Central Sulawesi Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Map of Central Sulawesi

• -0.895119.8594441 Palu - the capital
• -1.37859120.76242 Poso - market town wracked by interfaith violence, especially from 1998-2006.
• -0.86795121.58573 Ampana - Transit point
• -1.782222120.6494444 Tentena
• -0.9525122.7883335 Luwuk

• -1.408619123.2063631 Banggai Islands
• -1.23119.852 Lore Lindu National Park - Here you can see megaliths with the little features etched in in the downstairs area.
• -0.3333331223 Togian Islands

There are airports in Palu (PLW ^IATA) (for Lake Poso and the central highlands), and Luwuk (LUW ^IATA) (for the Togian Islands, Morowali), with a reasonable number of domestic departures from Manado and Makassar.

From the south: buses leave Rantepao in Tana Toraja everyday around 09:00 (delays can be common), and stops at Tentena, Poso and Palu. The road is in a bad condition, with potholes being quite common. Therefore heavy delays can be expected. Try to get a seat on the more comfortable executive bus for this reason.

From the north: an overland bus route goes to Manado by Toli-Toli and Gorontalo, this is not very used by tourists though, as the Togian Islands is omitted on this route.

Small ferries arrive in Ampana from Wakai, the "capital" of the Togian Islands, every day apart from Sunday and Thursday. The 5-hour trip is not recommended for people prone to seasickness, but the scenery is very nice.

Standard Indonesian fare in the warungs, very few "proper restaurants". The fish, and especially the eel from Lake Poso, can be delicious.

Bat: at least a few warungs in Tentena, down by Lake Poso, sell this local delicacy. It is extremely spicy, and quite bony, but must be tried.

Delicious coffee from Sulawesi is not only from Tana Toraja. In Central Sulawesi, there are two types of delicious coffee.

• Toratima Coffee from Pipikoro District. A fermented coffee from bats, rats, and squirrels. But unlike luwak coffee which is fermented through the digestion, this coffee is from these animals' vomit.
• Sojol Coffee from Donggala Regency, Arabica type coffee.

As of 2017, the East Indonesia Mujahideen was launching attacks in the central town of Poso. Tourists were not targeted, but there were very few visitors in the area, anyway, and the police and military presence was very heavy.