Makassar city is the capital city of South Sulawesi province. Makassar is the largest metropolitan city in the Eastern Indonesia region and in the past was the capital of the State of East Indonesia and the Province of Sulawesi. Makassar is located on the southwestern coast of Sulawesi Island and is bordered by the Makassar Strait to the west, Pangkajene Islands Regency to the north, Maros Regency to the east and Gowa Regency to the south.
This city offers a variety of interesting tourist objects, as many as 62 tourist objects are found in this area, including the traditional game “Ma’raga”, which is a sports ball game show that is moved from foot to foot or to hand, this show is played with joy. The players use traditional clothes such as passapu and sarong, usually played by 6 players. This show will be even more interesting when the players start supporting each other so that they are higher and still good at playing the ball and don’t fall to the ground. besides that there are various traditional dances such as the Pakarena Dance.
Modern Makassar has many tourist attractions that are used for the purposes of entertainment for the people of Makassar as well as for tourists from other cities and countries. Some of the most popular among Makassar people are Losari Beach, the beach which is located in the city center is a strategic location as a tourist spot, apart from being a place to watch the sunset in the afternoon, there is also a local culinary area that offers various kinds of food, like banana epe. besides that there is also Fort Rotterdam, which is one of the forts in South Sulawesi which can be considered majestic and charming. This fort is a historical heritage of the Sultanate of Gowa, this Sultanate once triumphed around the 17th century with the capital city of Makassar. This sultanate actually has 17 forts that surround the entire capital city. It’s just that, Fort Rotterdam is the most magnificent fortress among the other forts and its authenticity has been preserved until now.
Soekarno-Hatta Makassar Port In Makassar, Soekarno-Hatta is the name of the port, especially the port for passenger ships and the passenger terminal. This port is managed by PT Pelabuhan Indonesia IV (Pelindo IV).
In this passenger port area there is the Babussalam Mosque. This mosque was inaugurated by President Megawati, along with the inauguration of the Makassar Container Terminal, on July 21, 2001. Meanwhile, in the northern end of the port, or the end of the Nusantara road, there is the beginning of the Reformasi Toll Road (Makassar ring toll road) which connects the port area to the city center. This toll road, which is only 3.1 km long, is managed by PT Nusantara Infrastructure Tbk. This company owned by the Bosowa Group is also the operator of the Bintaro-Bumi Serpong Damai (Jakarta/Tangerang) toll road.
Paotere is a boat port located in Ujung Tanah District, Makassar. This port, which is ± 5 km (± 30 minutes) from the center of Makassar City, is one of the people’s ports inherited from the old days that still survives and is evidence of the legacy of the Kingdom of Gowa-Tallo since the 14th century when around 200 Phinisi boat fleets were dispatched to Malacca. Paotere Harbor is still used as a harbor for people’s boats such as Phinisi and Lambo and is also a center for fishing trade.
The city of Makassar has an international airport, Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport which was inaugurated on 26 September 2008 by the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, indicating that since then Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport is fully operational where previously it had been operating but only partially. Hasanuddin Airport also has a special airport taxi with prices that vary according to the region of the destination area as well as a special shuttle bus that serves routes to and from the new airport. In fact, many illegal taxis also offer services to passengers who have just arrived in Makassar. In 2009 it is hoped that the new runway will be completed and usable.
Pete-pete is the name of public transportation in Makassar and its surroundings. The red pete-pete are angkots originating from Gowa Regency and serving inter-city transportation, while the blue pete-pete are angkot originating from Makassar City itself and only serving transportation within the Makassar area. Makassar is famous for its traditional rickshaw transportation. The number itself reaches 1,500 units. The local government enforces rickshaws for tourism and only operates around tourist areas. The fare depends on the agreement with the paddling.
In addition there are various tourist support facilities. A total of 124 star hotels and inns that can be used by tourists, 267 restaurants and eateries, 102 karaoke locations, pubs and discotheques, as well as 230 bureaus and travel agents.
Towards Makassar City can be reached through various modes of transportation :
Land transportation
To go to Makassar City, we can use buses or rental cars, aiming at the Regional Daya terminal
Water transportation
Almost all Pelni ships anchor in this city, because Makassar is a transit location for passenger ships going to the West and East Indonesia regions. Ships generally anchor at the seaport of Soekarno Hatta
Air transport
To go to Makassar City, visitors can board planes from various airlines with the Makassar Hasanuddin Airport route.