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HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011... THIS IS THE SITE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF TANA TORAJA REGENCY CULTURE AND TOURISM OPPICE BY THIS SITE, WE HOPE THAT WE CAN SHARE EVERYTHING ABOUT TANA TORAJA'S TOURISM. PLEASE OPEN, VIEW AND SHARE WHAT YOU THINK AND KNOW ABOUT TANA TORAJA,THE BEAUTIFUL HIGHLAND IN SOUTH SULAWESI. ENJOY THE SITE ... admin@visittanatoraja.com WebRep Overall rating |
Tana Toraja ; A Mountain Paradise
Tana Toraja is known as " The land of kings" or some people in southernregion of South Celebes called people from north highland. Tana Toraja lies about 328 km north of Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi Province, in the central highlands of South Sulawesi ( see the map). At 300 to 2880 meters above sea level, Tana Toraja combines tropical lushness with alpine freshness. Daily temperature of 16 degrees celcius to 28 degrees celcius promotes rest and recuperation.
Bright green rice terraces, tall limestone outcrops and bamboo graves are set against a backdrop of blue misty mountains. Traditional Tongkonan houses stand proudly in this setting. These intricately decorated houses with upward-sloping roofs are the center of all Aluktodolo ( Torajan religion before the coming of missionaries; the ancestors belief ) rites; from storing the harvest in the carved rice barns, "alang", to slaughtering sacred water buffaloes at a week or more-funeral ceremonies. Tana Toraja's beauty is also reflected in its people. Although they are devoutly Christian ( there are small number of Moslems especially in the southern area), they combine this religious belief with magic and mysticism. Secure in their ethnic identity, they welcome visitors to witness their ceremonies.
Tana toraja is a sleepy rural region cultivating rice, cacao, coffee, and clove most of the year. Toraja's arabica coffee is known as one of the best in the world. These all change during the dry season,, from June until September, when Children are home from school, the rice is harvested and it's time for a "rambu solo' ", a complex funeral ceremony of the ancestors. During the time, Rantepao is transformed into a major tourist resort for national and international visitors.
Although Makale, the capital, is crowded, Tana Toraja is sparsely populated. However, the population at most of remote areas reveals village that lack of young men. They have gone to Kalimantan, Java, papua, Malaysia or other areas in searching of works or continuing their studies. The resultant incoming wealth combined with fertile rice fields and profitable coffee make Tana Toraja a fairly prosperous area. The wealth may be used to pay for cultural ceremonies where as many as hundreds of buffaloes and pigs mught be slaughtered and thousands of people are fed.
Tana Toraja has unique culture set in stunning scenery. Globalization and tourism may have impact, but if you venture away from the tarmac roads you will find soon a way of life that has not changed much in the last hundreds of years.
The Geographical and Administrative Description of Tana Toraja
The area of Tana Toraja geographically lies in the central mountain of South Sulawesi. This area has 3.205,77 km2 wide or about 5 % of the whole area of South Sulawesi. Nowadays, the government of Tana Toraja is led by Mr. Theofilus Allorerung,S.H. as the Regent and Mrs. Dra. Adelheid Sosang,M.Si. as Vice Regent.
Administratively, since November 2008, Tana Toraja has become two Regencies, those are Tana Toraja Regency and North Toraja Regency.
Tana Toraja's Tourism Overview
Since 1970-s Tana Toraja has been widely known as one of the main destinations for tourism in Indonesia, especially in South Sulawesi. Since then, many visitors, domestic and from abroad, come and visit Tana Toraja, especially to explore its great and unique traditional culture. until now thousands of them come to Tana Toraja annually.
The tourism interesting points in Tana Toraja lie on its culture, scenic nature and the challenges for hiking, trancking and rafting. Formally, the Government of Tana Toraja has determined 25 locations for tourism destination in Tana Toraja. Besides, there are numbers of cultural and tourism festivals held annualy which can be interesting for visitors, such as Tana Toraja Anniversarry Festival in August and Lovely December Festival in December. However, still many more to see and to explore. The interesting points for tourism in Tana Toraja Regency can be viewed here .