Tana toraja is quite simply one of the most unique destinations you can find in Indonesia. Hemmed in by mountains on all sides, the toraja prove there is life after death with their elaborate ceremonies. Take the beauty of Bali, the houses of the Bataks in Sumatra and the megalithic cultures of Sumba and you’re still not even close. The cave graves, hanging graves, tau tau (life-sized wooden effigies) of the dead and buffalo carnage every summer; offers a mesmerizing look at one of the most well preserved Indonesian traditions.
If that’s not a convincing enough reason, here’s a look to some of the reasons why you need to list Toraja as one of the places you must visit in Indonesia:
1. Experience the Torajan burial ceremony
For Torajan, a funeral is the single most important ceremony in the life cycle. Although most Tana Torajans are now Chirstian while still retaining their traditional animism belief of Aluk To Dolo. When someone dies, his or her body will be kept inside the house for days, sometimes weeks or even months, treated and preserved by using certain herbs. The purpose of keeping the body is to give a chance to the family of the deceased to gather and collect money. Once the fund is enough to hold a necessary ceremony, the ritual begins.
On the day of burial ceremony, they leave the corpse inside a cave and then they would undergo rituals, feasting, and entertainment that could last as long as 10 days. The funeral season is usually during July and August, when toraja working throughout Indonesia return home for celebrations, tourists come in numbers and Rantepao hotel prices peak.
2. Batutumonga, the hidden land above the clouds
The real beauty of Tana Toraja can be witnessed and experienced in Batutumonga on the foot of Gunung Sesean, the tallest mountain of Tana Toraja. Located north of Rantepao, Batutumonga has garnered the name ‘land above the cloud’ because from that height, you can see the sea of cloud covering the neigbouring hills and the cascading greenery, and the flickering little lights of Rantepao city on the distance. It is also the perfect spot to catch sunrise or sunsets.
3. Marvel at the the symbolic torajan tongkonan house
Tongkonan is the traditional ancestral house, or rumah adat of the Torajan people, with a distinguishing boat-shaped and oversized saddleback roof, and occasionally bears a buffaloh horns attached to the vertical pole in front as a symbol of wealth and prestige. Today, because tourism has displayed the richly carved tongkonan as a symbol of the Toraja ethnic group, tongkonans carved with geometric designs are often seen as symbols of Toraja ethnic identity and not just as symbols of elite identity.
4. See the livestock trade at the once a week Bolu Market
From Rantepao you can easily reach Bolu Market, about 2 km northeast of town. Held every Sunday, Bolu Market hosts hundreds of people trying to sell their buffaloes and pigs, often priced at tens of thousands dollars. There is a 10,000 charge to enter the livestock market, where the leading lights from the buffalo community are on parade.
5. Taste the Torajan Coffee, one of the best coffees in Indonesia!
Toraja’s high altitude, the average temperature of 16-20 celcius throughout the year, and a dry season for three consecutive months made the torajan coffee received its celebrity status not only in Indonesia, but also the world. Although the best produce usually skip the local market and exported straight elsewhere, here you can see where the fine beans are grown, and also sample how the locals drink their coffee.
6. Visit the ancient Ke’te Kesu Village
You can get a guided tour through the village where you will be shown the tongkonan houses and the local’s rice barns.
7. See the Londa Burial Cave
Located 6 km south of Rantepao, Londa is the most visited burial cave in the area and has an extensive burial cave at the base of a massive cliff face. A balcony of tau tau guards the entrance to the cave and inside, you will see a macabre collection of coffins and bones either scattered or heaped in piles. A local myth says that the people buried in the Londa caves are the descendants of Tangdilinoq, chief of the Toraja when they were pushed out of the Enrekang region and forced to move into the highlands.
8. The Sesean Mountain
Not the highest peak on Sulawesi, but it is the most popular for trekking. The track is accessible via a trail from Batutumonga and a return trip to the summit takes approximately five hours.
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