Sulawesi from south to north

Most travellers who reach out to us already know Bali and Java, or have at least read about them. Sulawesi is a different story. The island with that odd spider shape sits right in the middle of Indonesia and often gets skipped. Which is exactly why it's worth it.

We've put together a private trip that takes you from the southern tip to the far north in almost four weeks. No group, no fixed schedule that's the same for everyone — you travel with your own guide and set the pace together.

Toraja: where death is celebrated

If one place stays with you from this trip, it's Tana Toraja. In the highlands of South Sulawesi, the Toraja live in their distinctive tongkonan houses, with roofs that curve upward like little boats. But it's their relationship with death that makes it special.

A funeral here isn't a quiet, sombre affair. It's a celebration that can last for days, involving the whole community. The deceased are buried against the cliffs, as high as possible, close to the sky. For babies there used to be a separate tradition: a grave carved into the trunk of a living tree.

We deliberately keep one day open in the programme. If a ceremony takes place during your stay, you can attend. That might sound uncomfortable, but the Toraja actually welcome it — a visit is seen as a sign of respect. Your guide arranges the rest and explains what you're seeing. If there's no ceremony, you head into the villages and caves instead.

From megaliths to coral walls

After Toraja, the trip keeps changing character. Deep in Central Sulawesi lies the Bada Valley, with stone figures that no one can quite explain — who made them, or why. Further north, you swap the mountains for the Togean Islands: a few days without any rush, snorkelling over the reef and not much else to do.

Off the coast of Gorontalo, whale sharks swim almost year-round. Huge, but completely harmless — you can get in the water with them, guided. Further on, in the Tangkoko nature reserve, you go looking for the tarsier, one of the smallest primates on earth, with eyes far too big for its head. And you finish at Bunaken, where the reef drops steeply into the deep and the marine life ranks among the richest in Indonesia.

It's a lot, and honestly that's the point. Sulawesi doesn't fit into a long weekend.

A real journey, not a resort holiday

We don't like to make things sound prettier than they are. This route has a few long driving days — from Toraja to Tentena you're on the road for a good part of the day, and between Gorontalo and Tomohon much the same. What you get in return is worth it: you watch the landscape change in front of you, from rice fields to mountains to coast.

The accommodation follows wherever you are. In one spot you sleep in a homestay with a local family, in another a comfortable hotel. Your guide travels the whole way with you — the same person from Makassar to Manado. That saves a lot of explaining, and it makes the trip far more personal.

Interested?

We put this trip together per person, tailor-made, so the price is on request. Want it shorter, or to stay longer somewhere? That's fine. Let us know and we'll work out together what suits you.

See the full route on the Sulawesi tour page, or get in touch for a no-obligation chat.