CENTRAL SULAWESI

Lake Poso

HIGHLAND LAKE & TENTENA

Lake Poso

Lake Poso is a highland lake in Central Sulawesi, 32 km long and up to 450 metres deep. Tentena, the town where the Poso river leaves the lake, is the base for visits. The villages around the shore are home to the Pamona people.

In Tentena, a long bridge crosses the outflow. Fishermen once caught giant eels there with long bamboo traps called waya masapi. Since dredging of the river began in 2019, most traps have gone: in 2022 only three were left. The eels grow to two metres. The Saluopa waterfall, 14 km west of the town, falls in tiers into shallow pools for swimming.

A full-day drive around the southern half of the lake passes rice terraces, Pamona villages and the Bancea orchid reserve. On the lake, you can swim, kayak or hire a boat. The water is fresh, clear and cool.

Two or three nights in Tentena are enough. The lake lies on the overland loop from Palu through Lore Lindu to the Togean Islands. The loop takes 10 to 14 days. The Bada Valley megaliths are about 75 km from Tentena, two hours or more by 4WD.

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Lake Poso in pictures

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Lake Poso, in the highlands of Central Sulawesi: one of Indonesia's deepest lakes, with sandy shores, the town of Tentena and the Saluopa waterfall.

When to go and how to get there

Rain in Lake Poso, month by month, and the journey in from the nearest airport.

Driest months

Aug

August is the driest month, with 95 mm of rain on average. April is the wettest, with 373 mm.

Driest months
In between
Wettest months

Rain: CHIRPS v2.0, Climate Hazards Center, UC Santa Barbara, average of 1991-2020. See the weather in Sulawesi by month

Getting there

01 · Fly
To Palu (PLW)
Daily flights from Makassar and Jakarta. The rest of the way is by road.
02 · Drive
Palu → Tentena
About 6 h by car or bus. The road climbs through coffee country, then drops into the Tentena valley.
03 · Drive
Ampana → Tentena
About 4 h by car, for travellers coming from the Togean Islands.

Lake Poso weather by month

The average rain, temperatures and sea of each month, measured over many years.

Month	Rain (mm)
January	117
February	111
March	196
April	373
May	236
June	189
July	120
August	95
September	137
October	128
November	183
December	122

Rain: CHIRPS, 1991-2020.

See Lake Poso on the live weather page

Lake Poso travel guides

The Sulawesi.com guides that cover Lake Poso.

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Where to stay

See all 15 places to stay in Lake Poso

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