I'm flying to Sulawesi next week....have visited Koens
travel page which is superb.
I'd like to check out some volcanoes, culture, diving,
snorkelling, trekking and wildlife.
Any tips out there on the above activities will be much
appreciated.
Anyone there visited the Togian islands?
....or Torajaland? worthwhile?
Are the locals friendly towards tourists even in these
difficult times?
Thanks!
[There are 5 posts - the latest was added on Tue 25 May, 19:51]
Use the form at the end of this page to add your own post.
Topics
| Thorn Tree
| Home
Sulawesi has been one of the most beautiful places I┤ve
been. I have been there five years ago, so I am not really
up-to-date. In those times Bira Beach in the south was the
best beach (but they where beginning to build up a holiday
club right there), Toraja-Land is absolutely worth
visiting. Especially for hikking. In the north best town is
Manado. A lot of things to see and visiting around
(Vulcanoes, national park, hikking etc.)But best thing to
do up in the north - believe me - is diving.Have fun.
Nick, Suluwesi is a great choice. One of my three highlights from the 11 weeks spent in Indonesia in '95. As touristy as it seems, torajaland nevertheless was spectacular! Hopefully the 5star hotel isn't done yet. Plenty of cheap and beautiful guesthouses around Rantenpao.
The town 10k south of there has the most prominent display of cliff wall burials in the region, sorry, the name evades me, four letters and well travelled. Worth the 50cent admission. Dozens of carved effigies placed in front to keep away vandals. The village nearby where they carve them is also worth a visit. In the northwest section is a village next to Mt. Sesean, the highest point in the region. Worth the hike for the view. On the left is a guesthouse with several apartments that was once a traditional rice barn, no electicity but the ambiance couldn't be beat. Would think that at least 5 days to do torajaland right.
Bada valley was the most idyllic place that I visited. The 4 seat planeride in was harrowing. Be advised that you can't reserve a round trip ticket and once there it was impossible to buy a seat out. Perhaps a bribe was expected. Took a ride with some locals. 42 miles back took an astounding 36 hours! Not for the faint of heart but a memorable experience. The single track mud road had ruts as deep as 8 feet! Every problem with vehicles ahead had to be dealt with collectively. Still it was worth it. There is a northern exit to the coast which is longer that I didn't take. Couldn't be more difficult. If you go, hire a guide with a motorcycle to take you to the various statues, you'll never find a vast majority of them on your own. Enjoy! JB
Hi! We spent about 2 1/2 weeks on Sulawesi in December 1997
We spent one night in Ujung Pandang (there is very little to
see there), took the bus to Rantepao, stayed for a week at
Wisma Monton (highly recommend it), stayed one night in
Batutumonga (great walk back to Rantepao), and made lots of
day trips in the Tana Toraja region(see LP Guidebook). Took
the bus back to UP, stayed a night,flew to Manado, spent
time in Manado, went to Bunaken Island (great snorkeling!),
[http://www.users.skynet.be/rotsaert/b/bunaken.html - Johan
does a nice job of showing you what Bunaken and accomodation
look like], went to Tangkoko Park (difficult trip), and also
took a day trip out to the Tomohon area. We stayed in the
Hotel Celebes in Manado - very nice (next door to the
Smiling Hostel), Daniel's Homestay on Bunaken - very
basic, Mama Rosie's at Tangkoko (VERY basic) and ended our
trip with 2 nights at the Novotel (very upscale & VERY nice.
Need any more info, e-mail me. If all goes well with the
election, we'll be in Sulawesi in December 1999. Enjoy!
It's funny but people who go to Torajaland often miss the
Togians and vice versa. The North/South trip goes through
Torajaland but you have to make the decison whether you
skirt west overland to Gorontalo and Manado or go by sea
through the Togian Islands. Anyone who has travelled on
local buses knows the better way to go. Indonesian buses
are built for the local people who are small in stature.
Unless you want to spend the rest of your life with your
knees tucked up under your chin grabbing a break through the
Togian islands might be worthwhile as you can stretch out on
the ferry.
As for flying.... it is almost as if flights were scheduled
to be as inconvenient for tourists as possible. That of
course is not true but just try to schedule or route flights
around Sulawesi and you will see what I mean.
If you do go through the Togians do not expect the luxuries
you find in Ujung Pandung, Torajaland or Manado. But no
matter how hard it is to organise, do it. Anywhere you go
in Sulawesi is worth going to.
I running cycling tours in North Sulawesi, covering the
Minihasa Highlands, just 25 km. from Manado, and in
Gorontalo, the stepping-stone to the Togians.
Next trip is from 15 July, 1999. The area is peaceful, so I
am not worried about the election. I just came from there.
If interested in cycling and staying in some neat places
both in the highlands of Minihasa and lowlands, Gorontalo,
just send me an email.
Kind regards,