Reaching the Roof of Celebes (Mount Latimojong)

"Brother, it's New Year, let's go up the mountain," said my friend, when i was sleeping in the mosque when i was in grade 11 of high school. "Where?", I asked my friend, Argo, who at that time was one of my "friends" hiking the mountains we had been on. "Latimojong, Sulawesi," he answered enthusiastically. Without thinking twice, i immediately agreed to the offer to hike Mount Latimojong and go on holiday during the 2017 New Year.

Mount Latimojong is one of the names of the mountains in Enrekang Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Mount Latimojong is located in the middle of South Sulawesi. Most of these mountains are located in the Enrekang Regency area. Mount Latimojong is the highest mountain on Sulawesi Island with a peak called Bulu Rante Mario with a height of 3,478 meters above sea level. The Latimojong Mountains stretch from south to north. To the west of Mount Latimojong is Enrekang Regency, to the north is Tana Toraja Regency, to the south is Sidenreng Rappang Regency and the area to the east is entirely Luwu Regency up to the coast of Bone Bay.

Take photos at the top of Mount Latimojong, Rante Mario (3,478 meters above sea level)

The six of us (me, Argo, Wahyau, Duni, Kar, and Argo's father) left by plane from Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta to Sultan Hasanuddin airport in Makassar. To get to the basecamp of Mount Latimojong in Enrekang Regency, we had to travel a long way from Makassar City to Baraka District. We used a private vehicle rented beforehand (many travel companies offer a cost range of 1-2 million rupiah depending on negotiations). The journey takes 7 hours to arrive at Baraka District. We arrived in the evening and immediately rested after cleaning up our bodies and things to prepare for the next day's journey.

The hiking team departed for Makassar

One of the exciting things on the trip to Mount Latimojong was that we boarded a jeep to continue to Karangan Village. Winding roads, ups and downs accompanied our journey in the jeep while looking at the expanse of the Enrekang hills. "Hajarrr...hajarrr...eaaa", shouted the hiker from Sulawesi cheering the jeep we were riding in over the damaged and muddy road. Several hours later, we continued our journey on foot to arrive at Karangan Village. This is where hikers can rest while preparing for the hike at the basecamp which is a house on stilts owned by one of the residents of Karangan Village. We stayed overnight in Karangan Village to prepare hiking logistics because tomorrow morning we start hiking Mount Latimojong.

We took a jeep to go to Karangan Village

Gate at the entrance to Karangan Village

Before starting the hiking, the team took photos at the house of one of the residents

Basecamp - Post 1 

In the morning after breakfast and warming up, we started the hike from Karangan Village to Post 1. The distance from the village to Post 1 is quite short, only about 90 minutes. The terrain consists of asphalt and dirt roads accompanied by residents' houses on the right and left and then passing through residents' fields along the road. The hiking route is quite good with a path that can also be passed by motorized vehicles. Farmers from the village usually go to the fields via this route. Greetings between us and the local residents in the morning.

Latimojong Hills at Post 1

Post 1 - Post 2

The journey to Post 2 from Post 1 takes around 2 hours. The sign that you are almost at Post 2 is that the sound of the river is getting clearer and there is a bridge to cross. Arriving at Post 2, hikers will be greeted by a cave which is often called Pa'Pak Cave. The waterfall at Post 2 is a source of water for hikers who come on this route.

Wooden bridge and Pa'Pak Cave in the back of the picture

The waterfall at Post 2 is a source of water for hikers

Post 2 - Post 3

To get to Post 3, we only needed about 50 minutes. However, the journey to this post is quite challenging and requires a lot of energy because the route is quite steep. At Post 3 there is no water source up to Post 5, so we have to conserve the water supplies we carry. We took several breaks to adjust our breathing tempo so we wouldn't get tired too quickly.

The path to Post 3 is steep and assisted by ropes

Post 3 - Post 4

The journey to Post 4 is easier with several flat roads although there are quite steep roads. The time we took to pass this route was around 60 minutes with the forest starting to grow with moss.

Post 4 - Post 5

To reach post 5, we had to travel for 120 minutes. Our legs all felt sore and cramped. It's natural that the hiking route of Mount Latimojong is dominated by all the hike. Arriving at Post 5, we immediately set up the tent and the rain started to fall. Post 5 is an ideal place to set up a tent because the land is quite large and there is a water source. After eating at night, we immediately rushed to sleep because tomorrow morning we would all continue our journey to the top of Mount Latimojong. Rante Mario here we come!

Summit Attack

I had to force out the cold air and sleepy eyes. After preparing several logistical items that we would take to the top, we continued our journey. Heading towards Post 6, we were greeted by an attractive moss forest on Mount Latimojong. The route is quite uphill with an estimated time of 90 minutes. To get to Post 7 is the same, the hiking trip will be decorated with attractive moss forests to be used as photo spots.

Moss forest with views of the Latimojong Mountains

View of the hills on the way to top

After a long journey, we finally arrived at the top of Mount Latimojong. The sign that you have reached the top of Mount Latimojong is the large block on the rock that says "Rante Mario 3478 MDPL". Previously it had never crossed my mind to hike a mountain outside Java. Maybe it's a curious desire to look for the sensation of hiking a different mountain, that each mountain has its own characteristics and interesting things. What is clear is that our obligation is to protect all the resources that exist on this earth, because this wealth is a trust for our children and grandchildren in the future.

Thank you Latimojong, see you next time!