Makassar Destination Guide

Makassar acts as a gateway to a number of famous Sulawesi attractions like Tana Toraja, Bunaken Marine Park, Takabonerate Marine Park and Wakatobi Marine Park. There are some beautiful coral reefs in the area making it a perfect place for diving and snorkelling enthusiasts. Some of the islands nearby have lodging facilities and restaurants, so you can stay in a Makassar hotel or Toraja hotel in the heart of this paradise.

Makassar is dotted with beautiful beaches and places of historic interest, and also has many exotic islands in close proximity.

The things to see and do in Makassar and Toraja vary from scenic beauty of the highlands with traditional village culture to relics of colonial history to the pleasant seaside villages and islands. These Makassar and Toraja highlights will certainly ensure that you enjoy your stay, and you may like to check the tours in Makassar and tours in Toraja around the area. More general information can be found in our Indonesia country guide, and if you are planning on visiting other popular regions, take look at the destinations in Indonesia we have including Aceh, Komodo, Manado and more.

Things to See & Do in Makassar & Toraja

Please click on the links to the right or scroll down below to see a summary of the Makassar and Toraja tourist attractions that we recommend:

Tana Toraja (also called Toraja Highland or simply Toraja) is indisputably one of the most important tourist destinations in Sulawesi and one of the most beautiful places in Indonesia. Situated in the highland region towards the centre of Sulawesi, Tana Toraja is a beautiful place surrounded by mountains and is a cultural hotspot.

The unique culture and traditions of the villagers, the intriguing ceremonies, and the majestic views from the area attract visitors in droves. In recent years several excellent Toraja hotels have popped up in Tana Toraja to cater to the increasing demand from visitors. The climate is also much cooler than in the plains and the Arabica coffee produced here is matchless.

Toraja is a stunning destination. In the distance, a jagged ridge or mountains stretches north to distant, isolated valleys. Piercing the tickets of bamboo and coconuts palm, on hillocks in the middle of rice paddies, the curved roof of Torajan finely carved houses stand demonstrating the admirable skills of the Torajans in carving and natural color painting.

Toraja keeps its centuries old traditions which reflect in the colorful funeral rituals which last for days while hundreds of pigs and water buffaloes are slaughtered. The Toraja traditional house is one of the very unique architecturual features in the world.

It it known that the Toraja spotted water buffalo is probably the most expensive water buffalo on earth; it may now be worth up to 21.000 US Dollars per buffalo.

Kajang, also known as the Black Konjo, is a community of Proto Makassar people who resist the modern world and keep their traditional values alive. The local people wear black costumes, don't use electricity, and modern vehicles are not allowed to enter the area. The houses are built on stilts and the kitchen is always located right next to the entrance of the house, as to show that the host hides nothing from his or her guests.

Bira Beach is a gorgeous beach with a vast stretch of soft white sand next to clear waters filled with healthy coral reefs. A great place to swim, bask in the warmth of the sun or play beach volleyball - which is very popular in these parts - it is located around 200 km towards the east of Makassar in the Tanjung Bira village of Bulukumba Regency.

Tana Beru village is a boat building hub and is located about 25 km from Bulukumba on the route towards Tanjung Bira. This is where the Bugis traditional boat builders live, and Phinisi boats are built here in the traditional shipyards. There are no technical drawings or sketches, the designs come directly from the imaginations of the skilled boat builders. In the recent years, foreigners have their fancy Phinisi boats for touristic purposes (boathouses) built here. The culture and rituals surrounding the building of these tradition boats is fascinating, though observing the rituals nowadays is a rarity!

Lake Tempe, or Tempe Lake, is the biggest low land lake on the island. It was once the city's main source of fresh water fish. However, years of environmental changes have made the Lake size shrink every year. The main attraction on the Lake is the people's activity along the river banks. There are villages with mosques and schools. A boat trip to the lake through the river is best done in early of the morning or in the afternoon. It is the busiest time of the day as there are lots of canoes, all of which are now motorized. You will witness people bathing, washing clothes, brushing teeth and even using the river as public toilet (in hidden areas).

Sengkang is a town known for the Bugis Silk as it is located in the heartland of Bugis. The Royal Bugis families have long tradition in silk weaving. Sengkang is also as the gateway to Lake Tempe.

Malino is a town located in the highlands 72 km southeast of Makassar. Malino has been popular since the colonial era as a retreat place due to its cool climate and beautiful panoramic views. In 1946 the Dutch which still controlled some parts of Indonesia after granting Independence initiated a Malino Conference to gain support from some local rulers to form some kind of Federation Administration for the continuation of Dutch rules. Unfortunately for the Dutch, the proposal failed. 

Today Malino is known as one of vegetable production centers in the province. As a highland retreat area, it is common to find private villas and hotels in Malino.

At a whopping 109 m in height, the Takpala Waterfalls are probably the highest waterfalls in the province of Makassar.

Rebuilt by the Dutch on the ruins of an old fort in the 17^th century, Fort Rotterdam is a well preserved piece of Indonesian history. The original name of the fort was Benteng Panyua; Benteng means fort while Panyua means turtle since the fort is built in the shape of a turtle to reflect the power of the Gowa Kingdom who controlled both land and water territory.

Fort Rotterdam was the name given by Dutch during the colonial era after a 7 year war to conquer Gowa (Makassar Kingdom).A quiet getaway from the hustle of the city, the fort premises also hosts an arts centre and a museum. It is a favourite hangout of theatre buffs and music aficionados.

The ruins of the Somba Opu fort, destroyed by the Bugis-Dutch forces in 1669 after defeating the powerful Makassar kingdom, still hold historical and archaeological importance. Located about seven kilometres from Makassar in the Jeneberang River delta, a good portion of this once great fort is no more, but some parts still remain and the western wall has been restored.

Located in the fort complex is an archaeological museum which houses artefacts and other objects recovered after excavations of the fort and nearby areas. The open air museum of traditional houses from south-west Sulawesi located adjacent to the fort is also a big attraction.

Chockablock with charming traditional Buginese sailing boats or Pinisi as they are locally known. Here are the Paotere Harbour, located to the north of Makassar, the scene looks like a picture post card. These days the Pinisi are motorized and have shorter masts but they still make a pretty picture. Bustling with men carrying loads of cargo across narrow wooden planks that act as bridges from the boats to the dock, the harbour is always a lively place.

Trans Studio Makassar is renowned as one of the largest indoor theme parks in the world! It is a wonderful entertainment centre set up with over 20 games and provided with other facilities like Makassar hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and a marina. Trans Studio Makassar is located about five kilometres from Makassar in the Integrated Global Tourism and Business Region, Tanjung Bunga.

The Trans Studio Theme Park occupies an area of 20.000 square meters. Some of the more popular rides are Central Studio, the Lost City and Magic Corner. One ride that is pretty unique is "Dunia Lain" - "Another World", which is a personal favourite. It is an Indonesian style haunted house with different kinds of Indonesian ghosts such as the kuntilanak and jailangkung.

Katangka Mosque is the oldest Mosque in the province, built  in 1603 during the rule of Sultan Alauddin as the 14th Sultan of Gowa Kingdom.

Sultan Hasanuddin (1629 - 1670) is an Indonesian National Hero who led a 7 years war against the Dutch (1660 - 1667). The cemetery is located on a small hill named Kale Gowa next to a huge stone which is believed a Founder Lady of Gowa Kingdom or known as Tumanurung Bainea who descended from heaven to become the first King of Gowa Kingdom. The stone later on was named as Batu Pallantikang or Takabassia where the coronation ritual of Gowa Kings took place. 

Bantimurung is an area about 45 km east of Makassar. Bantimurung boasts of intriguing caves, cascading falls and exotic butterflies. Bantimurung waterfalls are set amid lushly vegetated limestone cliffs. Bantimurung is crowded with Indonesians on weekends and holidays, and at other times. There are many caves in these cliffs but apart from the scenery the area is also famous for its beautiful butterflies.

The naturalist Alfred Wallace collected specimens here in the mid 1800's. Among the butterflies that he caught was the Papilo Androcles, one of the rarest and biggest, with a tail like a swallow. Today entomologists still come here to look at the butterflies and other insects. It is certainly a beautiful area, with white falls and bright butterflies. The best time to see living butterflies is when the sun appears after a rain shower. They form a riot of color as they fly from one shrub to another.

Leang is a cave featuring prehistoric art that is surrounded by rice paddies. The Leang Leang caves are noted for their rock paintings, thought to date back 5000 years. The paintings are stencils of human hands, made by placing the hand up against the wall and then blowing a mixture of red ochre and water around them, leaving a negative image on the rock.

Bantimurung  Bulusaraung National Park covers the area of 3,879,771 ha to protect one of the biggest Karst Ecosystems in Asia. The park is home to various fauna and flora such as Sulawesi Ebony, various plants, the endemic Sulawesi Monkey (Macaca maura), Cuscus, Hornbill, various butterfles, various reptiles including phytons, monitor lizards and many more. There are lots of unexplored caves with stalactite and stalagmites, rivers and soaring karst formations.

The National Park is only about 45 km from Makassar yet it is least explored even by locals. The prehistoric caves with cave wall printing are located inside or near the borders of the National Park which include Leang - Leang and Sumpangbita cave.

The beaches, islands and the breathtaking underwater environment that surround Makassar make it a great place for a number of water sports and outdoor activities including swimming, sailing, fishing, surfing, diving, snorkelling and beach volleyball.

There are World War I shipwrecks in Lembeh Straits; the Bunaken Marine Reserve has vast colonies of fish that find the valleys and ravines below as perfect hiding places; the Takabonerate National Park boasts of the third largest coral atoll in the world; and Wakatobi and Togean islands have wonderful reef formations full of colourful marine life. The astonishingly diverse and vibrant environment under the sea in this part of the world is a treasure trove of surprises and pleasures.

Selayar Island is the main island of the Selayer Islands south of Makassar in South Sulawesi. It offers superb dive spots with good great Makasser hotels and accommodations.

There are two dive resort in Selayar-- the Selayar Dive Resort and Selayar Island Resort. The island is accessible by Ferry via Tanjung Bira. Public buses are operate on a daily basis to and from Makassar from both sides. There is a small airstrip on the island which in the future will be flown into regularly by small aircrafts.

Taka Bone Rate is the largest atoll in Southeast Asia, and the third biggest in the world after Kwajalein Atoll and Suvadiva. For the crazy beginner and advanced diver, this place has everything to offer; as the contour has wall, slope, and a flat seabed. Each dive you do is a different experience every time.

Makassar acts as a gateway to the Spermonde Archipelago comprising of a group of beautiful islands and atolls scattered not far from the mainland. A few of the bigger islands of the archipelago are densely populated while others are uninhibited, and most are ideal places for snorkelling, diving and swimming. Coral reefs teeming with vivid and colourful marine life are abundant in the area.

At some islands like Samalona, the reefs are very near to shore but at others like the Lanyukang Atoll, the reefs have to be reached by boats. Observing the village life is in itself a great past time for many visitors to the islands and the island of Kodengareng Lompo also has some interesting historical sites.

The best time to visit the archipelago is during the monsoon season between May and September. This is also the best time for sailing trips.

Samalona is a wonderful place to observe coral reefs and the many hued marine creatures that make them so captivating. This small island of about 300 x 600 metres in area is inhabited by a few families and is surrounded by coral reefs that are easily reached.

Located towards the edge of the Spermonde shelf, Lanjukkang Island is bordered by barrier reefs on its western shore. Reefs with steep edges and caves are found on other parts of the island too making it a perfect destination for diving enthusiasts. Big fish like sharks and barracuda are frequently spotted around the island.

Kapoposang is a beautiful two kilometre long island full of coconut palms and casuarina trees. Located towards the outer edge of the Spermonde shelf where the sea is much deeper, the island is a diver's paradise. There are a few small villages and a diver's resort on Kapoposang. Even if not particularly fond of diving, guests who stay on the island are sure to have a relaxing and enjoyable time.

Once a barren island, Kodingareng Keke now sports small cottages and a lot of shady trees. The cottages built by Dolphin Resort are equipped with basic facilities and are available to guests on the island.

Somba Opu Street is a popular shopping area known for its jewelry and souvenir shops. It is located right next to Pantai Losari.

Pantai Losari, or Losari Beach, is the famous Makassar waterfront. Lined with many hotels and other establishments, it is the best place to watch Makassar's breathtaking sunset. It is a popular spot for crowds especially in the weekends.

Balla Lompoa literally means "Big House" in Makassar language. Balla Lompoa is a replica of the former palace of the Gowa Kingdom which was destroyed. It was built in 1936 during the reign of the 31st Gowa King, I Mangi - Mangi Daeng Matutu.

Balla Lompoa is a wooden house built on stilts, similar to other typical Makassar traditional houses but much bigger and with specific Royal House's ornamentation.

Balla Lompoa is now a museum and cultural center. Various Gowa Kingdom regalia is on display here. The daily attraction in Balla Lompoa is the guard changing ceremony held at 9 o'clock, where the guards wear traditional Gowa soldier's costume.

Once a year, the Accera Kalompoang ritual is held in Balla Lompoa. It is held 30 days after Moslem New Year (after Eid). Accera Kalompoang is a heirloom cleansing ritual. In this practice, there are about 15 valuable items to be cleaned, and the most precious one is Salokoa, a pure gold crown, 1.768 grams in weight and adorned with 250 diamonds. The Salokoa is also measured by its weight. Believe it or not the weight is not always the same from year to year. Local people believe that if the crown weighs less than its normal weight then something harmful to the society will happen. If the weight increases then the people's prosperity will increase as well.

Mamasa or West Toraja is still very much the way it always was – a more rugged version of Toraja. Less agricultural, and with higher mountains, the air is appreciably cooler and walking is a pleasure. Trails lead through isolated villages far off the tourist route where traditional houses still use bamboo roofs and funerary tombs are carved in the shape of buffaloes. The clacking of handlooms can be heard echoing through the hills.