The Tana Toraja regency in south Sulawesi is known for its lush rice fields, limestone cliffs and its Tongkonan houses with their pointed, boat-shaped roofs. This region is home to the Torajans, an ethnic group with one of the most interesting cultures in the country. Death is central to Torajan life; deceased loved ones are kept at home, often for years, until their funeral. This is because death is seen less as an immediate end than a gradual transition to the afterlife. The funerals are elaborate, multi-day affairs with traditional dancing and buffalo sacrifices, and visitors are welcome to attend the funerals with a local guide (providing you bring a small gift for the family). After the funeral, the coffins are placed in caves and cliff sides to protect them from animals and thieves, and to allow them to be closer to heaven and their ancestors. Tau tau, wooden effigies representing the deceased, are placed on balconies in the rockface, providing a link between the deceased and the living. There are a few places in Tana Toraja where you can view these burial sites, such as Londa and Tampang Allo.
Getting there: Sulawesi island is a 1.5-hour flight from Bali.
Weaving heritage
Flores Island
Flores is home to some of Indonesia’s finest ikat textiles, an ancient art form of tie-dying threads which are then hand-woven into intricate fabrics. These textiles are used in religious and cultural ceremonies such as births and weddings, while various motifs and colours can indicate the tribe that the wearer belongs to. There are various weaving villages that you can visit in Flores, but one of the best and most accessible is Bliran Sina Watublapi near the town of Maumere, on the island’s north coast. Here, a group of local women have set up a co-operative, and visitors are welcome to watch the weaving process, from the cotton spinning to the dyeing and weaving. You can also see their beautiful, ready-made textiles and purchase directly from them.
Getting there: Fly to Bali or Jakarta and onto Flores via a 1-2.5-hour flight.
Megalithic culture
Sumba Island
Sumba is an enchanting place, where windswept beaches and verdant hills meet turquoise lagoons and picturesque waterfalls. Although Christianity is the main religion here, the locals still hold strong indigenous marapu (spiritual force) beliefs, where gods, spirits and ancestors are believed to influence the world of the living. Visitors can learn about this at traditional villages like Praiyawang, Praijing and Ratenggaro, known for their towering thatched roofs and stone tombs. You’ll also find Sumbanese women hand-weaving ikat textiles, widely regarded as the best in Indonesia with their ornate patterns depicting village scenes, tribal wars and mythological creatures. If you happen to be in Sumba in February or March (the date changes each year), don’t miss the Pasola festival, an exhilarating spectacle where blunt spear-wielding men charge at each other on horseback to celebrate the start of the harvest season.
Getting there: Fly from Bali to Tambolaka Airport in the west or Waingapu Airport in the east. Flight time is about 1–1.5 hours.
Central Java’s ancient history
Yogyakarta city
Yogyakarta, a city in central Java, is considered to be the heart of Javanese culture. It has a charming, retro feel to it with its old buildings and shaded streets, and is a centre for ballet, theatre, literature, shadow puppetry, batik textile-making and silversmithing. There’s plenty to fill your itinerary here, such as creative workshops making jewellery and batik textiles, ornate Javanese palaces, Dutch colonial forts, and cultural performances like gamelan orchestras and the famous Ramayana Ballet Prambanan. Venture outside the city too, where you’ll find the two famous 9th-century World Heritage temples – Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in the world, and the Hindu temple of Prambanan.
Getting there: Fly from Auckland to Yogyakarta via Singapore (second flight time is 2 hours, 45 minutes), Bali or Jakarta (both about 1.5 hours).
Annual worm festival
Lombok Island
Once a year on Lombok’s south coast, thousands of people flock to Seger Beach in the dark, early hours of the morning. They’re here to collect sea worms – thin, multicoloured spaghetti-like creatures – in an event called Bau Nyale. Legend has it that Princess Mandalika, when made to choose a suitor, flung herself into the sea in despair and transformed into these sea worms. They only appear one night of the year, and locals make the most of it by heading down to the sea, armed with nets, buckets and torches. The sea worms are considered a delicacy, and are grilled with coconut and spices. The locals are very welcoming to tourists joining in this lively celebration – it’s free to join, but you can purchase nets at the beach for a small price.
Getting there: Fly from Auckland to Perth or Singapore. Flights from Perth to Lombok take about 3 hours 45 minutes. From Singapore, it is 2 hours, 50 minutes. You can also fly from Bali in 45 minutes.