Toraja Sulawesi Tour

Toraja Sulawesi Tour Package is one of the most things to do while visiting the island of Sulawesi. Toraja is the home of the Toraja people is located beyond the central highland of Sulawesi’s majestic granite cliffs and mountains. Its almost untouched remote villages, epic landscape, brilliant traditional architecture, and well-maintained rituals and traditions that are unique to Toraja, make it one of the highly sought-after adventure gems of East Indonesia.

Even to this day, many Toraja people still adhere to their age-old beliefs, which is why participating in events, including the elaborate death ceremonies, is a common occurrence amongst the locals. Torajans’ ceremonious and intricate festival-like funeral rites are a unique and hopeful take on death as a part of the cycle of life. Visitors are open to coming along and seeing the extravagance for themselves, so be sure to add this to your list for your next adventure!

Tana Toraja

Tana Toraja is known for its unique culture and ancient traditions. The entrance gate 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 follow an ancestral cult called “Aluk Todolo” which governs all traditional ceremonies. From Rantepao, side trips can be made to Kete, a traditional village where there are handicrafts and unique shops. Behind the village, there is a gravesite on a hillside. Life-size statues guard over old coffins. As roads are not always paved, it is necessary to use a jeep or walk if the weather is good (between May and October).

Two cliff graves easy to reach are Lemo and Londa. Londa is one of the oldest hanging graves belonging to the nobility. A large balcony is filled with the effigies of the dead. Kerosene lamps with young village guides can be hired to enter the caves to see skeletons and old coffins. At Lemo, burial chambers are cut out of the rock and several balconies are filled with effigies lookout while new caves are being dug to serve as family graves.

There are several gravesites and traditional villages of which Palawa is a classic example of a village on a small hill with “Tongkonan” or a burial place with celebrations and festivals. Visitors are welcome but they are expected to adhere to local customs of dress, seating, and bringing a token present.

Rantepao

The small town of Rantepao is a major travelers’ center in the beautiful rugged hill country of Tana Toraja in Central Sulawesi. The rice-farming, pig-breeding, water-buffalo-loving Toraja who inhabit this region have become the focus of tourist attention thanks to their elaborate ceremonies, burial sites, and traditional houses.

Of all the Torajan ceremonies, the most important are those concerned with sending dead PEOPLE to the afterworld. Without proper funeral rites, the spirit of the deceased will cause misfortune to its family. Funeral sacrifices and feasts are meant to impress the gods with the importance of the deceased so that the spirit can intercede effectively on behalf of living relatives. Funerals can be spread out over several days and involve hundreds of guests and the sacrifice of scores of buffalo. Feasting, dancing, and singing may be supplemented by cock-fighting, sisemba (kick-fighting), and even buffalo fights in which the bulls, quite rightly agitated by the insertion of chili up their behind, lock horns and strain against each other.

If you are invited to a ceremony, be sure to dress respectfully, bring gifts to hand around, and don’t sit in areas designated for guests or family members.