Immersion in Toraja Culture and Balinese Eden

Airport reception at Makassar airport and transfer to the hotel. Makassar is the capital of the South Sulawesi province located on the edge of the Makassar Strait.

Morning transfer to the Maros region (once discovered by Alfred Wallace), renowned for its rice fields and karst peaks. Short walk in the surrounding area and exploration of a cave dating back nearly 39,000 years, which is full of rock paintings.

Your guide also offers you a boat ride on a river near which many bird species live. Encounters with the local population who live in stilt houses.

Late morning transfer to the maritime city of Pare Pare, then you head up the Sa'Dan river towards the mountains, through magnificent landscapes. The plain landscapes are quickly replaced by thick coconut forests.

Stop along the way in Bambapuang, from where you will have a view of a mountain known as "erotic".

Arrival in Rantepao, capital of the Toraja land (the capital of Toraja Land) in early evening. Check-in at the hotel.

Today, you begin with a visit to the funeral site of Lemo. This is a rock wall in which balconies have been carved out that house many figurines, called Tau Tau.

Transfer, then, to the royal tombs of Suaya and continue on foot to another interesting site: Tampangg'alo. In the afternoon, visit the caves of Londa, at the foot of a large cliff, which house coffins and scattered remains.

Easy hiking towards the village of Kete Kusu (famous for its wood carvings and rice granaries), through rice fields, villages & bamboo forest. Discovery also of troglodytic tombs, and others, more ancient, suspended.

Preamble: the itinerary of the three-day country exploration program in Toraja land may be adapted if a funeral celebration takes place in the region during this period.

Your guide will take you to witness this ceremony and introduce you to the family of the deceased. For your information, no ritual in Toraja Land is organized for tourists: everything is absolutely authentic.

In the morning, we head to the charming small town of Sengkang which stretches along the banks of the Walanae River.

In the afternoon, transfer to the shores of Lake Tempe and embark on motorized canoes for an extraordinary discovery of this swampy lake which is home to many bird species and where a stunning lake village lies. This is an opportunity for you to immerse yourself in the customs and traditions of the villagers, for whom time seems to have no hold.

Departure for Makassar airport.

Flight to Bali in the early evening.

Airport pickup at Denpasar and transfer to Ubud, a city located on the hills north of Denpasar,

in a rolling landscape of lush rice terraces and ravines. Ubud is renowned for its painting school.

Ubud is renowned for its painting school. Despite the exponential tourism development it has experienced in recent years, the city has managed to preserve its tranquility and beauty.

The rest of the day is free.

This morning, you visit Taman Ayun Temple, a state temple located in Mengwi. It is one of the only temples where royal ancestral deities are celebrated. Its peaceful gardens, its architecture with its alignment of stone ornaments make it a place of calm and serenity.

Then, you head to visit the monkey forest of Sangeh.

This forest, much less touristy than its big sister in Ubud, is composed of 3 temples and over 500 free-roaming monkeys. You then head to Jatiluwih, a small village located right in the middle of Bali's most beautiful rice fields, in the central-western part of the island. You then embark on a superb trek through this real ocean represented by the terraced rice paddies surrounding you.

You visit the superb Hindu-Buddhist temple of Ulun Danau. This place is enchanting, with its immense banyan tree at the entrance and its superb gardens. One of the temples is set back on a small island, and its 11-level roof elegantly reflects in the waters of the lake.

In the course of the afternoon, you take the pulse of the picturesque market of Bedugul, before returning to our hotel nearby.

Then continue towards Munduk in the highlands.

This morning, you head towards the east of the island.

On the way, you stop at Brahma Vihara Arama, the only Buddhist temple on all of Bali. It is located in the middle of nature at the top of a hill overlooking the valley and the sea behind the rice fields.

Then, you reach Sangsit and visit the Beiji Temple dating from the 16th century. This temple in the North of the island presents a real difference with the temples of the south: more symmetry, ornamentations and Chinese influences.

Arrival at your hotel (by the sea) in the afternoon.

The sunrise spectacle at Amed is absolutely not to be missed! At the first light of day, fishing boats return with the rising sun behind them and, ahead, the imposing Mount Agung volcano.

After your breakfast, departure for Pura Lempuyan located just above Tirtagangga, at the far east of Bali. An incredibly steep road leads to the starting point of what can be considered a pilgrimage. 7 temples, 1,500 steps linking them together and a plunging view over the sea: a majestic setting.

Then, visit Tirtagangga, the royal palace with incredible décor, classical statues in original postures and countless pools and water fountains.

You also visit the Besakih temple. Located on the misty flanks of Mount Agung, at 1,000 meters altitude, it is the most important temple on the island and includes a religious complex of 22 separate temples, spread over seven terraces. Between its 11-story "meru" roofs, the quasi-constant religious ceremonies and its viewpoint "between sea and mountains", this temple is surely one of the most spiritual. It is also the oldest and most revered temple in Bali.

Transfer to Sidemen, one of the most beautiful valleys in Bali (numerous rice paddies, salak plantations and weaving workshop-houses of the famous ikats…)

Free time until the transfer (provided by the hotel) to the airport or to your beach extension location.