Indonesia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 328

is home to the Sadan Toraja. With an
abundance of good-value accommodation
and worthwhile excursions in every
direction, it makes an ideal base for
exploring Tanah Toraja. And though it's
perfectly possible to visit much of the
area independently, Rantepao also offers a
whole host of experienced guides who
can be found at almost any hotel, travel
agent or restaurant in town; if you'd
prefer to pick your own, drop by Pia's
Poppies (see p.333) in the morning or
evening. Prices start at around
Rp300,000 a day per guide, but you will
need to pay for transport and, for
attending a ceremony, gifts on top of this.
he town itself stretches just over 1km
along the eastern bank of the Sadan,
the central crossroads marked by a
miniature tongkonan (see box, p.332) on
a pedestal. North from here is Jalan
Mappanyuki, a short run of souvenir
shops, bus agents and restaurants; Jalan
Ahmad Yani points south towards
Makale before becoming Jalan Pong
Tiku; east is Jalan Diponegoro and the
Palopo road, while westerly Jalan
Landorundun leads to the riverside past
a small fresh-produce market.
Rantepao's main market - the biggest in
Tanah Toraja, 2.5km northeast of the
centre at Terminal Bolu - is a must:
where else could you pick up a bargain
buffalo then celebrate your purchase with
a litre or two of palm wine? Large
markets are held every six days, though
you'll find some traders in the
marketplace every day of the week. You
can walk there in half an hour by
following Jalan Mappanyuki over the
river, passing a few impressive tongkonan
before crossing the river again to the
market. A bemo back costs Rp4000.

(4km), the central of which is said to be
the oldest in the district. An adjacent
rante (ceremonial ground) sports a dozen
megaliths, the tallest about 3m high. A
path leads up the hill past hanging and
no-longer-hanging co ns mortised into
the side of the truncated peak.
Some of the other sights to the south of
Rantepao can be combined to form a
pleasant day's stroll. he walk begins 9km
from Rantepao at the turn-off to Lemo.
One kilometre from the road, Lemo is
famous for its much-photographed
tau-tau, set 10m up a cliff face and
mutely staring over the fields with arms
outstretched. Turn left in the centre of
Lemo, then follow the road to Tilangnga ,
where you'll find a pleasant rocky pool to
swim in, but watch out for the resident
eels. From here, Londa is about an hour's
walk: continue through Tilangnga,
bearing left when the road forks. Turn
right just before the school, then left
when you hit the paved road. After about
twenty minutes you'll emerge from the
forest and see a large red-roofed church
on your right, at which point strike off to
the left across the paddy fields to reach
Londa. Set in a shaded green glen
underneath tall cliffs, overhung with a
few co ns and a fantastic collection of
very lifelike tau-tau, Londa boasts two
caves whose entrances are strewn with
bones and offerings of tobacco. You'll
need a guide with pressure lamps
(Rp25,000 for the lamp, plus a tip for the
guide) to venture inside. From Londa,
either follow the tarmac for twenty
minutes or ask villagers to point out the
short cut through rice paddies to the
main road for a bemo back to Rantepao.

4

East of Rantepao
Six kilometres east of Rantepao on the
Palopo road is the spread-out village of
Marante , which contains almost all the
main features of Tanah Toraja. Close to
the road is a fine row of tongkonan;
behind, a path leads to where tau-tau
and weathered co ns face out over a
river. A few kilometres further on, look
out for a group of megaliths in a field at
Tondon . Nanggala , about another 6km
along the Palopo road from Marante,

South of Rantepao
Makale is the administrative capital of
Tanah Toraja, and the most famous sites
lie off the road running south from
Rantepao to Makale. he route is plied
all day long by bemos running in both
directions (20min; Rp7000). Just south
of Rantepao, a concrete statue of a
buffalo marks the turn-off to four
much-restored tongkonan at Ke'te' Kesu'