The port city of PAREPARE , four hours and 150km north of Makassar, is a friendly transport hub for buses to Rantepao and Tanah Toraja and boats to multiple destinations in Java and Kalimantan. Jalan Panggir Laut and Jalan Andi Cammi both follow the shore, with Jalan Hasanuddin and Jalan Baumassepe parallel and further inland.

Buses from Rantepao and Makassar arrive 2km south of town on the road to Makassar; catch a "Balai Kota" pete-pete to the centre. Transport from Sengkang draws into the eastern Mapade terminal , while the northern Soreang terminal serves buses from Polewali. The port and Pelni office are more central on Jalan Andi Cammi, with ticket agents and blackboard schedules for alternative maritime services on Jalan Baso Patompo. Pelni services KM Kerinci, KM Binaiya and KM Tidar call in here .

Parepare's best accommodation is in the Hotel Gandaria, Jl Baumassepe 395 (tel 0421/21093; under $10), a clean gem; Hotel Gemini, Jl Baumassepe 451 (tel 0421/21754; under $5), is tattier but adequate. There's a popular night market off the northern end of Jalan Panggir Laut, and cheap warung dot the area, with excellent chargrilled fish and giant prawns at the black-glassed Restaurant Asia and less formal, open-fronted Warung Sedap, next to each other and opposite the Hotel Siswa on Jalan Baso Patompo. Sort out money at the BNI (with a Cirrus/Maestro ATM) on Jalan Veteran, north of the sports field. Your accommodation can advise on onward travel; as an alternative to slogging out to the terminals, some services can be hailed as they pass through the centre, and night buses to Makassar and Tanah Toraja accumulate around the Hotel Siswa in the afternoon.