Indonesia forum

Sumatra (Lake Toba) has similar strange shaped houses and I think they have similar ceremonies too but not as impressive or frequent as Tana Toraja.


To get to Tana Toraja you need to get a flight to Makassar (AKA Ujung Padang)You can do that from either Jakarta or Bali, doesn't make much difference as you'll have to use a domestic airline. These aren't bookable online from outside the country ... usually... I did meet a couple who had actually somehow managed to book a Lion Air flight from outside the country this last trip though. I think they had said their home country was Indonesia or something. Otherwise you can buy a flight ticket to Makassar in Jakarta or Bali or use an agent based in Indonesia. You can check out domestic airlines such as Lion Air, Srijiwaya, Batavia to get an idea of prices and schedules.

I've used travelindo.com as a booking agent before. Very quick to respond and they down priced the fare when I pointed out there was a promotional fare on the airline website. They take a little commission for their service of course but it's reasonable. No problem with the flight.

http://www.travelindo.com/

From Makassar it's an 8-10hr bus ride to Rantepao (depends whether they've finished the roadworks yet) which is where most tourists hang out. The bus ride is worth doing in daylight, very scenic route with some spectacular scenery once you leave the coast and start climbing into the mountains. Buses from Makassar to Rantepao are very comfortable (unlike the the rest of Sulawesi). Loads of legroom and two nice rest stops. Think of it as a very cheap day tour. Comfortable night buses are also available but it's well worth doing at least one way in daylight.