Tanjung Bira (Cape of Bira) - A Flake of Heaven in South Sulawesi

If people call Bali as The Island of the Gods, Tanjung Bira looks like A Flake of Heaven. A tranquil beautiful place in South Sulawesi where you can see a carpet of white smooth sand, clear crystal bluish water, beautiful scenery, moderate waving tide, and gorgeous view under water; it does really spoil your eyes and relax your nerves as well. Unlike beaches in Bali that are mostly crowded with visitors, Tanjung Bira is a place where you can get both the beauty and the tranquility.

If you are a kinda beach guy, love swimming, snorkeling, diving or just simply laying on the sand enjoy the sun-bathing, Tanjung Bira would be a perfect choice for your next escaping place or holiday destination.

How to Get There?

As you landed in Makassar (formerly named Ujung Pandang), you will need to drive to the south for about 5-6 hours. If you do not rent any car, you can simply go to bus station Malengkeri. From Malengkeri station, you can choose either to take a public car with yellow license plate to Bulukumba or straight to Tanjung Bira (cost around 50,000 IDR) or take a bus Malengkeri – Selayar and drop by at Tanjung Bira Harbour.

Tanjung Bira is located in the regency of Bulukumba, in the southern part of South Sulawesi. From Makassar to Bulukumba you will pass 3 regencies: Takalar, Jeneponto, and Bantaeng. No worry about spending a long boring driving, since you will capture beautiful view along the road or stop by in several tourism spots you’ll find along the way.

Passing the Takalar your eyes will capture rice field along the road. The view will continue till you enter Jeneponto. Not only yellow rice fields, you will also find cornfields and salt ponds! Yes, since the area is in the coastline, people here build salt ponds for their living.

Jeneponto is also famous for their horse. One of the well-known culinary from Jeneponto is Coto Kuda. It’s a kinda sup with coconut milk and herbs and of course the horse meat. Go trying it, since you’ll hardly find it in any other place. The meat fibers are rougher than beef, but it tastes good. Just try to erase the image of a horse while you are eating it.

Coto Kuda

Entering Bantaeng, you will meet many tourism spots like waterfall, cave, and historical places. If you have enough time you can visit those places you meet along the way or you can stop by beautiful beach just to refresh yourself before continue driving.

 

Soon you’ll get into Bulukumba where Tanjung Bira is located. But before you arrive at the cape of Bira, you can drop by The Islamic Centre Dato’ Tiro and visit the Phinisi Village – the village where the people build the famous giant Phinisi boat.

You will be amazed with the giant boat. They make it by hand – no machine. One Phinisi boat takes more than a year to build. It is made of solid steel wood – very strong, such a sophisticated art craft. Surprisingly, the boats are usually made by request and sold to Canada, USA, and many other countries in Europe. What a proud product of Indonesia!

  

  

Accommodation and Things to Do

Once you reach Tanjung Bira, you’ll have to buy an entrance ticket. It costs around 10,000 IDR for domestic visitors and 30,000 IDR for foreign tourists. Having passed the entrance gate, you’ll find lines of hostels on your two sides of the road. You can choose a place to stay suitable to your need; with the price range 100,000 – 500,000 IDR / night.

Leave your belonging at the hostel, grab your sun cream and enjoy the beach!

  

  

If you love snorkeling or diving you can rent a boat for 250,000 – 300,000 IDR to take you to Pulau Kambing (Goat Island) where you’ll find gorgeous under water view. You can also rent a mask or a fin for 25,000 IDR each, and you can use it for a whole day snorkeling.

Ask also the boat person to take you to Pantai Barra (Barra Beach) which is just 10 minutes from Bira beach. Barra beach is as gorgeous as Bira beach. You can move staying here if you like, but the cottages will cost you more.

The best time to visit the place is around September – October and February – March. During that time, you will find thick smooth sandy beach, friendly waving tide, nice weather, and less crowded of visitors. Go planning your vacation there and enjoy the flake of heaven!

Tanjung Bira

At Barra Beach

Tana Toraja - The Mystical Beauty

TaTor or Tana Toraja is an exotic highland that is very famous with its burial sites. Talking about Toraja will make us talk about its gorgeous view, great coffee, unique tradition, and the mystical sensation behind its beauty.

Entering Tana Toraja is like getting into a new world where you would hold your breath of admiring its natural scenery, at the same time feeling creepy of seeing so many holes on the rock or stone mountains; because you know there are dead bodies laying inside the holes. 

People in Toraja are mostly Christian but they are still practicing animist. Toraja is famed for their spectacular burial rites. After a person's death, the body is kept inside their house, often for several years, while money is saved to pay for the actual funeral ceremony, known as tomate. During the festival, which may last up to a week, ritual dances and buffalo fights are held, and buffaloes and pigs are slaughtered to ferry the soul of the deceased to the afterlife (puya). The deceased is then finally buried either in a small cave, often with a tau-tau effigy placed in front, inside a hollow tree or even left exposed to the elements in a bamboo frame hanging from a cliff.

How to Get there?

To reach TaTor from Makassar, you’ll have to drive for about 9 hours to the north. You can take a bus from Makassar to Rantepao or Makale, Toraja that will cost you around 70,000 – 150,000IDR. Another option you can rent a car for 550,000 per day. You can also fly from Sultan Hasanuddin Airport to Pong Tiku Airport in Makale, Toraja. If you go in group, it is better for you to rent a car. Not only that it is cheaper than taking a plane, it will also make you easier to explore many sites in TaTor. Besides, during your driving to TaTor you’ll have opportunity to stop at other regions and enjoy their beauty.

One place where you can stop on your way to Toraja is Buttu Kabobong or Gunung Nona at Bambapuang, Enrekang. Buttu Kabobong in Enrekang language is also called as Massenrempulu or Erotic Mountain. Buttu or Buntu means mountain, and Kabobong means erotic. The mountain is named that way because the valleys and slopes that form the mountain is often associated with female genital. Having tired of driving, you will be refreshed by its beautiful view and fresh air. Don’t forget to enjoy the view while sipping Enrekang Coffee. Yes, though it is not as popular as Toraja coffee, Enrekang coffee tastes as great as its neighbour’s.

Buttu Kabobong, Enrekang

Where to Go in Tator?

To explore Tator, you’ll need at least 2 days, since there are so many burial caves, baby graves, traditional villages, and spectacular panorama sites. Of course, you don’t have to visit the whole sites, since many of them are similar to each other. Some main sites that are worth for you to visit are Batutumonga, Kete’Kesu, and Londa

Batutumonga

Batutumongan is in the north of Toraja, located in Sesean area, above Rantepao. It is a highland with cool climate where you can enjoy spectacular panorama and see burial site. As far as the eyes can see is green scenery with so many ‘Menhirs’ stones and bamboo trees.

At Batutumonga, dead bodies inside the stone

                     

                                                                View at Batutumonga

Kete’Kesu

Below Batutumonga is Rantepao area where you can find traditional village megalith in Karasik and traditional village in Buntu Pune. Not far from there is Kete’kesu where you can see the most complete settlement: an example of traditional village with compound of houses and granaries, burial site, ceremonial ground, rice field, and buffalo pasture.

At the front side, your eyes will meet wide paddy field; next to it are lines of traditional Tongkonan houses of Toraja. Kete’Kesu is no longer inhabited; it has been converted into a living museum. It is set in purpose to display Toraja architecture and daily life. Besides visiting the burial site, you can also buy traditional handicraft sold in the kiosks in front of the gate. 

Granaries and buffalo pasture at KeteKesu

Londa

Londa is one of famous cave burial sites in TaTor. Inside the cave are coffins that are arranged and grouped based on the family lines. Based on the local guide, those who were buried in Londa are coming from one big family, named Tolengkek Family (Marga Tolengkek). Don’t get shocked of finding many skeletons tumbling out of the rotten coffins. Though it is far from the aesthetic eyes, but the Toraja people are quite pleased to display their ancestors and feel honored of welcoming foreign guests who come visiting the burial site.

At the front side of the cave, you will find a balcony with dozens of tau-tau sitting in rows. Tau-tau is an effigy made of wood or bamboo; mostly the effigies are made of wood from jackfruit trees. Each tau-tau represents the dead body buried in the cave. A ceremony is held prior the making of tau-tau. 

The luxury of a funeral shows a person’s social class. The more powerful the person who died, the more buffaloes are slaughtered and the longer the funeral festival is held.

Albino buffalos are very special for Toraja people. It costs a whole fortune; hundreds million rupiah for a buffalo. Slaughtering an albino buffalo during funeral ceremony indicates the high status and power of the dead person and the family.  

Lines of Tongkonan houses at Kete Kesu

Burial Site at Kete Kesu

Albino buffalo costs around 600 millions IDR

Other things in TaTor

If you have enough time to explore TaTor, don’t forget to visit hanging grave in Pala’tokke, not far from Kete’Kesu and also baby grave in Sangalla.

Besides famous with its handicraft, Toraja’s Arabica coffee has high reputation worldwide. In many warung / café, you will also find traditional drink of Toraja which is called Ballok. Ballok or Ballo is Torajan palm wine. It is usually drunk from a bamboo tube. Be careful not to try it since it can be very strong. The darker, the stronger it is.

Hotels and hostels are many in Toraja, since the people are very welcome with tourists. Finding halal food is quite difficult here; ask the waiter for its halal before you order your food. Plan your visit carefully, so that you don’t have to stay longer. Have a great adventure and enjoy the mystical beauty of Toraja!

A balcony with dozens of tau-tau in Londa

Skeletons and skulls inside the cave in Londa

Note: Published in CnS Magazine, Ed. January 2015