interestingplaceintoraja

sulawesi_toraya@yahoo.com
2003

(Batutumonga) perched high up on the side of Mountain Sesean.
It's located in the Sesean area, which has a cool climate, around 1300m above the sea level. There's 56 menhirs stones in a circle with five bamboo trees in the middle. Most of the menhirs are of two up to three meters height. A very beautiful scenery above Rantepao and the surrounding valleys can be seen from this place that make it very interesting place to visit.

BORI
[102 Megalith, Baby graves in tree]
It's 6 kilometers from Rantepao a road to Sa'dan and Pallawa. The most interesting object in Bori are a tall rante, menhirs stones, soared up several meters above the land.

BUNTAO
Buntao is a very interesting place to visit, especially in Market day. There is a pantane, a grave in the form of Toraja house in this area, beside many other old graveyard on top of the hill.

KALAMBE
[Between Rantepao and Tikala]

KE'TE KESU ***
[The well-known tourist village]
Ke' te Kesu is a village which is still characterized by the traditional live in Toraja people. If we take a look from the front side, we will find it lies over in the middle of the wide paddy fields with a beautiful sequence of curved roofs and carved walls barns. The village consist of four traditional tongkonan houses of Toraja. Inside one of the tongkonans, there something like a small museum which is located in the middle of the ground floor. Most of the people of this village have a good mastery in carving and painting. This can be seen among them who are doing carves and paints. The carved bamboos and woods are marketed in various village around this village

LEMO
[a cliff-face burial site]
In Lemo graveyards we can see the veranda of tau-tau mixed up together with the steep coral stone museum in the open air, which seems to be a combination between death, arts, and ritual.

LOKOMATA
[tombs chiseled out of the rock]
Lokomata is about 35 km from Rantepao, and has a very beautiful scenery of four levels of big stones on the side of the road having 60 stone mountain side graves with beautiful terraced nice field, mountains and valley underneath.

LONDA
[Burial Caves]
Londa is steep rocky sides graves. One of it's sides is located on a higher place from the hills which has a deep caves where you can see coffins that are arranged and grouped based on family lines. On the other site of the hill, on the balcony, dozen of tau-tau seem to be a life, stand straight with eyes opened, are looking over the beautiful landscape of this area.

MAKULA
[Hotel, restaurant, and two hot springs swimming pool]
There is a source of warm water in this place, beside a resting house with natural warm water in the bath room. In front of the house there is a small concrete pond filled with water which flows from the back of the house. It's nice to have a bath in this warm water after a long journey.

MARUANG

MOROSON
[Jambatan badeng spanning the Parinding river]

NANGGALA
[14 rice barns and one tongkonan house]
In the traditional kampong of Nanggala, we can see 14 big rice barns in a row with a curvy roof and curved walls those rice barn face with the two traditional ex houses king of Nanggala. Some of the carving show a combination of modern and traditional themes.

PALAWA
[a traditional Toraja village]

PANGALLA
This place is located near by Batutumonga but more farther, if you have arrived at Batutumonga than you just continue drive, and you will arrive in Pangala

SANGALLA
Sangalla is a village whitch is located on a hilly valley. It lies among the leafy bamboo trees. Here you can find an interesting object of tourism, that is a special cemetery for young babies. More than that, the cemetery of king Sangalla can be found at one of the slopes of the hills in this village which is name Suaya.
These graves are carved on the hills sides. They are the resting places of the seven kings and their families of Sangalla kingdoms. Tau-tau of the kings and their families are placed in front of the stone graves. They are dressed traditionally in accordance with the dress of the king of Toraja. Not far away from this places, you can find the tongkonan house that was built by the king of Sangalla which now days is known as "Museum of Buntu Kalando". Even though, the model of this museum is quite new, in it you can find several pats kingdoms properties and some house equipments which formerly were belongings of King of Sangalla (Puang Sangalla).

SUAYA
The graveyard lies on one of the hills sides. It is carved as the resting place of the king and kings family, in conform with the Toraja king dresses, placed in front of stone grave. There are some stone steps to reach the hill, where the kings had their contemplation during their live. A museum will be built in this place to keep the property of kings of Sangalla.

TAMPANGALLO
Bones and coffin all over the place, This place is just similar with Londa, the differenaces is the cave is not deep inside, but only a small cave, and if you want to get in side you don't have to take lamp, while in londa you have to use lamp to enlighten the dark cave.

TIKALA,
This place is just near by Rante pao, around 3 Km from the capital of Toraja, when you go down from batutumonga via Pana, you will pass Tikala.
TONDON
It is located on the side of the pathway near Makale market. In the side of the hill there is a row of Tau Tau in front of cave grave, which is of the aristocratic family..