Kete Kesu is the most visited Torajan village, sitting about four kilometres south of Rantepao along a footpath through rice fields. The settlement is arranged around a row of ancient tongkonan houses and matching rice barns facing each other across a stone-paved courtyard. Behind the village, a steep path climbs to a cliff face lined with rock-carved graves and wooden effigies — the tau-tau — dressed in real clothing and gazing out over the valley.
The tau-tau figures are carved likenesses of the deceased, traditionally made only for the noble class. Each figure wears real fabric, replaced periodically by the family. The cliff graves at Kete Kesu are among the oldest in Tana Toraja; some date back four or five centuries. The site can be reached by ojek (motorbike taxi) from Rantepao or on foot through pleasant countryside.