Sulawesi & Raja Ampat

Tana Toraja in the highlands of South Sulawesi is one of the most culturally fascinating places in the world — a place where death is celebrated more than life. The Toraja practice a complex animistic religion (Aluk To Dolo — "Way of the Ancestors"), which permeates the entire social life despite nominal Christian conversion.

Funeral Ceremonies (Rambu Solo')

The funeral ceremonies of the Toraja are the most elaborate in the world. A funeral can take months of preparation and cost millions of rupiah. The ceremony lasts several days and includes:

• Buffalo sacrifices: The higher the status of the deceased, the more water buffaloes are sacrificed — up to 24 for nobles. A single albino buffalo can cost over 1 billion IDR (~60,000 €).
• Processions: The coffin is carried through the village in a tower carved in the elaborate Tongkonan style.
• Feast: Hundreds to thousands of guests are entertained for days — a funeral is also a major social event.
• Cockfighting: A traditional (and controversial) part of the ceremony.

Tourists are welcome at the public parts of the ceremonies — it is considered an honor if strangers participate. Bring cigarettes or palm sugar as a gift. Ask your guide about current ceremonies.

Rock Graves & Tau-Tau Figures

After the ceremony, the dead are buried in rock graves — in niches carved into steep cliffs. In front of the graves stand Tau-Tau: life-sized wooden figures of the deceased, dressed in real clothes and looking down from the cliffs like spectators. The most famous rock graves can be found in Lemo and Londa (with caves full of bones and skulls).

Ma'nene — The Ceremony of the Living Dead

Once a year, usually in August, the dead are taken out of their graves, washed, redressed, and paraded through the village. The Ma'nene ceremony shows that for the Toraja, death is not an end but a transformation. The mummified bodies are lovingly treated, photographed, and then returned.

Bunaken is a small island off the northern tip of Sulawesi, near the port city of Manado, and one of Southeast Asia's legendary diving areas. The Bunaken National Park protects a marine area of 890 km² with some of the steepest and most species-rich coral walls in the world.

The special feature of Bunaken is the vertical walls (drop-offs) that drop from the beach to over 200 meters deep — covered with a carpet of hard and soft corals, sponges, and gorgonians. You float along a living wall and gaze into the blue depths, while around you:

• Napoleon wrasses majestically pass by
• Turtles (Green Sea Turtle and Hawksbill Turtle) nibble on the corals
• Schools of barracudas swirl in silver tornadoes
• Nudibranchs glow in psychedelic colors
• Occasionally Whitetip reef sharks emerge from the depths

The visibility ranges from 20–30 meters, and the water temperature is 27–29 °C year-round. There are over 30 marked dive sites, most reachable by boat in 5–15 minutes. The most famous: Lekuan 1–3 (the classic walls), Fukui Point (turtle guarantee), and Mandolin (macro paradise).

Bunaken is also excellent for snorkelers: The reef drops steeply right from the beach, and in just 2–3 meters of depth, you already see an abundance of corals and fish.

Makassar (formerly Ujung Pandang) is the largest city in Eastern Indonesia and the gateway to Sulawesi's adventures. The port city at the southwestern tip has a rich history as a seafaring and trading center — the Bugis and Makassar were once the most feared seafarers in Southeast Asia, whose Pinisi sailing ships reached as far as Australia and Madagascar.

The Fort Rotterdam (Benteng Ujung Pandang) is Indonesia's best-preserved Dutch colonial fort — a star-shaped complex from the 17th century with a museum and cultural events. The Losari Beach boardwalk is the city's most popular spot: In the evenings, the people of Makassar stroll along the waterfront, eat Pisang Epe (grilled banana), and watch the sunset over the sea.

The Paotere Harbor is one of the last places where traditional Pinisi sailing ships dock — two-masted wooden schooners that still transport goods between the islands today. A visit in the early morning, when the ships are being loaded, is a window into a world that no longer exists elsewhere.

Makassar's cuisine is legendary: Coto Makassar (offal soup with peanut sauce), Konro (ribs in black nut soup), and Pallubasa (coconut milk meat soup) are local specialties you won't find anywhere else. The city also has the best seafood scene in Sulawesi.

Raja Ampat (literally: "Four Kings") is an archipelago of over 1,500 islands off the coast of West Papua — and by unanimous opinion of marine biologists and divers, the most species-rich marine area on the planet. The numbers are breathtaking:

• 1,508 fish species (more than in the entire Caribbean)
• 600 coral species (75% of all known coral species worldwide)
• 700 mollusk species
• Regular sightings of manta rays, wobbegong sharks, whale sharks, pygmy seahorses, and epaulette sharks (which can actually "walk")

Raja Ampat lies at the heart of the Coral Triangle — the marine equivalent of the Amazon rainforest. The currents from the Pacific and Indian Oceans meet here, bringing nutrients that create an ecosystem of unparalleled productivity.

The Best Dive Sites

• Manta Sandy & Manta Ridge: Cleaning stations where oceanic manta rays (wingspan up to 7 meters!) circle in groups — one of the most reliable manta spots in the world
• Cape Kri: The world record for the most fish species on a single dive was set here — 374 species in 60 minutes
• The Passage: A narrow, current-rich passage between two islands with soft coral gardens and mangroves above water
• Misool: Remote island group with pristine reefs and the most photogenic karst formations in Indonesia

Arrival & Logistics

Raja Ampat is remote and not cheap. The journey leads via Sorong (flight from Jakarta 5–6 hours, from Makassar 3.5 hours), then by ferry to Waisai (2 hours, 200,000 IDR). From there by speedboat to the dive resorts and homestays.

The options: Liveaboard (7–10 days, from 2,500 € including 20+ dives, full board) for the full program, or Homestay on one of the islands (from 500,000 IDR / 30 € per night including full board) for budget travelers who make day trips from there.

The Togian Islands lie in the Tomini Bay of Central Sulawesi and are one of Indonesia's last true insider tips. An archipelago of 56 islands with white sandy beaches, untouched coral reefs, turquoise water — and almost no tourists.

What makes the Togians special: The seclusion. The journey via Ampana (East Coast of Sulawesi) with a shaky ferry (3–5 hours, irregular schedule) filters out the masses. Those who make it here are rewarded with a Robinson Crusoe atmosphere: simple bamboo bungalows right on the beach, electricity only for a few hours, no Wi-Fi — and that's the point.

Underwater, the Togians offer a coral reef in excellent condition because there is hardly any diving: turtles, reef sharks, schools of barracudas, and the famous Jellyfish Lake — an enclosed lake full of non-stinging jellyfish where you can swim (similar to the famous lake in Palau, but without tourists).

On some islands, Bajo sea nomads live in stilt houses over the water — a people who spend their entire lives at sea and are genetically adapted to diving (enlarged spleen for longer dive times without equipment).