Galang

Facts

Bagging It!

Local student hiking groups have reached the top of the mountain, which is more commonly known as Gunung Galang than Gunung Dako. There are apparently 2 or 3 different routes, the quickest of which requires 2 days to reach the top (so presumably a day or day and a half back down). The city and airport of Toli-toli is only 20km away. The main two possible routes are from Dusun Teluk Bone and Dusun Labengga. However, Teluk Bone is by far the most popular of the two as the route is much easier (the Labengga route is described as extreme). Teluk Bone is not far from Toli-Toli airport, at the end of the road beyond Desa Kinopasan. The starting point appears to be around 400 metres above sea level. According to the Bakosurtanal map, Bukii (Gunung) Galang is 2,253m and Bukii (Gunung) Dako is second highest at 2,162m and less than 1 kilometre further south-east. Gunung Galang looks pretty accessible as the edge of farm fields is only around 3 kilometres as the crow flies from the peak.

Practicalities

    • Getting there: Fly to Toli-Toli from Palu.
    • Accommodation: A few hotels in Toli-Toli plus Pijar Beach near the airport.
    • Permits: Unknown
    • Water sources: Currently unknown.
Local Average Monthly Rainfall (mm): palu

Location

3 thoughts on “Galang”

  1. Well, yet another mountain and region that I had plans to visit that was thwarted by various factors. This time, quite a unique reason. Myself and a friend had long planned a trip here, sorting out flights (expensive and only one per day via Palu!) and finding a very pleasant local guy who was happy to help us arrange it.

    About a week before we were due to fly out, our contact let us know that there had been a local regency level government meeting about Coronavirus. They seemed worried by the planned visit of a boat that might have on it foreigners sometime in the second half of March. So it seemed they were discussing temporarily banning / delaying any visits to be made by ‘foreigners’.

    After some asking around and clarification, it appeared all was well and the meeting was more about this particular boat rather than two hikers, one of whom is resident in Indonesia anyway! So it seemed like it would happen.

    Just two days before the trip (today!) I received a photo of the Bupati’s letter, rather vaguely worded but essentially banning any foreigners from visiting Toli Toli Regency from the date of the letter (March 6th) until an unspecified time in the future when Coronavirus no longer represents a threat. This was to be enforced for attempted arrivals via land, sea and air, so our chances of being turned away (put back on the plane?) at ToliToli airport seemed quite high indeed and we both scrabbled to get partial refunds at this very late stage.

    Immensely annoying, definitely unfair on those of us who live in Indonesia but ‘look different’ and were born elsewhere. Not to mention the question of how it could be enforced – not that many foreigners typically do visit that part of Central Sulawesi. Nor the question of legality – surely it is an immigration issue to be applied at a national level. If Bupatis start issuing letters like this it could send out all sorts of contradictory and confusing signals that do not chime with official Government policy in Jakarta. If there was an actual outbreak in Tolitoli and all visitors, Indonesian citizens or not, were banned then it might seem a little less xenophobic and much more logical and rational. But there isn’t, as far as I am aware….

    So, another one bits the dust, after a lot of planning. Can’t say I will be rushing to re-book this trip when us foreigners are allowed back to the area, not that I have much spare time this year anyway. Lots of other places out there a good deal more welcoming.

  2. Things sound very promising indeed for a trip to Gunung Dako / Galang in the near future (2019 hopefully) as according to a local hiker there it can be hiked in 2 days and the airport is less than an hour from the last village. Getting to Toli Toli is the difficult bit…. there are limited and fairly expensive flights, mainly from Palu….. it could probably just about be done from/to Jakarta over a long weekend. Looking forward to giving it a try……

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