Beyond the well-trodden paths of Bali and Lombok lies a place where the horizon shifts with the seasons and a community lives entirely on water. Welcome to Lake Tempe, Sulawesi, home to one of the world’s most captivating floating villages. In the heart of the Bugis kingdom, this serene lake and the nearby town of Sengkang offer a journey back in time, promising a unique cultural experience far from the typical tourist trail.
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About Lake Tempe
Sulawesi Island is one of the largest islands in Indonesia and the entire Southeast Asia region. It has an exotic shape, with four peninsulas that resemble the tentacles of an alien. If you focus on the north part of the South Peninsula, you will see it- a large lake, located in the middle between the western and the eastern coast of the peninsula.
Some geography
This is Lake Tempe– one of the largest lakes in Sulawesi Island and the whole of Indonesia. It is a floodplain lake, only about 5 m above sea level. Its size changes significantly depending on the season.
The lake is situated in a large plain, fed by several rivers coming from the north, west, and south. Its waters flow eastward by a river called Walennae. This river connects Lake Tempe with the Gulf of Bone, east of the South Peninsula.
The whole area around the lake is flat and partially flooded in the rainy season. Such a geography formed a rich natural environment- rich for the wildlife, attractive for humans, beautiful and exotic for travelers.
Some history and culture
The first humans who arrived and have seen the lake and the area around it were ancient prehistoric people. We know almost nothing about them. But we know that around 3000-4000 years ago, the next waves of people called Proto-Malays came to the islands of what is today Indonesia, including Sulawesi Island.
From these migrations gradually formed the ethnic groups that we know today. The people who inhabited the area around Lake Tempe were (and still are) Bugis, one of the main ethnic groups in Sulawesi Island. During the last centuries, they have established several small kingdoms.
The area around Lake Tempe was under the rule of one of these kingdoms- the Wajok (or Wajo) Kingdom, established around the 15th century. This kingdom had several capitals, but one of the cities, although not the political capital, was the most prominent. It was Sengkang- an economy center, especially known for its fishing industry, located at the eastern shores of the lake.
Wajok Kingdom reached its peak in the 18th century but later was gradually absorbed under the Dutch colonial power. The Dutch made Sengkang the capital of Wajo Regency as it is today. During the last century, Sengkang turned into the largest city in the area. It flourished during the era of independent Indonesia, and is now also a tourist destination. Below is the main reason why…
The Floating villages
Lake Tempe was a working place for the local fishermen for millennia. But they still lived on the ground, around the lake, and only sometimes spent the night in small bamboo rafts with shelters as a part of their work.
However, things changed in the middle of the 20th century. As we know, the size of the lake changes with the seasons. At the same time, with the economic development of Sengkang, the competition in the fishing industry increased. As a result, some fishermen decided to spend a longer time on the surface of the lake, and to be mobile, following the water’s fluctuation during the rainy and dry seasons.
Initially, there were only single fishing families living temporarily on floating houses, scattered here and there. But in the 80s of the 20th century, their number increased, they gathered together in communities, and gradually formed the floating villages we know today.
During the next 40 and more years, these villages formed their own local culture. Their houses are not mobile like boats- they are stilt houses attached on bamboo layers, but depending on the season, they still can be moved to other locations. They usually move together and always face the same direction, following the winds and water currents.
The locals spend most of their lives in the floating village. This is their home and their “office”- they can fish all the time. So, they established some local social structures, like a local floating school or even a floating mosque. They use small boats to move around the lake and on the water “streets” between the houses. And they go to the land only sometimes- to sell their fish, to supply some food, gas for cooking, etc., and to visit their friends and relatives in Sengkang or the neighboring villages.
The peak of the Floating villages
The peak of the floating villages was in the early 2000s, with more than 100 houses floating on the lake. However, since then, the number of houses has decreased. First, the fishing industry started to decline. Second, the young generation is attracted by the modern life on the ground and has gradually moved to Sengkang. As a result, there are no more than 30 houses remaining today.
But there is something that can save this unique culture- the growing tourism. The tourist industry noticed the floating village, and the locals saw an opportunity for another business. They started to organize boat tours from Sengkang to the floating village, where tourists can not only see the local lifestyle and try something local there (like fried banana with tea) but also spend the night in a “floating guesthouse”.
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Our journey to Lake Tempe
We heard about the floating village on Lake Tempe too, and we decided to include Sengkang and the lake in our South Sulawesi trip. We rented a car from Makassar, traveled to the impressive Rammang Rammang Karst area, stayed in Tana Toraja, with its unique tongkonan architecture and funeral traditions, and from there, on the way back to Makassar, we stopped in Sengkang.
Our main goal in Sengkang was to visit the floating village on Lake Tempe on a boat trip. And we did it. We didn’t spend the night there, but we visited the village and “tried it”. And of course, we enjoyed the incredibly beautiful lake scenery around us, as well as the boat ride itself, full of fun.
But let’s start with Sengkang itself.
Sengkang
Sengkang is the largest settlement along the shores of Lake Tempe, and it is the main starting point for exploring the lake, not only the Floating village but the whole area around. So, it would be your necessary stop on your journey here.
The city itself doesn’t have anything so special. There is no “old town”, impressive museums, or other attractive points of interest. Yet you can still find something that is worth visiting and trying. At least, since Sengkang is not so touristy, you can find a more authentic, although modern lifestyle.
Local markets
Probably the most impressive places are the local markets. Traditional markets are always great hubs for immersing in the local atmosphere. The best of them here is the main market where the lake fishermen sell their fish. You can find it here. Another market in the northern half of Sengkang is Pasar Tempe.
Great Mosque of Ummul Quraa
Another point of interest in the area is the Great Mosque of Ummul Quraa- a local religious building with a high architectural value, quite impressive from the outside.
Sengkang’s Silk Industry
Besides fishing, Sengkang is also famous for its silk weaving industry. If you are a traditional craft lover, you should visit the local silk weaving workshops, presenting silk products in traditional Bugis style. You can find a lot of them in the northern part of the city.
Local mall
Finally, you can enjoy the modern part of Sengkang- the local mall. It is nothing special- just an ordinary mall like in many other small cities or towns, but still worth visiting. It is called Sallo Mall Sengkang and it is located just next to Pasar Tempe.
Historical remains outside of Sengkang
If you anyway want to find something historical, related to the Wajok Kingdom, you should leave Sengkang and go west of it. Here, in the village of Tosora, you can find remains of the political capital of the kingdom. This is the small site Geddongnge, with remnants of a fort wall and a cannon.
The Floating village
Still, the Floating village of Lake Tempe, known also as Salotangah among locals, is the main attraction around Sengkang, and the main reason for visiting by travelers. Here is what you need to know.
The boat trip to the village starts from the main wharf on the Walanae River- TPI Sengkang, located just under the nearby pedestrian wooden bridge Jembatan Gantung. Here, you can find boatmen offering boat trips. They use long, narrow motor canoes of several sizes, called “Katinting, for 4 to 7 people.
There is no timetable; you just go there and look for a boat- normally, you can easily find one. But to be sure, better ask your hotel manager for help- hotels usually have contacts of the local boatmen and can arrange such a trip without the need to wait and search.
Price: It can fluctuate, depending on the season, whether you find a boatman directly or by a local tour operator, or whether it includes meals or not. Normally, the price for a boat trip from Sengkang to the Floating village and back, within 3 hours, is around 150,000 to 200,000 IDR (not including meals).
In the floating houses
The trip from Sengkang to the Floating village is about 30 minutes long. You arrive there, and the boatman wait for you for about 1 hour or less (but for more, probably he would require a higher price). During your stay in one of the floating houses, you will be offered fried bananas with tea.
However, the main delicacy is cooked local fish, especially Massapi fish, which is native to the lake. They are prepared simply, usually just grilled or roasted. And it is what you normally would do during your short stay in a floating house.
After that, you will be back in Sengkang for another 30 minutes (approximately). Be prepared to get wet, especially if the motor canoe “Katinting” goes against the wind.
Staying overnight in the Floating village?
Yes, it is possible, but it is not a standard part of the offers from the local boatmen and the villagers. It should be arranged in advance. You have to ask a boatman who has contacts with the families in the Floating Village. If a family is convenient to receive a traveler, it can be arranged (the price is negotiable, but you can expect something like 300,000 to 500,000 IDR per person, including the boat trip).
Don’t expect any luxury. Conditions are very basic. There is no electricity- only local generators or solar panels. And there is no private bathroom, no air conditioning, or other facilities. You have to bring your own water.
But for meals, you can enjoy meals prepared by the hospitable family, and they will make it delicious. You can expect a nice time with the family members (and probably their neighbors too)- a full, authentic immersion in the local culture, without any “tourist elements”- raw, natural, as it is. Besides, you can enjoy spectacular views of the sunset and sunrise on the lake.
Useful tips
To complete a journey plan to Lake Tempe, let’s take a look at some useful tips, especially transportation and accommodation.
Transportation
Most probably, the starting point for your trip to Sengkang would be Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi. If you don’t have your own transport, the only way is to take a bus. You can find buses to Sengkang in Terminal Bus Daya- there are several buses per day. They travel between 4 and 5 hours, and the price is between 80,000 IDR and 100,000 IDR.
But if Sengkang is a part of another route, you can find buses from Pare-Pare, Rantepao in Tana Toraja, Palopo, or Bulukumba (near Tanjung Bira). They are not as frequent as the buses from Makassar, but can still work for your trip.
Another option is a shared taxi. You can find shared taxis from all of the destinations mentioned above- it is more convenient. However, it is more expensive, with more unclear schedules.
Once you reach Sengkang, moving around the city is easy- you can roam on its streets by ojek (local taxi motorcycle), becak (threecycle), or normal car taxi. And since the city is relatively small, actually, you can walk around it on foot. The point where the boat trips for the Floating village depart is in the middle of Sengkang, and you can reach it on foot from almost everywhere.
Accommodation
The popularity of Lake Tempe is slowly rising, and there are some new hotels following the new tourism development. Yet there are still too few hotels that you can find on Booking or Agoda. We stayed in Wisma Apada Syariah Sengkang Mitra RedDoorz– a small, cheap hotel with average quality (at least the owner was very helpful in arranging a boat trip to the Floating village for us and to take us to the starting point of the boat trip).
The best hotel you can find is the 3-star Sallo Hotel Sengkang. It is more expensive, with a bit of luxury, and it is located exactly beside the Sallo Mall Sengkang. You can’t find it on Booking or Agoda, but only on Tiket or Trip.com.
Anyway, there are no tourist crowds in Sengkang, at least for now. So, although there are not too many options to stay at night, you can still easily find a free bed.
Food
When you arrive in Sengkang, it might be a bit difficult to find a good restaurant- aside from Sallo Mall and local supermarkets like Indomaret, you will see only a few mini “restaurants” (actually, something like street food). But there are still several good restaurants where you can enjoy local food:
* Bakso Pahlawan Sengkang- known for the best bakso soup (a type of meatball soup) in the city.
* Warung Makan Saudil Prasmanan- located in the middle of the city, with a variety of dishes, including local fish.
* Rumah Lesehan Jetpur- in the extreme south of the city, offering fish and other dishes, not as an ordinary place to eat but as a traditional type of restaurant in Bugis style.
Seasons
This is important here. Although Lake Tempe is located not far from the Equator and the temperatures are the same throughout the whole year, there are still dry and rainy seasons. The dry season (from May to September) is not completely dry- there might still be occasional rains, and the rainy season (from October to April) still provides some nice (hot and humid) sunny days.
But most importantly, there is a season effect on the size of Lake Tempe, as mentioned above. During the rainy season, the lake level can rise by 2-3 m, flooding the surrounding area. Yet the city of Sengkang is safe because it is established on a bit higher ground, and the houses that are closer to the lake are built on wooden stilts. However, the Floating village might move a bit, and the boat route can be a bit different.
During the high waters, TPI Sengkang (the starting point for boat trips) is partly flooded too. So, boats depart from a bit different spot (not far from TPI Sengkang), at convenient places from the nearby roads that are over the water. And of course, you can expect rain- boats still operate if the rain is not too heavy. Needless to say, be ready to get seriously wet (and protect your phones or cameras from the water)!
Lake Tempe and Sengkang offer one of Indonesia’s last true hidden gems, where travelers step beyond sightseeing and into a living, waterbound culture. Here, every visitor finds not just a destination but a rare, authentic adventure shaped by both nature and tradition. This is the essence of Lake Tempe—a journey that goes well beyond the tourist trail, rewarding you with genuine stories and memories.
Take a look at the video about Lake Tempe below:
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Hi, we are Krasen and Ying Ying. Krasen is from Bulgaria, and Ying Ying is from China. We are passionate about geography and history, and we believe that the best way to experience it is by exploring the Earth in reality, not in a school, and not virtually.
So, we created this blog Journey Beyond the Horizon, where we share geographical knowledge, travel guides and tips how to experience it when you explore our planet, and a lot of inspiration.
And we wish you a happy journey, not just virtually, but most of all- in reality.
Enjoy!
