Malino Tea Plantation, Sulawesi, Indonesia

5anu_v 5:00 PM Aug 22, 2020

not bad
This tea plantation visiting idea was by my tour guide David who loved to see tea plantations. We drove there early noon and saw a few people viewing the plantation. The place is kept clean and gd.

4gerald730 5:00 PM Aug 12, 2018

Cool revival in a hot city
Supposed to go Rammang-Remmang with my family but I had a bad flu and my son got fever. The Tour Guide cum Driver (Ikhsan Ahmad) was flexible enough to change the destination to Malino Tea Plantation which is a cooler place. We started researching on places of interest away from the Lostari beach area where our hotel is located. What we have on our minds are Toraja, Rammang-Rammang and Malino Highlands. There were not many articles or blogs covering Makassar and we would want to make the most out of it during our short stay. We also dedicated time for our kid to have fun at the Trans Studio Mall Theme park so that he too would feel like a winner for the trip. My wife chanced upon some Tour Guide cum drivers (it is quite a norm for Guides to double up as drivers) postings and decided to contact them via online chat tools. We decided to communicate further with Ikhsan based on the following: 1. Response to our queries on distance, travel time, accommodation and attire. He was fast! 2. Advise on risks involved for the places which we would like to go 3. Transparency on pricing of services and he even give you advise on how to get to some of the destinations via public transport 4. Flexibility! As in accommodating our last minute change of destinations Some locations where you can stop by on the way to Malino Highlands: Padi plots – I just love what I saw and told Ikhsan that I need to snap a few pictures and he willingly obliged Waterfall – Nice waterfall and the rock formation looked like they are purposely stacked together. You have to be there to feel and appreciate the power of nature yourself. Pine Tree Plantation – If you have kids with you do let them take the pony rides. It’s safe and provides a much needed revenue for the locals. Ever so because they have to take care of the ponies. In my opinion the ponies are very well groomed and the love and care from their caretakers are obvious. Cost less than a song (you know what I mean right) to take a ride, double it for a longer ride. The ponies are such gentle animals! There are other activities like flying fox and suspended bicycle rides but they are beyond what my flu stricken body can take. Wasted! Tea plantation – It should be around noon when you arrive at the Tea planation. A simple lunch with a nice pot of tea at the plantation is both refreshing and reviving. I felt much better and energized after the lunch and tea. Walking around is cooling but apply sun protection lotion or you will get sunburn easily. Mini animal and bird sanctuary – This one is a bonus. First time in my life taking a pic with an eagle. Was told its 25 years old and still a young bird. It is an impressive bird, eyes looked razor sharp! Plant nursery – Small nursery with some nice flowers. Last stop for Malino Highlands. Hit back to Makassar City and arrived before sunset. Timing is perfect for a 1 day tour. We did not take the trip to Toraja as it would take a total of 20 hours just to travel to and back from this destination. Given the long hours required to travel there, I would prefer to stay over for the night and learn more about the way of life there. As we have pre-booked our accommodation in Makassar City it would not be feasible to make it there this time round. But rest assure that we are making plans for another trip to Makassar and it would be a closely coordinated one with Ikhsan on timings, transfer and accommodations at Toraja and Makassar City. Chat him up if you need more information, I am sure you will not be disappointed.