid water, shrouded in a smelling swirling sulfur cloud. Inside the crater the different color and size of stones are found. Indeed the crater of Ijen is beautiful garden of stone as well.

The view of sulfur miners who climb and go down to the crater is also amazing. A man puts about 10 kg of yellowish stone in to his basket, before he descends the mountain slope to sell his load, carrying the same basket, going in the same direction, digging the same mineral. It is the natural picture that can be seen everyday.

Ijen Plateau lies in the centre of Ijen-Merapi Malang Reserve, which extends over much of the mountainous region directly west of Banyuwangi and borders on the Baluran National Park in the northeast. As at Mt. Bromo, the caldera is best viewed from the air. Fortunately, almost all commercial flights operating between Denpasar - Surabaya, Yogyakarta or Jakarta usually fly, if not directly over, then close by Ijen plateau, where the seemingly luminous blue/green crater lake forms an unmistakable landmark. It is beautiful scenery and located about 32 km to the north west of Banyuwangi.

The principal attraction at Ijen is the large Crater Lake that has much sulfur, which lies hidden between sheer walls of deeply furrowed rock at more than 200 meters. The Ijen crater itself lies at approximately 2,300 meters above sea level. It forms a twin volcano with the now extinct Mount Merapi. The enormous Crater Lake, which is 200 meters deep and covers an area of more than meters, a million square meters, contains about 36 million cubic meters of steaming, acid water.

Ijen crater shows a special type of volcanic feature common to Indonesia, about 1 kilometer in diameter and 175 meters deep. The floor is covered completely by a warm lake, milky blue green in colours held back by a dam built many years ago by the Dutch, in order to keep the hot, mineral laden water from raining the crop lands below.

The crater can be reached from either the east or the west by any kinds of vehicles, but the second part of the trip covers distance 3 km on foot (jungle track). However, the latter is more popular approach, since the climb from the road's end to the edge of the lake is only one and a half hours. And a walk around the lake takes a full day.

The temperature drops at night, near the crater rim it can fall to about 5° Celsius. The road ends at Jampit, where very basic shelter is available. It is also possible to sleep in the old vulcanology station further up the hill, now used by sulfur collectors, but permission must be obtained in advance.

The sulfur is transported entirely on foot. In the past, horses were used but they were found to be less practical on the hazardous terrain. Today, the mine yields nine to twelve tons of sulfur per day.

Men carry individual loads of up to 70 kg, often barefooted, up to the rim of crater and then 17 km down the mountainside to a factory near Banyuwangi. The porters are paid by weight. The most important advice if you are traveling to Ijen is: "If you lose your way, just look out for the sulfur trail". The meaning was clear, since a continuous flow of two ways traffic, carrying the sulfur down the mountainside from the lake and trudging up again to re-load, had left a yellow trail on the well-worn path. The best time for seeing Ijen Crater is at 8 to 9 am.

source: http://eastjava.com/tourism/banyuwangi/ijen-crater.html

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Bunaken Marine Reserve

What visit to North Sulawesi is complete without one day to view the spectacular coral gardens of the Bunaken Marine Reserve. Declared a Marine Park in 1991, it is acknowledged as one of the top dive sites in the world. It is about 40 minutes drive from the resort to one of the dive centers or to the central harbor, where a motorized outrigger canoe or dive boat will whisk you to Bunaken Island in about 45 minutes.

Bunaken National Park is Marine Park with the most various species in the world. The fascination under water life in water territory of this a real Bunaken national park varieties, specific, on unique, and exotic, make this area as the beautiful North Sulawesi tourism and grow as one of famous marine park tourism object in the world.

It is because of this location nearness with Manado city that only about 6 km from the downtown area, or from Tongkeina in Pisok foreland even only 3,5 km. Access to this location also very fluent, can be gone through speedboat within 20 up to 60 minutes.

The Reserve comprises of the Bunaken Islands, Siladen, Nain and Montehage, the dive and snorkeling sites are numerous and diverse. The drop off wall at Liang Cave in particular is rare in the world and described by enthusiasts as spectacular with caves, gullies and caverns harboring an immense wealth of marine life. Brilliantly colored fish dart amongst the vibrant coral and the water is clear and warm. It is ideal for the first snorkels or experienced who divers alike.

Bunaken Marine National Park is directly accessible from Manado harbor. The boat trip to the closest island, Siladen, takes 20 minutes, with Bunaken Island a 30-minute journey. If you are staying in a nice resort on Bunaken they may provide courtesy ferry transport. Manado is the main center for flights to North Sulawesi and receives connections from all over Indonesia. Flights from Jakarta to Sam Ratulangi Airport take about 3 hours or 2 hours from Bali.

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