Fifty kilometers south of Palu is the 231.000 hectare national park Lore Lindu. It is located along both sides of the border between the districts of Donggala and Poso, and concludes
Gunung Nokilalaki and
Gunung Tokasa, the entire Lindu plain with the big lake, the Besoa valley and the western parts of the Bada- and Napu valleys. In these three valleys you can find drums and statues of a long lost culture.
The biggest part of the park is covered by dense tropical forests, inhabited by many of Sulawesi's local spiecies, among them the
babiroesa,
anoa and monkeys. It's hard to see those animals. The abundant birdlife however, is better to catch. With a lowest point of 300 meters above sealevel and a highest point of 2610 meters, the park has a rich variety of landscapes: dense forests, grassy plains and swampy valleys. You don't need a permit for a visit to Lore Lindu, but when climbing
Gunung Nokilalaki, you will need permission of the nature reserve office (KSDA) at Jl. S. Parman in Palu. There are many entrances to the park. You can take a minibus from Palu over a road through the Palolo valley to Wuasa, or southern via Kuwali until Gimpu.
From Palu, there is a road along both sides of the river towards the south. Along the main road on the eastern bank is a series of Kaili villages, to be recognised by the characteristic pillar dwellings, which have a strong resemblance with the Buginese houses, but without the special layered roofs, which tell about the status of the resident in the south.
At a big crossing close to Kalukubula, just south of Palu, you can make a detour towards the east for a visit to Biromaru and Bora, cengter of the former Sigi kingdom. This was once the residence of the mightiest
magau, like the raja's of Kaili were named - the ruler of the western highlands. Sigi kept the rites that were performed by transvestite
bajasa-priests longest, but in contrary to the
bissu in the south, the
bajasa have now gone from this strict islamic region. The mineral water from the hot source near Bora is still known for it's healing powers.
From Palu you can also take a smaller road along the western bank of the river. This crosses the Marawola district with it's heavily eroded mountains, which rise high above the savannah. Further south, towards Binagga, wet ricefields appear in the middle of dense forests of coconut trees. They are nowadays replaced by smaller ones, which grow faster and bring in money faster as well. After that, the road crosses the river to merge with the main road about ten kilometers from Palu, near Dolo.
More south, past Sidondo, the main road runs along huge irrigational works, fed by
Sungai Gumbasa, which is fed by
Danau Lindu The village of Pakuli is the starting point of a faintly upward trip into the hills. Near Tuwa, at the lower end of the Palu valley, the road really starts to climb: the lowlands of Kaili have been replaced by the western highlands.
Changes in the highlands
During the precolonial era, the western highlands were made up from a number of small 'praefectures', which paid taxes and serviced as warriors for Sigi and other kingdoms. The highlanders worked on the ricefields and cultivated vegetables. They added wild animals to their meals.
The Dutch already had outposts there in the 18th century, but it took until 1903 before they started to occupy the inlands. The strongest resistance was offered by the Kulawi from it's fortress on
Gunung Momi. In 1904, fights raged for months until an aristocrat was captured and tortured to give up an alternative route to Kulawi along
Sungai Miu. After capturing the Kulawi leader, Toi Torengke, his troops surrendered. The defenders of the neighboring Napu valley however, continued their resistance until they were defeated near Peore in 1907. The Dutch started to rebuild local settlements. Thet took people from the hills and forced them to create wet ricefields around
Danau Lindu. The western highlands were devided among the
raja of Kulawi and Lore, which ruled under Dutch command and gathered power because of this.
Social changes stepped up as soon as the missionaried arrived. Shortly after founding a Javanese transmigration colony in the Palu valley in 1913, the Salvation Army started to convert in the highlands from a center in the southern highland villagfe Kentewu. Nowadays the populations of the western highlands are mainly Christian. High wooden towers of churches - Salvation Army, reformed and others - fill in the villages. In towns like Kulawi, Gimpu, Wuasa and Gintu also live numerous Islamic traders from Buginese, Arabic and Pakistan origin. Little is to be found about the syncretism what brands Christianity in Tana Toraja. Nevertheless, the local groups are proud on their
hadat-habits, style of clothing, dances, way of greeting and serving the guests. In this also belong the conventions for marriages, funerals, festivities for harvest and other ceremonies, which are now performed by the church.
Adventure in Lore Lindu
The village of Wuasa is located at the eastern side of Lore Lindu national park, about 100 kilometers southeast of Palu, just over three hours when you have a good bus. Hiking paths from here bring you towards the west towards the Lindu plain or Toro, east of Kulawi. These paths are not often used and it's not always easy to find a guide for the two or three days that you will need to cross the park.
The park is better accessible from the western side from Toro, just southeast of Kulawi along the main road, about 80 kilometers south of Palu. The PHPA office in the village can help you find a guide for one-day trips or for the trip to Wuasa or to the Besoa valley. The central part of the reserve, which can be reached from Toro, is the most densely populated area and it's mountainous as well.
Another entrance to Lore Lindo even startes before Kulawi in Sidaunta, about 70 kilometers south of Palu. Every day caravans of horses climb the mountains towards the Lindu plain to supply the stalls of the four villages around the lake. Travellers can walk along and give their luggage to one of the horses for a small fee, or rent a horse yourself if you want. This can be dangerous however; every month, a horse is lost in the valley. Caravans usually take just over four hours but the exhausted hiker can be travelling over seven hours to do the 20 kilometers to Tomado, at the other side of the lake.
Spending the night among local people can be arranged with the village heads of Tomado, Langko or Anca. Sometimes there is some space in the laboratory Le Petit Soleil at the edge of Tomado.
On foot or by horse through three valleys
Three highland valleys around Lore - from north to south: Napu, Besoa and Bada - are ideal to explore on foot or by horse. There are scattered megalithical remains from unknown origin. Wuasa in the Napu valley can be reached by minibus; Besoa can only be reached on foot or by jeep from Wasa - or by plane.
From the end of the road near Gimpu, there is a much used trail towards the east through the southern parts of Lore Lindo park to Hangirah in the Besoa valley. It's a heavy trip of about one day. After getting permission from KSDA/PHPA in Toro you can use the shelter with raised floor in Ranorano.
Who travels with the caravan from Gimpu, can reach Moa in the southern Pipikoro area in one day. After spending the night the next long trip goes through a magnificent piece of forest in the most southern tip of the park to the grassy plains which announce the Bada valley. Upon arrival you can arrange accomodation in Tuare or Kageroa, or with the
camat of Gintu, the main place of Lore Selatan.
Regularly the traveller will meet groups of local people which are walking to the highlands; it's possible to join them. There are no facilities along the road; you depend on negotiation with the local people for a place to sleep.
