Ammatoa Kajang village: visitor rules and how to behave

By Bira Sulawesi Editorial Desk

Ammatoa Kajang village, at Tana Toa in Bulukumba's Kajang district, is a living customary community, not an attraction. Published rules for outsiders entering the inner area are strict: all-black clothing, no shoes or sandals, no filming or photographs without permission, and following customary leaders. If those terms do not suit you, it is better not to go.

Who lives in Ammatoa Kajang village?

A community that lives under its own customary law in Tana Toa, in Kajang district of Bulukumba Regency. An Atlantis Press paper names that law as Pasang ri Kajang. The tourism ministry's village platform lists Desa Tanah Towa as the home of the Ammatoa Kajang customary village, which is why you will see the place spelled both Tanah Towa and Tana Toa.

The inner settlement, Kajang Dalam, keeps a way of life that is unusual anywhere today. SulawesiPos reported in March 2026 that it has no electricity, paved road, motor vehicles or modern communication devices. The same article's headline calls it an all-black village that guards its forest and its traditions. That is how people live there, and it is not a backdrop for your trip. This page sets out what the sources say a visitor must do, and it says plainly where they stop.

Where is Tana Toa?

In the same regency as Bira, though the sources disagree on how far it is from the regency's main town. The ministry platform says about 40 km from Bulukumba town. Qualla, a third-party guide, says about 56 km north of Bulukumba town and 210 km south-east of Makassar. Ask a driver for a current figure before you rely on either.

Published sources give no direct road figure between Bira and Kajang. For scale only: the national tourism site puts Bira about 40 km from Bulukumba town, so this is a serious outing by road and not a short side trip. Get a current driving time from whoever would take you, and do not plan on fitting it around a boat trip on the same day. Our guide to things to do in Bira covers visits that are closer to the cape.

What rules apply to visitors?

Two sources set them out, and they agree on the core. The academic paper says outsiders entering the inner area, called ilalang embayya, must wear black and may not wear shoes or sandals. SulawesiPos lists these rules for Kajang Dalam:

• Wear all-black clothing.
• Wear no footwear.
• Do not film or take photographs without permission.
• Follow the customary leaders.

Our own reading adds one practical point that is not a published rule. In a place with no motor vehicles or modern communication devices, a phone held up in the middle of a path is out of keeping, even if you are only checking the time. Keep it away unless someone has told you otherwise. A drone is plainly filming, so it falls under the permission rule and should stay in your bag.

The last rule on that list decides the others. Someone in authority may tell you something different on the day, stricter or looser than what is written here, and you go by what they say.

Why black clothing and no footwear?

The sources state these as requirements of entry and do not explain the meaning behind them, so we will not make one up. If you want to understand the reason, ask respectfully when you are there, and accept the answer you are given, including no answer at all. What matters for your planning is that this is a condition of entering, and you should not treat it as a costume or a photo opportunity.

The practical side is simple enough:

• Pack complete black clothing before you leave Makassar or Bira. We would not count on buying it nearby.
• "All-black" leaves little room, so check any hat or scarf as well.
• Expect to walk barefoot on an unpaved surface. If your feet or balance would make that unsafe, and that may apply to older travellers, consider honestly whether to go.
• Rain will make that harder, since the report says there is no paved road.

What is Pasang ri Kajang?

The paper identifies it as the customary law of the community. For a visitor, the detail of its content matters less than where it places authority. You are entering a place governed by its own law and leaders, and a tourism listing or a travel article, including this one, has no power to give you permission. A driver saying "it's fine" does not change that either. For anything beyond this outline, treat the community as the source to ask, not a website.

How is the customary forest recognised?

By the state, on the record, though the area figure differs between sources. The Atlantis Press paper gives 313.99 hectares under ministry decree SK.6746/MENLHK-PSKL/Kum.1/12/2016. An IOP-published paper uses 331.17 hectares, and SulawesiPos uses about 331. The decree itself would settle that, and the figure tied to the decree number is the lower one.

IDN Times says the government recognised the forest in 2016, and it refers to research finding 20 per cent less deforestation than in non-customary areas. That finding reaches us second-hand, so it is an indication and not a measurement you should quote as settled. For a visitor, the point is simpler: recognition as a customary forest does not make it open to walk in, so do not assume access, and take nothing out of it.

How do you arrange a visit respectfully?

Approach a visit slowly, and understand that the answer could be no. We can cite no formal visitor procedure, fixed fee or guide requirement, so anyone who presents one as settled should explain where it comes from. A sensible approach looks like this:

1. Start with the ministry's Ammatoa Kajang listing, then ask locally how outsiders should make contact.
2. Ask before you travel what is allowed for your group, particularly for children, older people or anyone with a medical need.
3. Go in a small group, and do not arrive as part of a tight sightseeing loop.
4. If you are a student or researcher, or want to document anything, make that clear from the start and expect a separate conversation about permission.
5. Be ready to stop at the boundary, or to stay out of the inner area altogether, if that is what you are told.

If that sounds like more than your trip can hold, there is another way to meet this culture. The national tourism calendar for Festival Pinisi 2026 listed Kajang culture among its exhibitions, and our festival page explains how the dates move each year. Plan the rest of your route with the Bira itinerary guide.

What do visitors need to know about Kajang?

What are the rules for visiting Kajang?

For the inner area, published rules are all-black clothing, no footwear, no filming or photographs without permission, and following customary leaders. What those leaders tell you on the day takes priority.

What should I wear to Kajang Ammatoa?

Complete black clothing, and no shoes or sandals inside the inner area. Bring your own black clothes, including any hat or scarf.

How far is Kajang from Bira?

Published sources give no direct figure. The ministry platform says Tana Toa is about 40 km from Bulukumba town and Qualla says about 56 km, and Bira is itself about 40 km from that town, so ask a driver for a current time.

Can you take photos in Kajang?

Not without permission, according to SulawesiPos. Ask first each time, accept a refusal, and leave drones packed away.

Do I need a guide to visit Kajang Ammatoa?

We can cite no guide requirement either way. Ask locally how outsiders should make contact, and do not treat anyone's word as permission unless it comes from the community.

Which sources support this page?

• Desa Adat Ammatoa Kajang, tourism ministry village platform
• Atlantis Press paper on the Kajang community and Pasang ri Kajang
• IOP-published paper on the Kajang customary forest
• SulawesiPos, Kajang Ammatoa visitor rules, 2 March 2026
• IDN Times, the Kajang customary forest
• Qualla, Tana Toa (third-party guide)
• Pantai Tanjung Bira, Indonesia's national tourism site
• Festival Pinisi 2026, national tourism calendar

How do I reach the desk?

The desk does not sell or arrange entry to Tana Toa, and it cannot give permission that belongs to the community. If you have a correction to this page, or a question about other parts of a Bira trip, write on WhatsApp +62 811-3941-4563 or to bd@juaraholding.com. Our business is requests that can lead to a paid booking elsewhere on the cape, and those come with a written offer before you agree.