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Tana Toraja

Indonesia Travel Guide

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Huts built by Toraja peoples on a beach in Indonesia.

©Hartono Wijaya/500px

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Overview

Home to some Sulawesi's most stunning landscapes and one of Indonesia's most compelling traditional cultures, it's no wonder Tana Toraja is high on many bucket lists. The visual allure is immediate, with villages clustered around elaborately carved and painted houses with boat-shaped roofs, and towering terraces of emerald green rice paddies, all of which is overseen by a protective necklace of jagged jungle-clad hills.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Ke'te Kesu'

    Tana Toraja

    The four stately tongkonan and many granaries that make up Ke'te Kesu' were moved to this picturesque site in 1927 when the savvy family head noticed the…

  • Tampang Allo

    Tana Toraja

    Whether it's the tau tau, the cave itself, or the peaceful rice paddy setting squeezed between a maze of cliffs, this is one our favourite sites in Tana…

  • Londa

    Tana Toraja

    Live out your Indiana Jones fantasies at this extensive (and very popular) burial cave below a massive cliff face. Its entrance is guarded by a balcony of…

  • Lemo

    Tana Toraja

    A veritable village of tau tau stare down with unblinking eyes and outstretched arms from this impressive burial cliff riddled with tombs. The sheer rock…

  • Kambira Baby Graves

    Tana Toraja

    Torajans traditionally inter deceased babies, who have not yet teethed, in trees, believing that these infants are more pure than adults, and that their…

  • Pasar Bolu

    Tana Toraja

    Heralded as the world's largest water buffalo market, this dusty, chaotic scene pops off every Tuesday and Saturday when stately beasts imported from…

  • Lolai

    Tana Toraja

    Billed as the 'Country Above the Clouds', the long north–south ridge line looming to the west of Rantepao certainly has spectacular views – especially at…

  • Buntu Pune

    Tana Toraja

    Buntu Pune village has two fine tongkonan houses and four rice barns some with ancient roofs covered in vegetation. According to local legend, one of the…

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