Immersion in Toraja culture and the Balinese Eden

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

In the middle of the afternoon and depending on your arrival time in Makassar, visit the fish market, an essential place of life and meetings, because fish represents an important food in the culinary culture of Indonesians.

Then transfer to the port of Paotere, to admire magnificent schooners built in wood.

You end with a visit to Fort Rotterdam, built in 1545 by Raja Tunipalangga: it was originally just an earthen rampart called “makassar”. It was only in 1634 that these were reinforced with stone walls, at the request of Sultan Alaudin. The fort was later (in 1667) conquered by the Dutch and renamed "Rotterdam" (the birthplace of Speelman). Today, the fort is completely restored and even houses a small museum which traces its history.

In the evening, welcome dinner. The opportunity to get to know your support team.

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

Your guide also offers you a canoe ride on a river near which many species of birds live. Meetings with the local population who live in houses on stilts.

At the end of the morning, transfer to the maritime city of Pare Pare, then you go up the Sa’Dan river, towards the mountains, through magnificent landscapes. The plain landscapes are therefore quickly replaced by thick coconut forest.

Stop en route at Bambapuang, from where you will have a view of a so-called “erotic” mountain. Arrival at Rantepao (the capital of Country Toraja) in the early evening. Installation at the hotel.

Today, you start with a visit to the funeral site of Lemo. It is a rock wall in which balconies have been dug which house numerous figurines, called Tau Tau.

Transfer, then, to the royal tombs of Suaya and continuation on foot to another interesting site: Tampangg’alo. In the afternoon, visit the Londa caves, at the foot of a large cliff, which shelter coffins and scattered bones.

Easy hike to the village Kete Kusu (known for its wood carvings and rice granaries), through rice fields, villages & bamboo forest. Also discovered troglodyte tombs, and other, older, suspended ones.

Preamble: the course of the program for the three days of exploration of the Toraja country may be adapted if a funeral celebration takes place in the region at this time. Your guide will take you to attend this ceremony and introduce you to the family of the deceased. For your information, no ritual in Toraja Country is organized for tourists: everything is absolutely authentic.

In the morning, visit the village of Bori, famous for its megaliths carved into the shape of tombs, then that of Palawa (the largest in the region), and finally that of Sa’dan, renowned for its traditional textiles.

Transfer to the wild north of the Toraja region, which offers magnificent panoramas at an altitude of 1,400 m. Easy walk around Batutumonga through rice fields, traditional villages and bamboo forest.

Later, hike from Lokomata (where the tombs are carved into a giant rock) towards Mariri, during which you will have the opportunity to meet children returning from school and stop in a few knife making workshops.

Return to the hotel at the end of the afternoon.

Visit the colorful Rantepao market, where many buffaloes & pigs are offered for sale.

It is then time to attend the funeral ceremony (see Preamble).

In the afternoon, transfer to Pemancar, where you begin a lovely walk towards Salu, through rice fields and plantations (mainly coffee & cocoa).

Walking time: approximately 4 hours

In the morning, we reach the charming little town of Sengkang which stretches on the banks of the Walanae River.

In the afternoon, visit traditional silk weaving workshops.

Early in the morning, transfer to the shores of Tempe Lake and board motorized canoes for an extraordinary discovery of this marshy lake which is home to many species of birds and where there is an astonishing lakeside village. This is the opportunity to immerse yourself in the habits and customs of the villagers, for whom time seems to have no influence.

Departure for Makassar airport and flight to Bali in the early evening.

Welcome at Denpasar airport and transfer to Ubud, a city located in the hills north of Denpasar, in a hilly landscape of green rice fields and ravines. Ubud is famous for its painting school. Despite the exponential tourist development it has experienced in recent years, the city has managed to preserve its tranquility and beauty.

Day of discovery of Ubud and its surroundings. In Ubud, elegant temples and palaces with sculpted facades line the streets. During our city stroll, we discover Puri Saren and the details of its wooden doors, Pura Saraswati and the finesse of its ornamentations, Pura Puseh and its splendid sculptures as well as many other museums and galleries.

Another tourist attraction in Ubud, slightly away from the city center, is the “monkey forest” temple. Walks and walks outside of Ubud take you to places where the view of the surrounding area is breathtaking, as the rural landscapes are so preserved.

This morning, we start a walk through superb rice fields towards Tampaksiring. A family of Balinese artists welcomes us into their traditional home and offers us a meal, no less typical of Ubud, Ubud, accompanied by Balinese dances.

A family of Balinese artists welcomes us into their traditional home and offers us a meal, no less typical, accompanied by Balinese dances.

Short transfer to Kedisan, on the banks of Lake Batur. Opportunity to enjoy the hot spring pools in Toyabungkah. (optional)

At the end of the night, we begin the ascent of Mont Batur. A little before sunrise, we first reach the summit of the oldest crater, then begin our descent, skirting adjacent craters and pausing near (but at a safe distance from) the youngest crater and the most active.

Height difference (positive & negative): +600m / -600m

Continuation of the day with a visit to the Kehen temple of Bangli. This temple is one of the most revered in Bali. Its plant garden and its temple with eleven “meru” make it a place full of spirituality and traditions.

Transfer to Sidemen, one of the most beautiful valleys in Bali (numerous rice fields, salak plantations and house-workshops for weaving the famous ikats…)

The final walk through Bali is a true apotheosis, as it takes us along the slopes of the hills in the south-east of the island, which offer us a superb view of both the Agung volcano and the 'Indian Ocean.

3 hours of walking

You continue your journey towards Sanur where you arrive in the afternoon. Installation at the hotel.

In the evening, farewell dinner by the sea.