15 DAYS TORAJA CULTURAL, TANGKOKO NATURE RESERVE AND SILADEN LEISURE

DAY 01: ARRIVAL MAKASSAR – MAKASSAR CITY TOUR (L)

Upon your arrival at Makassar International Airport, your guide will pick you up from the airport. After meet and greet, you will drive to local restaurant for lunch. Then you will visitFort Rotterdam which was built about 1545 under King Tunipallangga of Gowa. This Fort contains the La-Galigo Museum where you can find exhibits such as a model of the fort, ethnographic displays, musical instruments and heraldry and reconstructions of archaeological sites. Nowadays it is famous as a cultural center. Then continue to visit Royal Palace of Gowa Kingdom “Balla Lompoa” The palace was built in 1936, in traditional style on stilts, with an imposing flight of steps leading up to a large reception room, nowadays the palace was become a museum, here you can see the heritage of Gowa Kingdom. If time permits, your guide will take you to Somba Opu Castle before heading back to your hotel

DAY 02: MAKASSAR TO SENGKANG (B,L)

Early breakfast, and then you will start journey to Sengkang by Fully Air-conditioned Car. This will take around 6 hours on road, arrive in the afternoon at Sengkang. After having lunch you can start a traditional boat trip at Lake Tempe. For the rest of the day you will visit the floating house, Bajo people, and the silk weaving. Then you can see the beautiful sunset from the boat, before heading back to your hotel.

DAY 03: SENGKANG TO TORAJA (B,L)

Today you will continue the tour to Toraja. A drive-trip to Toraja Land with approximately 5 hours on the road, across the Bugis Vilage with their typical houses on poles along the magnificent mountain passes. Upon arrival at Toraja, you will have lunch at the local restaurant, then check in to your hotel. The rest of the day is free program on your own leisure. Dinner on your own expenses.

DAY 04: TORAJA TOURS (B,L)
After breakfast at hotel, we will conduct a visit to the royal family tombs at Suaya, the cliff side stone grave with wooden effigies ”tau-tau ” on the balcony at Lemo, the baby’s graves in the huge tree at Kambira. This way of tombs making is the only one in the archipelago, the Torajanese do not bury their corps in the ground, but on the stone hole, cave or alike. Before the-died body placed in such place, it has to be put in the Tongkonan (the clan house) as they believe that the-died person would not leaving them as long as the body is still at home. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant with rice field side view. After lunch, the next interesting place to visit are Londa, the natural cave grave, and Kete Kesu, traditional wooden carving village and hanging grave.

DAY 05: TORAJA TOURS (B,L)

Visiting Palawa, a village with the beautiful scenery of the Toraja family houses ‘Tongkonan’, and a number of buffalo’s horns decorated to the front of their houses, Sa’dan To’Barana, the traditional cotton weaving village, Batutumonga, the highland area and the beautiful landscape of 1355 meters high, which has temperature around 17°C in the daytime, your lunch will be served here.  Lo’ ko mata, the graves on the rocky slope, which mean, the hole of the grave seems like an eye. Then continue with trekking from Pana to Tikala, more fascinating spot that can be seen along the way

DAY 06: TORAJA TO MAKASSAR (B,L)

After breakfast you will start driving for 8 hours to Makassar. Lunch will be at local restaurant in Pare-pare. After lunch continue your trip and arrive in Makassar about afternoon. Check in to your hotel and rest.

DAY 07: MAKASSAR – MANADO – TANGKOKO (B,L,D)

Transfer to airport for flight to Manado. Upon arrival at Sam Ratulangi International Airport, you will be picked up by our guide and then transfer to Tangkoko for two hours drive to reach Tangkoko Nature Reserve where we can see Macaca Nigra (black crested monkey), Tarsier Spectrum (the tiniest monkey), Phyton, Horn Bills, Sulawesi Bear Cuscus, Vipers, and many other birds. If time permit, afternoon trekking (latest 17.00)will be needed to reach the Tarsiers’ nest by the time they leave their nest for their nocturnal activities

DAY 08: TANGKOKO  EXPLORE – HIGHLAND TOUR – TOMOHON (B,L)

Begin trekking early in the morning to the jungle to see the Tarsier Spectrum set back home after their nocturnal activities, as well as some groups of Macaca Nigra moving around the forest for their morning activities. Leaving Tangkoko we then proceed the tour to the highland of Minahasa where we will visit ancient Tomb of Minahasa People, historical World War II Japanese Tunnel System, Tondano Lake for lunch and after lunch we will enjoy the wonderful lake scenery from the Urongo On Hill Tree House, and end up in the beautiful multi color of Linaw Lake to enjoy the afternoon in cozy restaurant by the lake sipping coffee with traditional famous snack of Pisang Goreng (fried banana) and another traditional cookies. Tonight we spend the night in a nice hotel in this cool town of Tomohon and dinner in a local restaurant with traditional Minahasa cuisine with the view of Manado city

DAY 09: TOMOHON – MANADO (B,L)

Early wake up in prepare to catch the sunrise from the top of the crater of Mount Mahawu with view of the city of Tomohon and Manado and some island beyond. On the way back stop by  The Tintingon Hill in Rurukan village for the agricultural education with a stunning view of the Tondano Lake and surround. We then proceed to the traditional market of Tomohon where there is a section of the market called as Extreme Market where we can see many kind of mammals and reptiles sold as Minahasan delicacy. The journey continue to explore the beauty of the highland by visiting the Pagoda Budhist Temple with the flowers plantation surround. As the last destination we will visit the centre of knock-down Traditional house industry in Wuloan village, before heading to Manado

DAY 10: MANADO – SILADEN (B,L,D)

After breakfast we will drive to the harbor to set on board for Bunaken  island using a chartered wooden boat to enjoy the beauty of underwater marine life with colorful healthy corals and various kind of fishes in the area of National Park of Bunaken. Arriving the island we will change the boat to catamaran/glass bottom boat where we can enjoy the underwater beauty from the boat. With some stop at some point, we can change to swimsuit and do snorkeling to get even closer to the fish and coral. Lunch will be served in a restaurant on the beach. We then sail back to another island of Siladen to stay in a nice resort for leisure

DAY 11: SILADEN (B,L,D)

Free at your own

DAY 12: SILADEN (B,L,D)

Free at your own

DAY 13: SILADEN (B,L,D)

Free at your own

DAY 14 SILADEN (B,L,D)

Free at your own

DAY 15: SILADEN – MANADO (B)

Today we sail back to Manado. Arrive Manado direct transfer to airport for flight to next destination