Lake Tempe, Freshwater lake in South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Lake Tempe is a vast freshwater body in South Sulawesi that spreads across a substantial area with relatively shallow depths throughout.The surface is dotted with floating houses where residents conduct fishing and everyday life directly on the water.

Lake Tempe is a tectonic lake formed together with the landmass of Sulawesi, which lies on the Australian and Asian continental plates, so it is considered ancient. It spans three regencies in South Sulawesi: Wajo, Sidenreng Rappang and Soppeng. The Bugis and Muslim population has long lived around it, mostly as fishermen who keep floating homes on the water and return to land only from Thursday night to Friday noon.

The lake sits at the heart of the Bugis community's way of life, where fishing traditions rooted in the past continue to shape daily activities.Visitors can observe how the water remains central to local identity and how families organize their routines around its rhythms.

Sengkang, east of the lake, is the usual starting point; boats cross to the floating houses and the red, yellow or white flags marking sacred spots about a kilometre from the villages. In the dry season the lake splits into three basins and boats cannot always pass, while heavy rain can flood the shores.

Residents of the floating houses have engineered clever solutions to keep their dwellings stable on the water while maintaining mobility and flexibility.This arrangement creates one of Southeast Asia's few genuinely water-based settlements where people conduct entire lives directly on the lake.