Lake Tempe
A shallow flood lake in South Sulawesi that swells and shrinks each year, worked from floating Bugis houses.
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Danau Tempe sits in a tectonic depression in South Sulawesi and behaves as a floodplain lake rather than a fixed body of water: in the wet season it swells to several times its dry-season area as the rivers back into it, and in the dry it contracts to shallow water and mud. It sits on the boundary between Asian and Australian faunal regions, and its fish diversity has been described as among the richest of any freshwater lake, though introduced species and sedimentation have changed it. Bugis fishing families live on the lake in rakit, floating houses on bamboo pontoons that are moved with the water level, and the fishery is worked with lift nets and traps. Sengkang beside it is a silk weaving town. A traditional lake festival is held annually around August.
What you actually see
- A lake that changes size - several times larger in the wet season than the dry.
- Floating Bugis houses - rakit on bamboo pontoons, moved with the water level.
- Lift-net fishing - the traps and frames worked across the shallows.
- Sengkang silk - the weaving industry in the town on the shore.
When to go
May to October for boats and access; August for the lake festival. A day.
Honest expectations
Water levels dictate what is possible - late dry season leaves large areas as mud. Boat prices are negotiated. Facilities in Sengkang are basic. The lake is silting and shallowing.
Nearby
Sengkang is on the shore; Makassar is south-west; Tana Toraja is north.
What to pack for Lake Tempe
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
