For me, Sulawesi sits somewhere in the perfect ‘Goldilocks zone’ of travel: it’s sufficiently off-the-map to feel like you’re on an adventure all of your own, but still sees enough visitors to make a trip here challenging but not impossible.
Before my trip, I couldn’t really find an in-depth Sulawesi travel guide online, so I decided to write one. I hope the level of detail here will help you chart your own course through this enormous, multi-tentacled island once known as Celebes.
Because it’s quite off the beaten path, compiling a 7000+ word Sulawesi guide probably makes little financial sense for me. But… I love this part of Indonesia and don’t want to just be stuck in the Bali content hole!
If you found this guide useful, consider using the hotel links that go to Booking.com as this supports me through some (small) commissions at no extra cost to you. Thank you!
What makes Sulawesi special?
Diving into Sulawesi is an excellent way to experience the ‘real’ Indonesia away from the tourist masses.
While locals might approach foreigners for a chat or picture really anywhere in Indonesia, such friendly curiosity seemed especially frequent on my journey through Sulawesi, which added to the fantasy of being an adventurer in strange lands.
(At a stunning waterfall near Tentana, I thought a couple wanted me to take a picture of them in front of the beautiful backdrop. But no… they wanted a picture with me! Don’t be surprised if you get approached often… it is almost always benign and a lot of fun when you get into the spirit of things.)
Apart from having so many unspoiled beaches, islands, waterfalls, and wild nature parks, one of the interesting aspects of Sulawesi is the different cultures and religions within it.
Some areas are mainly Muslim, others Christian. Different regions are home to different tribes; the Minahasa in the north has some unusual culinary habits we’ll get into later. The Torajans meanwhile have some of the world’s most unique traditions around death, which you can witness firsthand.
The Torajans also construct thousands of beautiful horn-shaped ancestral houses known as Tongkonans, all of which face north towards Mongolia, as this is where they believe to be originally from.
The cultural aspects, diverse landscapes, sense of adventure, and friendly locals all conspire to make Sulawesi a “traveller’s favourite”, whispered among travel freaks as one of the most underrated travel destinations and a pure place that truly rewards exploration.
If that sounds like your thing, you’ll be in for a treat!
Planning your trip
If you’re an experienced traveller, you may be in the habit of skipping travel tips sections since they are usually quite obvious. But wait!
Travelling in Sulawesi is a bit different from more common destinations in Indonesia like Java or Bali, so I wanted to kick this off with some comprehensive tips and tricks so you can better navigate this somewhat more remote island.
Travelling in Sulawesi is not necessarily difficult if you know how things work. Just know that it’s not a highly touristed area where everything is always just a tap in an app from getting done. You often have to arrange things in person or connect with local guides. Some sections (like the Togeans) may require a bit of planning to avoid any frustrating delays.
The main trail is, nevertheless, well-supported with many backpackers doing more or less the same route. For instance, if you’re in Gorontalo to catch the ferry to the Togean Islands, chances are you’ll end up staying at Harry & Mimin’s Homestay, which is just about the only place that’s easily bookable online that isn’t a business hotel. Harry and Mimim can help you book your ferry tickets and advise you on local sights.
In this sense, travelling in Sulawesi is easy… you’re not the first to have gone here! But… it definitely helps to do some research and preparation.
Gear up for a proper adventure!
Overlanding through Sulawesi can be arduous, but it gets so much better if you bring the right gear! I’ve tested over 25 backpacks over the years, and these are my 3 all-time faves… and they’re perfect for backpacking Sulawesi — Marek
Start in Manado or Makassar?
Most travel routes you’ll find online run from Manado or Makassar (the two big cities) or the other way around. Before my trip, I wondered if one direction might be better than the other.
My impression is that it’s pretty much a 50/50 split between travellers going south or north. I’m not sure there’s really any advantage to where you start, so pick a starting point based on whatever works for you.
By the way, in my opinion, Sulawesi is not so much about the cities. You can have a look around in Manado or Makassar, but neither is really overflowing with things to do for an (international) visitor. Use them as jumping-off points for starting your trip.
I chose to start my trip in Manado and then head south.
3 Weeks minimum?
One piece of advice I’ve seen often is that a full route through Sulawesi will take at least 3 weeks. Having had 30 days for my trip, I have to agree.
If you want to go across the whole length of the island, make sure you have at least several weeks, or you’ll simply have to rush too much.
If you have 2 weeks or less, I suggest picking one corner and covering it thoroughly instead of spreading yourself too thin. Deleting some of those 10+ hour trips would actually free up some valuable time for more detailed local exploration, so you potentially get to experience more.
North Sulawesi (around Manado) is more prosperous and has better infrastructure. If you have limited time, I suggest tackling this region because transport is easy and you’ll have many great sights within a relatively contained area. Manado, Tangkoko, Tomohon, plus some of the beach/island/scuba destinations around here, can easily keep you busy for 7-10 days with a highly varied itinerary.
Best time to visit
I visited in October, just before the wet season. My trip was wonderful and I endured only a few rainy afternoons. Two distinct time periods are typically recommended for Sulawesi:
May to October is the dry season and is usually recommended for Sulawesi. Visibility for scuba diving is best during this time of year. The north and south do have different climate patterns, with the rainy season starting at different times.
June to August is when the funeral season is in full swing in Toraja (see the Toraja section later). However, even in October, there were several funeral rites I could visit.
Budget needed
Count on about $25-35 USD per day for backpacker-style travel if you’re going for hostels and basic guesthouses and using local overland transportation.
My own costs were actually a bit higher: around $40/day. This was mainly due to my lodging average being about $20 per day since I included a few nicer mid-range hotels along the way. I was also travelling solo, so my costs were not split.
If you’re a backpacker used to staying in hostels, know that dorms are not common here. If you’re a budget traveller, then you’ll mostly end up using guesthouses, homestays, or hostels with (mostly) private rooms.
You’ll often find some affordable accommodations (e.g. $6 or $7 for a room), often affiliated with RedDoorz or OYO (two popular Asian hotel management brands). However, you do get what you pay for, as the ratings are usually quite bad.
The type of places most Western travellers will stay are typically in the $10-$25 per night range for a basic room.
Getting around Sulawesi
Based on my social media feeds, I get the impression Sulawesi is a popular destination with motorbike adventurers. However, here I’ll talk mostly about how to get around as a backpacker without having your own vehicle (except for some scooter rentals for local sightseeing).
A golden road to Tentana while travelling by private car
Major driving distances
If you plan to travel across the whole of Sulawesi, expect to have to chew through some pretty long drives. To go north-to-south or vice versa, you may have to do several journeys of up to 12 hours.
Sulawesi is thinly populated and highly stretched out. Zoom in on a map and you’ll often see just one or two coastal roads with a whole lot of nothing in the interior. This means you’re often rewarded with wide open landscapes and wild nature, but it also means that transportation can require some patience.
To give some idea: Manado to Gorontalo takes about 13 hours. Ampana to Tentana about 6. Tentana to Rantepao around 10.
Personally, I didn’t mind these trips as the landscapes and ocean views are often beautiful. It also gave me a chance to catch up on some podcasts and audiobooks. But it’s different from an island like Bali, where most things are within a 2-hour radius.
Overland travel is usually your only option. Direct domestic flight connections are limited, so ‘skipping ahead’ is often not so practical.
Due to there being few major population centres, there are often few public transportation options available. While your options are still very good near the big cities, there are almost no scheduled buses out of Ampana in central Sulawesi, for instance.
Using private drivers
As a backpacker, I generally use coach buses or local minivans to get around, but in Sulawesi, I added another tool to the mix: private drivers.
That may sound a little bougie, but it can be an affordable and practical method to get from A to B. You can often meet drivers who are going to your destination anyway and are willing to pick up passengers for gas money or a little profit.
I did two major legs on my journey in this way, and it was super fun. I could enjoy the company of a few other travellers, and the drivers often knew about some great local restaurants to stop at for lunch.
In one case, my guesthouse hooked me up with a driver. Another time, I met a driver at the ferry port. When you split the bill between several passengers, it can actually be pretty close to the cost of a coach bus, except it will be faster and potentially more comfortable.
Planning the Togean ferry
To cross the Gulf of Tomini (the body of water between Sulawesi’s northern tentacle and its centre), it makes the most sense to take the ferry. It stops at the beautiful Togean Islands along the way.
Unfortunately, this ferry only goes twice a week,so you have to figure this into your planning. In Gorontalo, you can only depart on Tuesdays and Fridays. In the other direction, it’s Mondays and Thursdays.
I’m never a fan of having unmovable dates in my itinerary. The Togean ferry also (usually) sits smack in the middle of your route, making it doubly annoying if you prefer having maximum flexibility. To avoid ending up stuck somewhere for too long, you have to time this leg well, or it could cause up to 3 days in your schedule to move back.
The overnight journey can be enjoyable and reasonably comfortable but do bring earplugs for sleeping in the shared spaces. There are officially no private rooms, but some travellers negotiate with the crew members to unofficially rent their quarters (they’ll be working anyway, so they don’t need them).
The only alternative is to go all the way around the peninsula overland, which can take 20+ hours of pure driving with few notable stops. I haven’t heard of anyone who did this, but it seems like a far less promising route.
Although the logistics are a bit fiddly, I thought the Togeans were highly worth the trip. When I arrived on the beautiful islands, I forgot all about having to make the ferry fit neatly into my travel plans.
Lack of useful internal flights
I had hoped a domestic flight or two could help me compress my route a bit and skip over some long journeys. For instance, I had hoped to fly from Manado to Luwuk to visit the Banggai Islands instead of going via the Togeans.
Unfortunately, pretty much all inner-island flights go via Makassar with very few direct lines available. Manado’s airport connects mainly to other islands but not internally.
Hoping for a shortcut? Most flights within Sulawesi loop through Makassar — not exactly time-saving!
In the past, there were a few direct flight connections that let you hop around, but they didn’t survive the COVID-19 pandemic and never returned. Avoid flying with local propeller plane airlines. When I travelled in 2024, there were not one but two (!) fatal crashes with SAM Air.
Practical travel tips
Bring earplugs on buses and ferries
Apart from using car shares, I also did several chunks of my journey by local public bus. This is usually very inexpensive and can work well if the timetables align.
Just one tip: bring good earphones or earplugs! My bus from Manado to Gorontalo played an incessant melody that played literally every time it used the brakes. (And thanks to some windy roads, it was breaking constantly.) It drove me close to the point of insanity and turned what could have been a reasonably comfortable journey into a torturous affair.
Earplugs will also be very handy on the Togean ferry, which will likely involve sleeping in bunk beds in a large shared dormitory.
Use WhatsApp for tours & drivers
Sulawesi is not the kind of place where every experience gets packaged into an off-the-rack tour that is sold online. Travel is a bit more old-school here, which many will surely consider charming and fun.
One useful technique is to connect with local guides and drivers and to add them to WhatsApp (something they may instantly suggest themselves). They all know each other, so they can also hook you up with the right person in your next destination.
The Facebook group Sulawesi Tourism Information also has a lot of local guides who can help you arrange jungle treks, witness funeral rites in Tana Toraja, look for Tarsier monkeys at night, and other such experiences.
Tourism is a bit of a cottage industry. For some remote places, you may find there’s literally just one guide who deals with international tourists. I sadly couldn’t make it to Siau Island in northern Sulawesi due to a cancelled ferry, but if you research this place, you’ll no doubt come across a guy named Derek who can show you around.
It feels like the Siau Island tourism industry basically is just Derek. If you decide to go here, you will find there’s just one homestay you can book via Booking.com (plus a few more you could try in person).
If you enjoy being a bit on the tourism frontier, you can do this in Sulawesi, and WhatsApp is the key to making a lot of things happen directly through local contacts.
Pre-book your Togean stay
While you can improvise a lot in Sulawesi, one piece of the puzzle you may want to plan a bit more is the Togean Islands if you’re going in summer.
Even though Sulawesi as a whole is somewhat underexplored, there is limited capacity on these thinly populated islands, and accommodations do fill up during high season.
There are at most two dozen or so mini-resorts and bungalow/cottage places in the Togeans spread across various islets. I travelled during the low season when I basically had my pick, but hotel owners told me there is a major high season in August. This is when many European travellers come here during summer vacation, so many of the resorts are fully booked during this time.
Off-grid vibes, but limited beds — Togeans need a little planning
Language barriers
Tour guides will generally speak (basic) English and hotel or hostel owners may too, but drivers or people on the street rarely do. Restaurants only rarely have English menus.
One way to deal with this is to learn a few words of Bahasa Indonesia. Fortunately, it’s a super simple language (really!) so even a few Duolingo sessions can quickly pay dividends. I’m hardly a language genius and loved learning some basic Indonesian.
Don’t assume Indonesian must be a hardcore language like Vietnamese, Mandarin, or Japanese. The grammar is often mind-blowingly simple, making you wish more languages were so straightforward. (It’s actually by design: Indonesia needed a simple shared language to unify this hugely multi-cultural and multi-lingual archipelago.)
Otherwise, you may need to rely on apps like Google Translate or use gestures to explain what you need. If you’ve ever dealt with language barriers when travelling anywhere in the world, you’ll know how it works.
Sulawesi itinerary
Alright, enough with the travel tips!
Let me share the route I took with tips for each place along the way.
The table below shows how I’d spread the available time across a minimum of around 20 days. With more time, you can, of course, stay longer and consider more side trips.
Landing in Manado
I arrived at Sam Ratulangi International Airport via Jakarta. Manado’s modern airport has big windows with views of lush green hills and calm music playing over the speakers — a relaxing welcome after the mad rush that is Jakarta.
The airport is a 30-minute drive or so outside the city. There are some buses but a taxi is likely your best bet for a smooth ride out.
(I actually was picked up by a driver arranged by my accommodation in Bunaken Island, which was my first stop on this trip. However, I would normally suggest keeping relaxing island stays for a bit later and starting with more active and cultural travel in places such as Tomohon.)
I stayed only one night in Manado, at Rogers Hotel, which has some cool views of the city. Mostly in the domain of avenues and shopping malls, Manado seems like an efficient hub for business and daily life for locals, but it’s of limited touristic interest. I consider it the gateway to North Sulawesi and less of a destination itself, though it does offer many restaurants and a chance to see a non-touristy city in Indonesia.
Once you’re rested, I suggest heading for the smaller Tomohon, about an hour south.
Tomohon
This small highland city of about 100,000 inhabitants was my favourite stop in North Sulawesi. It’s beautifully situated and the city itself is quite welcoming, but what I liked most was that it’s at the centre of a wonderful confetti of small interesting sights in the region, so if you can drive a scooter, you can have a great time exploring.
There are green ricefield-clad landscapes in just about every direction, numerous impressive waterfalls, several volcanic peaks (including the active Mt Lokon), the nearby Lake Tondano, and several hot springs. I think this makes it a perfect place to start your trip and get a variety of experiences straight away.
Some places to mark on your map include:
The easy and relatively quiet roads make the greater Tomohon area perfect for some scooter excursions. If you can’t self-drive, then you can hit up some of these places on a local tour.
Hilltop viewpoint cafes abound – this one is at Kai’santi
Different faiths are present in Tomohon, but it’s predominantly a Christian area. Many locals belong to the Minahasa tribes, which have a distinct cultural identity and maintain many pre-Christian traditions. The most immediately noticeable difference is the food, which includes many dishes you won’t find anywhere else in Indonesia, as well as some ingredients that you may find unusual.
You can easily see this at the Tomohon Extreme Market, where exotic meats like python and fruit bat are sold. For a Western traveller, it’s quite fascinating to see, though rest assured, far from any form of ‘dark tourism’, these animals are not endangered or anything. They’re a normal (and abundant) kind of food for many Minahasas.
More controversially, you can also find some dog carcasses at the market. While you may find this unpleasant, I should mention the ‘extremeness’ of the market has luckily toned down a lot. After certain unmentionable slaughtering methods sparked an outcry, most of the dog sellers retired in 2024. You may still see a bit of dog meat here and there, but it’s no longer the stacks of them that originally gave this market its name (and which have appeared in various sensationalised videos).
I’m definitely against the inhumane killing of animals, which I’m glad was stopped, though whether dogs should be eaten in the first place is more of a cultural matter. It’s worth keeping an open mind, but if you’re a dog lover, you’ve been warned.
You can also see much subtler expressions of the Minahasa culture at Tuur Ma’asering Kumelembuai Tomohon, a bar/restaurant with huts built to resemble the traditional Minahasa style. Here, they distil a potent Minahasa alcoholic drink called Cap Tikus, which is made from palm sap.
Where to stay in Tomohon: You can stay inside the city of Tomohon, which is nice enough, but most backpackers I met stayed in the hills a bit outside of town. The Indonesian/Dutch-run Rimba Eco Resort has stunning views of the green hills backed by volcanic peaks, offering private rooms plus a rare dorm room as well.
Just know that a nearby village bar can be noisy on weekends, for which the owners helpfully offer earplugs. (I think it’s worth it for the epic location.) The nearby Highland Resort is another option if you want to stay among the green surroundings, but it lacks an expansive view.
How to get there: Lots of buses and minibuses plough this route. You can also grab a taxi in Manado. The trip takes about 45 minutes.
Learn more: For a detailed impression of Tomohon and Bunaken Island, watch my vlog on YouTube.
Tangkoko
The Tangkoko National Reserve is a protected wildlife area about 90 minutes east of Manado. Maybe I got lucky, but I can say that out of all the wildlife hikes and treks I’ve done in Southeast Asia, Tongkoko was by far the most bountiful. I can’t believe just how many interesting animals I saw here!
Black Macaques, Bear cuscus, Hornbills, Kingfishers, and even some of the elusive nocturnal Tarsier monkeys — they all seem remarkably easy to spot here. At least, if you go with a local ranger who will know just where to find them.
Just to set expectations, you won’t be hiking along wild paths deep into the jungles here. A lot of the wildlife can be found fairly close to the park entrance, so you’ll usually be walking along paved paths with occasional bits of off-path adventuring.
A large troupe of Black Macaques seems to have its territory on this side of the park, so they are a near-guaranteed sighting, but other sightings seem to be more up to chance.
Sulawesi is of interest to biologists in part because it sits right along the so-called Wallace Line, a scientific division between Australian and Asian fauna.
The bear cuscus is an example of a creature you’ll only find here — a marsupial and distinctly ‘Australia-type animal’ that looks vaguely like a middle ground between a koala and a sloth. I hadn’t heard of the cuscus before my trip, so seeing one in the wild was all the more remarkable.
You can experience Tangkok on an organized day tour. However, by staying locally, you can take an early morning tour with a greater chance of spotting wildlife (mine left at 5 am — but it was worth it!).
You can also go into the park at sundown to look for Tarsier monkeys, which are not only among the smallest primates but also have some of the biggest eyes (fun fact: it’s the highest eye-to-body-size ratio of any mammal). Seeing a family of Tarsiers emerging from their hiding spots as the sun’s last rays faded was a magical experience. The rangers did a great job of enforcing the rules, so the animals were not disturbed.
How to get to Tangkoko: There are no direct buses, and the only public option you have is using minivans, but this is a bit complicated and will take two steps (with a change in Bitung). I went to Tangkoko with a local driver whom I’d met in Tomohon. Your hotel can likely assist with local tours or drivers.
Booking a tour: There are organized tours from Manado or Tomohon that include transportation and guides and let you visit the park and return within a single day. You can book a Tangkoko day tour on Viator or on GetYourGuide.
Where to stay: Alternatively, you can stay in the small village and arrange a guide locally. I stayed at Tangkoko Ranger Homestay, a nice budget-friendly guesthouse that set me up with some amazingly eagle-eyed guides.
Bunaken Island
Bunaken is a highly scenic island with views of a volcanic peak and many lush reefs nearby, including wall reefs encircling the island, often just a short swim offshore. While known mainly for its scuba diving and snorkelling, you could also simply spend some quiet days here to relax.
Most of the dive resorts and homestays are on the island’s southeast, where there is a small village by the docks. I stayed instead along the central bay. Jungle-fringed and with yellow sands and sweeping views of the Manado Tua volcanic island, I thought this was easily the best place to stay closer to nature.
While excellent for seeing the lavish underwater life, Bunaken is probably more of an optional side trip if you don’t dive. Most people I met at Panorama were either diving or nearing the end of their Sulawesi trip, taking it easy for a few more days before flying out from Manado.
Apart from diving, you can also go on fishing trips, hike up Manado Tua, or take a tour of the island by scooter (optionally with a driver).
Sustainable ecotourism seems to be working well for Bunaken, which seemed a little more developed than other islands in Sulawesi. During my stay, a lovely new dock area and an oceanview walkway with curly iron lampposts were being constructed. Being only 30 to 60 minutes by boat from Manado, it’s a wonderfully accessible island that’s happily unspoiled by any sort of overdevelopment.
How to get to Bunaken: There are public boats from the “Kalimas” harbour in Manado (behind the Celebes Hotel). They’re cheap but only go at specific times. I got a private boat pick-up arranged by Panama Backpackers. Many of the resorts can do this for you.
Where to stay: Many travellers converge at Panorama Backpackers, a delightful family-run guesthouse with private bungalow rooms and communal meals. Stay here for more of a casual and calm social vibe, or consider the Panorama Dive Resort next door for more of a secluded and premium stay.
The two places are run by siblings and both offer very warm hospitality, so, either way, you’ll be part of the Panorama ‘Family’. Scuba and snorkelling trips depart from the beach here every morning.
Gorontalo
Located beside a lake, bounded by several green mountains, and having considerably less traffic, Gorontalo is a more instantly pleasant city than Manado or Makassar. Sadly, it doesn’t have much in the way of sightseeing, so for most travellers, this will probably just be an overnight stop to or from the Togeans.
Sadly, it doesn’t have much in the way of sightseeing, so for most travelers this will probably just be an overnight stop to or from the Togeans.
I did enjoy the basic experience of seeing the local life in Gorontalo and often being approached with curiosity by its residents, so I liked my stay despite the relative lack of things to do.
One popular Sulawesi attraction is swimming with whale sharks. They were first drawn to a shrimp factory south of the city. After it closed, locals kept feeding them to attract tourists.
This is actually bad for the animals (it stops them from naturally migrating), and I had serious doubts about whether the tours follow any sort of regulation, so I skipped it. I once did something similar in the Philippines, and it was a bit depressing (picture an armada of 15 boats chasing a single whale shark). I think it’s better to look for more responsible forms of ecotourism in Sulawesi, but you can make up your own mind.
The city is predominantly Muslim, so alcohol is more discreet. It’s rarely listed on restaurant menus, but you can still find it at certain bars.
How to get to Gorontalo: I took one of the old local buses that you can only book directly at one of the little offices at Terminal Malalayang in Manado. It was kind of comfortable enough, just no onboard toilet, and (to my horror) the bus played an annoying melody every time it used the brakes. I believe there’s a coach bus company doing the route between Manado and Gorontalo, which may offer a more pleasant journey.
It wasn’t bookable online, but my hotel was able to arrange tickets for it. A driver also offered a ride-share, but I was quoted over 100 EUR, and I was alone for this part of the trip, so it didn’t make sense budget-wise in this case.
Where to stay: Many travellers stay at Harry & Minim’s Homestay, a simple but nice accommodation. It’s actually the only high-rated place on Booking.com that I saw that wasn’t some business hotel. It’s a great place to exchange travel tips or to book your seats on the ferry.
Togean Islands
The word paradise gets horribly overused in travel writing, but spending my days on the Togeans, I genuinely did feel like I was in a little paradise.
The Togeans are a collection of small and thinly inhabited islands. The village of Wakai, where the ferry docks, has about 300 inhabitants, and that’s about the largest settlement you’ll find. You can basically just pick any island and feel more or less alone, with the smaller islets having at most 3 or 4 isolated accommodations each (mostly homestays and eco-resorts).
I stayed at the budget-friendly resort Kadidiri Paradise, which is only about 30 minutes by boat from Wakai, but there are many more remote options to consider.
Time slows down in the Togeans. The list of ‘things to do’ may not be limitless but it’s all the little things that can occupy your time: reading a book in a hammock, sipping a beer while watching the orange glow of sunset on the horizon, or looking at for clownfish among the anemones in a reef right in front of your beach bungalow.
There are some activities as well, like jungle hikes, boat tours, canoeing, and swimming in a stingless jellyfish lake. (I should note that in 2024, the jellyfish population had seriously dwindled, and it may not be open for visitors anymore). You don’t have to plan very much, as your accommodation can help you with local excursions.
The waters are crystal clear, and scuba diving and snorkeling are big here, but mostly I would say this is a place to do a lot of nothing. Kadidiri Paradise only had basic, limited internet, making my stay there a wonderful digital detox.
How to get to the Togeans: Take the twice-a-week overnight ferry from Gorontalo. For details, see my “practical travel tips” section earlier. To continue south, you don’t have to take the overnight ferry.
There are daily boats to Ampana. Keep in mind that there are very few transport options in tiny Ampana, so have a plan for how you’ll continue. Ask locally about minivan services or ride-shares.
Where to stay: As a budget backpacker, you may wish to consider Kadidiri Paradise. Other high-rated mid-range resorts include Araya Dive Resort, Tanjung Kalemo Resort, and Bolilanga Island Resort. Accommodation is limited, so it’s wise to pre-book.
Tentana / Lake Poso
The main purpose of stopping in Tentana is to break up the long journey from the Togeans to Tana Toraja. Still, it’s a calm and welcoming town scenically located beside a river and lake with enough small sights around to justify at least a full day or two. The best way to explore is by scooter, as most sights are a bit out of town.
The temperatures are slightly cooler here, with several pine forests at higher elevations. There’s a mix of Muslim and Christian faith, with a small Hindu community (originating from Bali) in a village west of town.
Tentana sitting on the edge of Lake Poso
- East of town are some ancient grave sites/caves. This one features some old skulls and bones under a rocky overhang and is a designated local cultural heritage site. Interesting for a quick look
- Atalambu Hill is a lookout point cafe with wooden platforms, fairy lights, and a cooler atmosphere among the pine trees
- Air Terjun Saluopa is an impressive waterfall about 30 minutes west of town. The drive is really lovely, and the waterfall was absolutely bursting with butterflies when I visited
- Lake Poso is Indonesia’s third-biggest lake. It’s so big that you could trick yourself into thinking you’re actually on the coast. You can chill at some lake beaches, such as Siuri Beach
- Megalithic statues are found in Palindo, about 2 hours west. The road is bad, and locals advise going with a driver or tour. I didn’t get the chance to go, but the hundreds of stone faces — a bit like Easter Island statues — seem mysterious and unique. If I’d had an extra day, I would have gone for sure
All of the above in a sneak peek:
Lake Poso 
Air Terjun Saluopa waterfall 
Atalambu Hill cafe
Where to stay in Tentana: Victory Hotel is the one place just about everyone recommends — I guess they have the market cornered. It was closed on my visit and so I ended up at the very friendly Amadeo Guest House, which was great value and a great stay. The friendly staff can help with scooter rentals and arrange onward travel to Tana Toraja.
Eat at Kayaku Foodshop, enjoy the view at Bukit Pamona restaurant, or get some quality coffee at Morasi Kopi Tentana.
How to get there: I took the ferry from the Togean Islands to Ampana. I recommend planning this section well as there are only a few ‘bemo’ minibuses from there to Tentana and no regular buses that I’m aware of. I found a ride-share with a private driver who was waiting at the docks.
Rantepao / Tana Toraja
Oh gosh, where do I even begin?
The Toraja regency, of which Rantepao is the capital, reveals another totally different culture within Sulawesi. It’s truly one of the most unique cultures I’ve ever come across — and learning about it is a constant process of finding ever-deeper layers.
Torajans have an almost hyper-fixation with death, renowned for their extremely elaborate funeral rites and unusual burial sites.
A single funeral can take up to a whole week, and it is, for the most part, a celebration instead of a solemn affair. Even more eyebrow-raising than the sheer scale of the funerals is their delayed nature; corpses are preserved in formaldehyde, and people continue to ‘live with’ the deceased sometimes for years before they are buried.
Sounds wild? Well, this merely scratches the surface. I could write a whole book about all the interesting facts about the Toraja culture, but let me just stick to some travel tips here so you can peel off the layers for yourself.
Visiting the funerals
First of all, please understand that funerals here are not what they are in the West. Lazy cultural copy-pasting can lead to misunderstandings; for instance, I’ve seen messages on social media of people ‘outraged’ that tourists go to these funerals, when in fact they are essentially public events.
Tourists are understandably concerned about not being too intrusive, though the locals themselves will film the entire proceedings with elaborately gimballed cameras and professional drones, so don’t think you’re the only one taking pictures. Just dress modestly and apply common sense in order to be respectful. You’re expected to bring a gift, usually a carton of cigarettes.
While the guide business is clearly established, I thought the funerals had a negligible element of touristification. The people clearly do them because it’s a hallowed tradition, not because you’ve come to see it.
The funerals are actually extremely costly and often rely on funds from family members who emigrated for work elsewhere in Indonesia or Asia, so they’re not exactly funded by your pack of cigarettes. (I’m just trying to calm down some of the typical tourist anxieties here. I think you can responsibly witness these funeral rites.)
Using a local guide is not mandatory, but it can be very helpful for following etiquette and simply understanding what is going on. Your accommodation in Rantepao can connect you with local guides. If you want to do it yourself without a guide, the most difficult part is finding out in which village a ceremony will take place.
Note that some ceremonies involve animal sacrifice, which some may find unpleasant.
How to get to Rantepao: I took a private ride-share from Tentana. The new mountain pass road should be finished by now (in 2025), making it about a 7-hour journey. There are also buses from Poso to Makassar that stop in Rantepao.
How long to stay: If you’re interested in the cultural traditions, then you might want to allocate at least several days. I stayed 5 days in order to catch two ceremonies and have some time to spare to explore the region by motorbike.
Places to visit: Apart from the ceremonies, the grave cave at Londa and the stone circles and graves at Kalimbuang Bori are very interesting. Drive to the peak of Lolai above the clouds for sunrise or sunset views of the entire valley.
Where to stay: The centre of Rantepao is not particularly vibey, being mainly centred around a big and noisy avenue. However, I loved staying just a few minutes outside of town among the rice fields. The very friendly Singki Family Homestay gets my warm recommendation. For some more upmarket accommodation, check out the Toraja Heritage Hotel.
Rammang-Rammang
This natural karst mountain area was made a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2023, reminding me a lot of the landscapes of northern Vietnam, like Ninh Binh or perhaps the Thai coast around Krabi.
A key difference is that Rammang-Rammang is barely known, being just a fledgling ecotourism destination with a laid-back vibe.
It’s a wonderful off-the-beaten-path stop along the way to Makassar that’s worth at least an overnight stay. Boats can take you deeper into the karst landscape to a stunningly photogenic location surrounded by limestone peaks.
Several caves can also be explored in the area, including the Firefly Cave, which is filled with sparkling stalactites and stalagmites. Stay for sunset, and you may witness the epic spectacle of millions of bats leaving the caves.
There isn’t that much to do in the village, but you can grab a drink or meal in one of several hilltop cafes offering amazing vistas of the karst mountains.
How to get to Rammang Rammang: I took an overnight bus from Rantepao to Makassar and asked the driver to get off at Rammang-Rammang. I got dropped off at 4.30 AM… far earlier than I expected. Without onward transportation at this hour, I had to hike in the dark for 25 minutes, which was… less than ideal.
However, many buses between Rantepao and Makassar pass by Rammang-Rammang, so you could time it a lot better than I did. You can ask your accommodation in Rammang-Rammang for a pick-up at the bus stop on the main road.
Where to stay: Within the village, you have only 3 or so choices. I stayed at Rammang Rammang House, which is truly a homestay where you occupy a basic room in the friendly owners’ house.
Another option is Nasrul House, whose owner is very passionate about establishing sustainable ecotourism in this area. They recently renovated, raising the roof from 1.80m to 2.50m to better accommodate taller European guests. (I thought that was quite a funny detail!)
Makassar
I stayed only briefly in Makassar, as my time ran out and I prioritised other destinations. Like Manado, it’s more of a commercial hub and port city with not thatmany things to see for a (foreign) visitor. I recommend checking out the 17th-century Fort Rotterdam, which offers insights into Dutch colonial history.
How to get there: There are buses, but their timing didn’t work out for me. My guesthouse arranged for a taxi pickup. The trip took about an hour.
Roads not taken
There was only so much I could cover on my trip, and there were tons of places I marked but didn’t get around to. I could easily design a whole other month of travel in Sulawesi based on where I didn’t end up going!
Here are some other places you may wish to research:
Siau Island is home to an active volcano and a unique species of Tarsier monkeys, which can be seen on a night hike. It seems like a wilder and off-path island to go to than Bunaken, which may be more interesting if you’re not diving. There are several good videos on YouTube for what you can expect in Siau.
The Banggai Islands are an emerging, off-path destination. Reach them via Luwuk. It represents a significant detour, but for what it’s worth, a decade-plus foreign resident of Sulawesi described it to me as better than the Togean Islands and a place that is very pure and untouched.
Labengke Island seems like an absolute dream, with the karst landscapes resembling some kind of mini Raja Ampat. I would like to make it out there next time!
And there are many others. My number one tip is to speak to travellers you meet along the way and keep an eye on social media groups like the Sulawesi Tourism Information, where people regularly post reports from Sulawesi’s less-visited corners.
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