Makassar is the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is the largest city in eastern part of Indonesia in terms of city development. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Makassar is one of the "four central cities of Indonesia", alongside Jakarta, Medan, and Surabaya. Based on the 2019 census held by Badan Pusat Statistik Kota Makassar, it has about 1.5 million of the total population. Makassar is also play an important role to be the gateway to the eastern part of Indonesia. It is also an important trading and transportation hub from the west to eastern part of country.
Apart from being an important trading hub and the center of economy in eastern region, there are some cool and pleasant tourist hotspots that you probably didn't know in Makassar and its surrounding area.
FORT ROTTERDAM
Fort Rotterdam or Fort Ujung Pandang (Sometimes spelled: Jum Pandang) is a relic fortress kingdom of Gowa-Tallo . The location of the fort was located on the west coast city of Makassar , South Sulawesi.
The fort was built in 1545 by King of Gowa-9 named Daeng Bonto I Manrigau Karaeng Lakiung Tumpa'risi' kallonna. This fort was originally made from clay, but in the reign of King of Gowa-14 Sultan Alauddin, the construction of this fort was changed to rocks originating from the Karst in Maros. Ujung Pandang fortress is shaped like a turtle who wanted to crawl down into the ocean. In terms of its form is very clear philosophy of the Kingdom of Gowa , that turtles can live on land and at sea. So even with the Kingdom of Gowa that debuted on land and at sea.
The original name of this fort is Fort Ujung Pandang, ordinary well-Gowa Makassar people call this fort as Fort Panyyua which is the headquarters of the kingdom of Gowa frogmen. Kingdom of Gowa-Tallo Bungayya finally signed an agreement in which one of the article requires that the kingdom of Gowa to submit this to the Dutch fort. At the time the Dutch occupied the fort, the name was changed to Fort Ujung Pandang Fort Rotterdam. Cornelis Speelman deliberately chose the name Fort Rotterdam to commemorate the birth in the Netherlands. The fort was later used by the Dutch as a central storage of spices in eastern Indonesia.
In Ujung Pandang fortress complex there is now the Museum La Galigo in which there are many references to the historical greatness of Makassar (Gowa-Tallo) and other areas in South Sulawesi. Most of the buildings are still intact fortress and became one object of tourism in the city of Makassar.
SAMALONA ISLAND
Samalona Island is a small island in the Strait of Makassar, it is located on the southwest coast of western South Sulawesi. Administratively, this island is in the city of Makassar, South Sulawesi, more precisely located on the west Wajo District, Makassar. It is approximately 2 km away and can be seen clearly from this district.
To reach this island, we could use a fishing boat (boat with outboard engine) and the travel takes 45 minutes from the jetty in front of the Fort Rotterdam. The local will usually charge you about Rp 500.000 per ships (it is depending on your bargaining skills). So it is much more cheaper if you join those who want to go to the island too, so you could share the budget. On this island stands a lighthouse that is used as a sign of land boundary for big ships.
MANDALA MONUMENT
Mandala Monument is located in Jalan Raya Jenderal Sudirman, Makassar. Built in 1994 as a memorial Mandala operations liberation of West Irian Jaya from the hands of the Dutch colonialists. Inside are dioramas that tell the liberation process.
Mandala Monument has a height of 75 meters is divided into four floors. Each floor containsthe symbols of the struggle for liberation of West Irian and the struggle of the peopleof South Sulawesi, including the time of National Hero, Sultan Hasanuddin. From the top floor of this monument, we can see the sights of the city of Makassar as a whole.
LEGOLEGO - LOSARI BEACH / CENTER POINT OF INDONESIA
LegoLego is a new landmark built as part of the center point of Indonesia. It is facing right in front of Losari Beach which was known as Makassar most famous tourist hotspot for decades. Along with other construction in the Center Point of Indonesia (CPI), it is a reclamation landmass which will be projected to be Makassar's CBD in the future.
Since its opening, LegoLego has become the new favourite place for local to just enjoy the city's scenery. There's no charge to enter this site. You could enjoy the look of Makassar which gradually changed into the Waterfront City concept from LegoLego. You can also enjoy local's typical dessert named "Pisang Epe" which is only sold in Losari Beach's area.
BANTIMURUNG NATIONAL PARK
Bantimurung/Bulusaraung National Park is a national park located in South Sulawesi Province. The hills of Maros to Pangkep are rich in limestone. It is the second largest karst area in the world after the one in South-Eastern China / Vietnam.
Located in Maros Regency, 45 kilometers to the north of Makassar or about 45 minutes by car from Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport. The Karst formations stand tall and steep at almost a 90 degree angle line, and it spreads on both sides of the road from Bantimurung in Maros Regency up to Pangkep Regency.
There are two caves in of the Bantimurung Site, Gua Mimpi/Dream's Cave (one-kilometer long) on the left side and Gua Batu/Stone's Cave on the right side of the waterfall. There is also a butterfly breeding centers, managed by both the reserve administrator and local residents. There are many butterflies around waterfall such as Troides helena Linne, Troides hypolitus Cramer, Troides haliphron Boisduval, Papilio peranthus adamantius and Cethosia myrana. Alfred Russel Wallace dubbed the place as the Butterfly Kingdom.
LEANG-LEANG
The caves in the Maros-Pangkep karst are a cave complex, where prehistoric finds were made. The whole complex is also called "Prehistoric place Leang-Leang" – the name stems from the Makassarese language. The various caves - named Pettae, Jane, Saripa, Jarie, Karrasa, and so on - consist of limestone. They are located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from the town of Maros and 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the city of Makassar. The entrance to the caves is located 30 metres (98 ft) above a rice field, accessible by ladder.
A hand stencil in the Leang Tempuseng cave was dated to at least 39,900 years old in a 2014 study. The depiction of a babirusa is also located in this cave. It is estimated to be 35,400 years old. The art works were examined with the help of the Uranium-Thorium method of the sintering on the paintings.
Inside the entrance of the Pettakare cave, on the roof, are 26 red and white hand prints, they are not dated, yet Primitive stencils
of human hands, the white prints were executed by "placing the hand up
against the wall and then blowing a mixture of red ochre and water
around them, leaving a negative image on the rock". The red hand prints could have been produced by immersing the hand in a solution tinted red from "chewed-up foliage". The hand prints face both left and right. Some are missing a thumb; it was common practice to cut off a finger when an elder died.
According to an official with the Makassar Center for Cultural and
Heritage Preservation, the palm of the hand was believed to have power
to ward off "evil forces and wild animals", thus protecting the people
who lived inside the cave. In addition to the hand prints, a roughly half-meter (two-foot) long painting of a red hog deer is in the middle. Pettakare cave's large room has several small niches, presumed to have been sleeping places for the people who lived there. The cave has a temperature of 27 °C (81 °F) during the daytime.
PAOTERE' HARBOUR
Paotere is a traditional boat harbour located in Ujung Tanah District, Makassar, South Sulawesi. The port is located within 5 km (30 minutes) from the city center, and it is one of the old days people's heritage port that still survive and is the evidence of The Kingdom of Gowa-Tallo's greatness since the 14th Century when they dispatched about 200 Phinisi Boats to Malacca.
Todays Paotere' Harbour is still used as the port for the boats and people. It is also became the center of commercial fishing, which can be seen lined up alongside the road in the port. There are also shops that sell various types of dried fish, fishing gear, as well as several seafood restaurants near this harbour.
MALINO HIGHLAND
Malino is a small town in the Gowa Regency of South Sulawesi, 90 km from Makassar. It is famous for its tropical flowers. Malino is a mountainous terrain covered by the pine forest. Various kinds of beautiful tropical plants grow and thrive in this cold tropical city too. Moreover, Malino also produces fruits and vegetables that grow in typical mountain slopes. Most people of South Sulawesi still consider the mountains as a sacred place and some of them are still practice local rituals there. Temperatures in Malino ranges from 10 °C to 26 °C. When it is the rainy season the town is often foggy.
Malino is a small town in the Gowa Regency of South Sulawesi, 90 km from Makassar. It is famous for its tropical flowers. Malino is a mountainous terrain covered by the pine forest. Various kinds of beautiful tropical plants grow and thrive in this cold tropical city too. Moreover, Malino also produces fruits and vegetables that grow in typical mountain slopes. Most people of South Sulawesi still consider the mountains as a sacred place and some of them are still practice local rituals there. Temperatures in Malino ranges from 10 °C to 26 °C. When it is the rainy season the town is often foggy.
The journey from Makassar to this area takes about 2 hours. The Thousand Staircase Waterfall, Takappala' Waterfall, Tea Gardens, Lembah Biru, Japanese Bunker Heritage, are the hallmarks of Malino. Souvenirs typical of this area are passion fruits, glutinous lunkhead, tenteng, apples, wajik, etc. Malino is also a rice producing area for the region of South Sulawesi.
