South Sulawesi

The World’s Tallest Jesus Statue in Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi

Posted on July 19, 2017

Our last day in Tana Toraja started with watching the sea of clouds in Lolai village, followed by breakfast at Toraja Heritage Hotel before checking out for our journey back to Makassar. Along the way back, we stopped by Makale, the capital of Tana Toraja regency and the commercial center of Torajaland (versus the cultural center of Rantepao, capital of North Toraja). Makale is also an important gateway to this region, since Pongtiku airport is located here. Lording over MakaleRead More→

Tana Toraja’s Best Sunrise over the Sea of Clouds at Lolai Village

Posted on July 19, 2017

I wasn’t particularly excited about waking up at 3AM, especially when it took us nearly nine hours to get to our accommodation, Toraja Heritage Hotel, all the way from Makassar. This was followed by a packed one-day itinerary ticking off the must-see sights of Tana Toraja, the cultural heartland of the Torajan people known for their dramatic architecture and extravagant funeral customs. But the idea of catching Toraja’s best sunrise over a sea of clouds at Lolai, a mountain village 20Read More→

7 Must-See Places in Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi

Posted on July 17, 2017

One of the most fascinating cultural destinations in Indonesia is Tana Toraja, literally “Land of the Toraja”, in South Sulawesi. The word Toraja was derived from the Buginese phrase to riaja, which means “people of the highlands”. Nearly half of the 1.1 million Torajans live in the mountain towns of Tana Toraja, 300 km north of Makassar, the biggest city and gateway to Sulawesi island. Despite the distance, travelers are still drawn here, owing to the uniqueness of Torajan cultureRead More→

5 Best Places for Photography in Makassar, South Sulawesi

Posted on August 26, 2016

Indonesia has always been high on my travel bucket list. Most travelers flock the popular islands of Java and Bali, but with more than 17,000 islands stretching between Malaysia and Australia, this vast country has limitless possibilities to offer. When I heard that Makassar was on the itinerary of our 11-day Trip of Wonders media trip, I just couldn’t pass up the chance to finally set foot on Sulawesi – the orchid-shaped island just south of the Philippines. A major gatewayRead More→