Transportation

South Sulawesi has a reasonably well organised transport system for travelling between the bigger towns. The further you move away from the main roads, the simpler and slower the means of transport become.

There are several daily flights to Makassar from Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar and the bigger towns of Eastern Indonesia with Garuda /Merpati. Merpati serves all domestic routes except to and from Jakarta. Awair, Mandala and Bouraq connect Makassar with Jakarta only via Surabaya 3-4 times a week.

Twelve liners of the PELNI company link Makassar with most of the bigger harbours in Indonesia.

From Bone (east coast) there is a daily ferry to Kolaka in South-East Sulawesi. The voyage will take 5-7 hours.

Buses run between Makassar and all bigger towns in South Sulawesi. For shorter distances you find all over the province minibuses (pete-pete), bicycle-three-wheelers (becak) or motorbike-taxis (ojek).

For busses to the north you have top go to "Terminal Daya", about 12 km north of the centre of Makassar. Busses to the south, including to the island Selayar, leave from "Terminal Mallengkeri", which is located near the border of Makassar and Goa.

In Makassar you can go around by becak, pete-pete (mini-bus) and meter taxi.
For distances up to 2 km becak fares vary between Rp 3.000 - Rp 5.000 (bargain before getting in).
Early 2006 the fares for pete-pete (mini busses) in Makassar were Rp 2,000 - these are fixed prices.
Taximeters start at Rp 4.500 at departure. For a trip of five kilometres you will pay about Rp 20.000.

Tour Operators:
Most tour operators are located in Makassar. Most of the offices only help with tickets for buses, flights and PELNI ships. A few tour operators offer package tours.
For people who like to dive the islands near Makassar offer good opportunities. Depending on the season there are several diving operators active in the Makassar area. Please go the the boats and diving section for more details

Climate
The climate is wet-tropical with two seasons. For most of the province the dry season starts in April and ends in October. The rainy season starts in October and ends in April. On the east coast of the province the pattern is in some places the other way round. Temperatures range from 25 °C to 32 °C at sea level and from 20 °C to 25 °C in the highlands. See the section rainfall for maps with detailed information.

Currency
Like other parts of Indonesia the currency is the Indonesian Rupiah (Rp). There are Rp 1,000, Rp 500, Rp 200, Rp 100, and Rp 50 coins. Lower value coins are no longer common. Bank notes are printed with values of Rp 100,000, Rp 50,000, Rp 10,000, Rp 5,000, Rp 1,000, Rp 500 and Rp 100.
US Dollars are easily exchangeable in Makassar and Tana Toraja. Other currencies should be changed in Makassar. Make sure you bring undamaged new banknotes as old notes are often rejected. Credit Cards are acceptable in the bigger hotels in Makassar and the Tana Toraja area. In the first four months of 2005 the interbank rates for 1 US$ floated between Rp 9,000 and Rp 9,800. In the same period the Euro floated between Rp 11,700 and 12,200. For actual rates of foreign currency please visit www.xe.com/ucc
Many cash dispensers (ATM) at banks in Makassar give access to foreign accounts. You will recognise them by a "MasterCard" or "Cirrus" logo. Ask your bank for details about costs of withdrawals abroad.

Time
South Sulawesi belongs to the Central Indonesia Standard time zone (WITA) which is 8 hours ahead of GMT, and one hour ahead of Jakarta. There is no time difference between South Sulawesi, Bali and Singapore.

Fort Rotterdam not only contains some interesting buildings, an arts centre and the "La Galigo" museum but also provides a quiet haven away from the noisier parts of town. In the late afternoon and evening you can often find young people playing music or rehearsing for theatre performances.

The King of Gowa built the fort in 1545. After other forts in the area were destroyed in 1669, Fort Rotterdam was taken over by the Dutch. In 1937 it lost its military function and was handed over to the Fort Rotterdam Foundation for cultural purposes.

Benteng Somba Opu

The ruins of this Makassarese fort can be found in the delta of the Jeneberang River, 7 km south of Makassar. In 1669 Bugis-Dutch forces destroyed the fort while bringing about the ruin of the powerful Makassar kingdom. During the following centuries a large portion of the bricks were taken away to serve as building material for houses and wells in the area.

Little is left of the once all-important fort, though parts of its western wall have been restored, and can be visited. For many people the highlight of the trip is the adjacent open-air museum of traditional houses from South Sulawesi. The complex also contains an archaeological museum housing objects found during excavations of the fort and its surroundings.

Islands interesting for their culture or historical sites

Kodengareng Lompo (15 km)Together with Barang Lompo and Lae-Lae the island Kodengareng Lompo belong to the bigger islands near Makassar. The length of the oval shaped island is about 1,5 km. At the south end of the island is a lighthouse which, in the evening, can be seen from the shore of Makassar. On the island are remnants of old water tanks built by the Japanese during World War II.
boat reparation
lighthouse

Barang Lompo (12 km)Like on many islands located further away from town, the majority of the population on Barang Lompo are fishermen. Besides this there are some silversmiths and civil servants (such as teachers) living on the island.Hasanuddin University in Makassar has a research centre there.
Barang Caddi (11 km)The increasing housing density on this island may soon result in people building on shallow parts of the surrounding reefs. Recently local fishermen from the island have begun working with a local non-government organisation to reorganise the system of marketing their fish so as to bypass middlemen. This means that they are now able to earn a reasonable income.
Other islands:

Kayangan (2 km) : An island in front of the harbour of Makassar full with simple restaurants and rooms for rent .
Lae-Lae (1,5 km)Lae-Lae is the island nearest to Makassar. It has been extended with a long breakwater at the north side that is designed to protect the harbour of Makassar against waves. Lae-Lae is densely populated. A part of the population earns their money with fishing, others run the small boats that can take you from town to Lae-Lae, Samalona and Kodengareng Keke. More and more people find work in town as crossing by motorboat now takes only 5 - 10 minutes.

Lanyukan (37 km)The island Lanyukan is located on the outer edge of the Spermonde shelf with a barrier reef protecting its western shore. Around Lanyukan are reefs with steep drop-offs and caves, excellent for diving. This is the place to spot big fish like sharks and barracuda. There is a small village on the island but Lanyukan does not offer facilities for staying overnight.

Islands for snorkelling and diving:
Samalona (7 km)This island is inhabited by a few families and its oval shaped area is about 300 x 600 meters, so it takes only a short stroll to see its complete coastline. Beautiful coral reefs are easily accessible from the shore of Samalona. The reef on the northern side of the island is the best for snorkelling. There are rooms available to rent on the island. Sometimes you even can rent a whole house. Simple meals like "nasi goreng" are available but unfortunately some people tend to overcharge, so ask the price first. A couple of places sell coffee (local), soft drinks and beer. Usually drinks are not served cooled.