Torenali

Facts

Photos

Bagging It!

This mountain is the highest peak on a large range which includes the more well-known Gunung Rore Kautimbu (c2,400m). The trail starts about 1 kilometre north of the popular Telaga Tambing (Lake Tambing) which is quite busy at weekends and has a ticket office an option to camp at the lake.

The lake is very close to the highest point of the main road between Palu and Napu and Behoa valleys (famous for their ancient megaliths) and so you have a really decent starting elevation of over 1,700m. The lake is also known as Rano Kalimpaa and most folk spend a night camping there before starting the hike early the next morning and completing the trek in a single day and finally heading back to Palu. 

The clearly-marked trail starts around 10 minutes walk along the main road from Danau Tambing parking area. It leads up via Puncak Dingin and Puncak Rorekautimbu before reaching the highpoint at Gunung Torenali after 4-6 hours (one-way). 

Note that camping is not always permitted as the forests to the east of this main road have been used in the past by the notorious terrorists from the Poso city side so please check the latest information.

For those in this area, an extra day or two is really recommended to visit the incredible megaliths near Desa Doda in Behoa (sometimes mistakenly called Besoa) valley, including ancient stone jars similar to those found on the Plain of Jars near Phonsavan in Laos. One of Indonesia’s most atmospheric scenes. 

Practicalities

    • Getting there: About 2.5 hours to reach the Danau Tambing lake and camping area and trailhead from Palu city and airport.
    • Accommodation: Lots available in Palu to suit all budgets.
    • Permits: As the mountain is in Lore Lindu National Park, the price is Rp150,000 per day for foreigners and just Rp5,000 per day for locals. The ticket booth is open daily between 8am and 10pm.
    • Water sources: Unknown at present.

Local Average Monthly Rainfall (mm):
palu

Location

2 thoughts on “Torenali”

  1. Well, after a rubbish 2020 due to covid (the reason seemingly now given for absolutely everything and anything), Torenali was first on my list for early 2021, as the Palu area is relatively dry when Java etc is in the middle of the rainy season. Alas, MIT (a local ISIS-related group) is at it again, having killed 4 villagers in this region a few days ago, and so Danau Tambing is closed until further notice. No wonder – the last thing you want on your hike is to meet a terrorist with an AK47.

  2. This gunung is already on my list for next January, as I drove past it this weekend enroute from Palu to Napu and Behoa valleys to see the incredible megalithic sites. Telaga Tambing is certainly popular with youngsters at the weekend, and that is a great thing to see, especially given all the negative headlines about this region that seem to scare people off visiting. Indeed, myself and Bang Roden were the only two tourists at the Pokekea site and out of two homestays in Desa Doda it seemed no others were staying. With a better road connecting Napu and Behoa and a bit of luck in eradicating those responsible for the fear factor here I could easily see Pokekea and Palindo in nearby Bada valley (accessed via Poso and then Tentena) becoming much more well-known in the future, and deservedly so. If anyone needs help or info on the megalithic sites and how you get there, please just ask. Sunardi Pokiro is the local guy who knows a lot about the megaliths and can speak reasonably good English too.

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