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Sulawesi: Makassar, the road and flight to Toraja, and its funeral season
How do I get to Makassar and up to Toraja?
Fly to Makassar: 85 to 90 minutes from Bali, from about Rp 1,615,000 for November 2026, or about 2 h 30 min from Jakarta. Toraja is the highland region north of it: Wings Air flies between Toraja airport and Makassar in about an hour, and night buses leave Makassar's Terminal Regional Daya around 20:00 to 21:00 for an overnight ride of 8 to 10 hours. July and August are the peak of Rambu Solo, Toraja's funeral ceremonies.
At a glance
| Province | South Sulawesi |
|---|---|
| Usual way in | Flight to Makassar, then bus or flight to Toraja |
| Terminals and ports | Makassar airport (UPG); Terminal Regional Daya; Toraja airport (TRT) |
Bali to Makassar: the 90-minute flight
Fly direct from Denpasar to Makassar: Lion Air at 07:00, 15:30 and 16:40, Citilink at 15:00 and Batik Air at 21:30, 85 to 90 minutes, from about Rp 1,615,000 for November 2026. The clock does not change: Bali and Makassar are both on Central Indonesian Time.
| Usual way | Direct flight |
|---|---|
| Typical time | 85 to 90 min |
| Where it arrives | Sultan Hasanuddin airport (UPG), Makassar |
Denpasar to Makassar (November 2026)
Jakarta to Makassar
Flights leave Soekarno–Hatta for Makassar all day and night, on Lion Air, Batik Air, Citilink, Garuda and NAM Air, about 2 h 20 min to 2 h 30 min, from about Rp 1,800,000 for November 2026. Makassar is an hour ahead of Jakarta.
| Usual way | Direct flight |
|---|---|
| Typical time | About 2 h 30 min |
| Where it arrives | Sultan Hasanuddin airport (UPG), Makassar |
Garuda's morning flights: 05:00, 05:30, 07:00, 08:25, 11:25; Lion Air and Batik Air also fly overnight, leaving Jakarta after midnight.
Makassar to Toraja: the night bus or the one-hour flight
By air, Wings Air links Toraja airport with Makassar in about an hour; the flight came back after Wings Air dropped the route in July 2025 for lack of passengers. By road, buses leave Makassar's Terminal Regional Daya in the evening, around 20:00 to 21:00, and reach Toraja after 8 to 10 hours overnight.
| Usual way | Night bus or Wings Air |
|---|---|
| Typical time | About 1 h by air, 8 to 10 h by bus |
| Where it arrives | Makale or Rantepao |
Get off at Makale or Rantepao. The buses stop at both; Makale is the entrance to Toraja, and you pick the one nearer your hotel.
Full only in the holidays. Toraja's airport said in 2025 that the plane filled up only in holiday seasons; check the day's flight before you plan around it.
Manado to Bunaken: the boat across and the marine park ticket
Bunaken Island is about an hour from Manado by motor boat. Foreign visitors pay Bunaken National Park Rp 150,000 a visit, and Rp 25,000 more to dive or snorkel, online on AyoKeTamanNasional or at the park's ticket counters.
| Usual way | Motor boat from Manado |
|---|---|
| Typical time | About 1 h |
| Where it arrives | Bunaken Island |
The islanders' boat runs three days a week. The taksi air, the public boat Bunaken people take to shop in Manado, sails on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays: from Bunaken around 09:00, back from Manado around 18:00. That suits a night or two on the island rather than a day trip; the fare went up to Rp 40,000 a person with the September 2022 fuel price rise.
Day trips go by chartered boat. A larger tourist boat for about ten people was hired for Rp 1,500,000 to Rp 1,800,000 a day after the same rise.
Where the park sells tickets. At Dermaga Baru in East Bunaken, at the Mainland Gate and at Pantai Liang (Liang beach), 08:00 to 16:30 on weekdays and 08:00 to 15:30 at weekends.
Flying into Makassar or Manado
Most trips to Sulawesi start with a flight into one of its two big cities.
Makassar is the hub. Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar is Sulawesi's main gateway and the nearest international airport to Toraja; Toraja's tourism office sends visitors through it.
Manado for Bunaken. Bunaken island is reached through Manado, a separate trip from Toraja with its own flights.
Getting around Rantepao and Tana Toraja
Once in Toraja, you get around by local minibus, motorbike taxi or a hired driver.
Pete-pete and travel. Minibuses called pete-pete, also known as bemo or angkot, run inside the towns, and shared "travel" cars run between Makale and Rantepao, from 06:30 to 18:00, less often and earlier in the remoter villages.
Rent a car or a driver for the villages and burial sites, which are spread over the hills; the tourism office lists rental options.
The Togean Islands: ferries from Ampana and Gorontalo
The Togeans lie in the Gulf of Tomini, between Ampana on the Central Sulawesi coast and Gorontalo to the north, and the ferries from both call at Wakai. Adult economy fares:
KMP Tuna Tomini sails every two days from Pelabuhan Penyeberangan Gorontalo (Gorontalo ferry harbour) in Leato Utara. In June 2026 it left Gorontalo between 15:00 and 16:00, reached Wakai around 03:00 to 04:00 and Ampana by 09:00 to 11:00. Economy seats are sold in the Ferizy app; business and VIP only at the port counter.
Wind stops the ferry. The boat makes under 10 knots, and on 24 July 2026 the harbour master kept it in Gorontalo when winds of 20 to 25 knots crossed the gulf; the wind there often rises sharply after midday.
Pelni's slower loop. KM Sabuk Nusantara 78 links Ampana and Gorontalo on a 17-day circuit from Kendari, with economy bunks and three meals a day included; in November 2026 it sails from Ampana on the 16th at 08:00 and from Gorontalo on the 17th at 07:00.
Toraja's funeral season and the Sacred Highlands
Toraja is known for its funeral ceremonies and carved houses. Here is what visitors come to see.
- Rambu Solo, the funeral ceremony that sends the dead to the spirit world, is what Toraja is known for: processions, guests and the sacrifice of buffalo and pigs.
- July and August are the peak of the ceremonies, each lasting three to seven days, and visitors from Indonesia and abroad come to watch.
- The dead wait at home: until Rambu Solo is held, families treat the body as not yet departed, and the costs mean many ceremonies come months or years later.
- The name means the setting sun: Rambu Solo is "the light that goes down", because the rites begin as the sun sets.
- Toraja is nominated for UNESCO World Heritage, says its tourism office, which calls the region the Sacred Highlands.
Going further
Routes through this hub
- Bali to Makassar: the 90-minute flightLion Air, Citilink and Batik Air direct, 85 to 90 minutes, from about Rp 1,615,000 for November 2026.
- Jakarta to MakassarAbout 2 h 20 min to 2 h 30 min, flights all day from Soekarno–Hatta, from about Rp 1,800,000 for November 2026.
- Makassar to Toraja: the night bus or the one-hour flightWings Air IW 1331 about an hour; night buses from Terminal Regional Daya, 8 to 10 hours.
- Manado to Bunaken: the boat across and the marine park ticketAbout an hour by motor boat; foreign visitors pay the national park Rp 150,000 a visit.
Sulawesi: what travellers ask
How long is the bus from Makassar to Toraja?
About 8 to 10 hours overnight: buses leave Makassar's Terminal Regional Daya around 20:00 to 21:00 and stop at Makale and Rantepao.
Is there a flight from Makassar to Toraja?
Yes, Wings Air flies between Toraja airport and Makassar in about an hour (flight IW 1331 from Toraja), after the route was stopped in July 2025 for low demand and later resumed.
When is the funeral season in Toraja?
The peak of the Rambu Solo ceremonies is July and August; a ceremony lasts three to seven days and families often hold it months or years after a death.
Sources for Sulawesi
- Kemenhut AyoKeTamanNasional: Bunaken National Park
- detikTravel: fuel rise makes Bunaken trips dearer (6 September 2022)
- Tribun Gorontalo: KMP Tuna Tomini fares and timetable, June 2026 (8 June 2026)
- Antara: KSOP Gorontalo holds KMP Tuna Tomini in bad weather (24 July 2026)
- Kemenhub UPBU Toraja: departure routes
- detikSulsel: Wings Air stops Toraja - Makassar for lack of passengers (17 July 2025)
- Visit Toraja (Toraja DMO): getting here and around
- Antara: Rambu Solo, the Toraja funeral ceremony