One of the newest nations in the world, East Timor is a fascinating little island country in Southeast Asia offering lovely beaches, and excellent diving and snorkeling. This interesting country is also home to colonial architecture, indigenous cultures, and mountainous interior good for trekking. Recovering from a rough past with only modest tourist facilities around, East Timor is not yet a destination for the ones looking for safety and comfort, but it you can handle the lack of facilities, traveling to Timor-Leste can be an experience of a lifetime.
Former Portuguese colony located in Southeast Asia between Indonesia and Australia, East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor in the Lesser Sunda Islands. The inhabitants of the country are mainly Austronesian or Melanesian, speaking as many as 37 different indigenous languages. The East Timorese culture has taken influences from the Portuguese and Malay people. There is also a small Chinese community as well as many foreigners working temporarily in Timor-Leste.
Underwater & outdoor Timor. Atauro Island near Dili and Jaco Island off the eastern tip of Timor offer excellent unspoiled beaches and some of the best diving in East Timor. Snorkeling is also great on these islands, as well as in the many lovely beaches around East Timor. Sports fishing in East Timor is now also possible. The highest mountain of Timor-Leste, Ramalau is a popular place for trekking in East Timor, while the fishing village of Com with its great beaches has become a popular weekend getaway from Dili.
How to get there. Most visitors travel to East Timor via the international airport in Dili which receives a limited number of flights to East Timor from Darwin, Bali, and Singapore. You can also cross the border by land from the Indonesian part of the island.
Public transport options in East Timor include buses, minibuses called mikrolets, and inexpensive taxis. There are also boats to the separate Oecussi area and to the Atauro Island close to East Timor. Besides Dili Airport, there are two other airports in Timor-Leste, but domestic flights within the country are not available.
Former Portuguese colony located in Southeast Asia between Indonesia and Australia, East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor in the Lesser Sunda Islands. The inhabitants of the country are mainly Austronesian or Melanesian, speaking as many as 37 different indigenous languages. The East Timorese culture has taken influences from the Portuguese and Malay people. There is also a small Chinese community as well as many foreigners working temporarily in Timor-Leste.
Sights and activities in East Timor: beaches, diving, historical attractions & mountains
East Timor offers plenty of interesting places to see as well as activities to do. The Timorese capital Dili is a small city with an international feel to it, offering colonial Portuguese architecture, independence monuments, museums, and nearby beaches, as well as the best options for accommodation, restaurants, nightlife and shopping in East Timor. The second largest city in East Timor, Bacau is home to an old colonial center with a beautiful mountain backdrop, as well as a convent mission and white sand beaches.Underwater & outdoor Timor. Atauro Island near Dili and Jaco Island off the eastern tip of Timor offer excellent unspoiled beaches and some of the best diving in East Timor. Snorkeling is also great on these islands, as well as in the many lovely beaches around East Timor. Sports fishing in East Timor is now also possible. The highest mountain of Timor-Leste, Ramalau is a popular place for trekking in East Timor, while the fishing village of Com with its great beaches has become a popular weekend getaway from Dili.
East Timor travel tips and practical information
The climate in East Timor is tropical with constantly warm temperatures around the year. There is a dry season in Timor-Leste from May to November with very little rainfall, and a wet season from December to April when there is major rainfall and traveling around can get difficult. The weather in Timor’s central mountain areas is generally cooler and a bit wetter than in the coastal area.How to get there. Most visitors travel to East Timor via the international airport in Dili which receives a limited number of flights to East Timor from Darwin, Bali, and Singapore. You can also cross the border by land from the Indonesian part of the island.
Public transport options in East Timor include buses, minibuses called mikrolets, and inexpensive taxis. There are also boats to the separate Oecussi area and to the Atauro Island close to East Timor. Besides Dili Airport, there are two other airports in Timor-Leste, but domestic flights within the country are not available.
Photo: yeowatzup, used under Creative Commons License (By 2.0)
Car rental in East Timor is available in Dili but the number of cars is limited. Motorcycles and mountain bikes are also offered for hire.
Visitor services. Hotels in East Timor are generally not of great standard. There is a wide supply of accommodation in the capital city Dili, but accommodation options elsewhere in the country are still limited. Restaurants in East Timor can be found mainly in Dili and in the most popular beach areas. Options for nightlife in East Timor are mainly limited to Dili. English is widely understood in East Timor due to the large influx of foreigners working there for UN or other organizations.
Safety. East Timor still has security problems linked to politics, occurring mainly in Dili. There might be night-time curfews in some parts of Dili, and walking around at night is not safe. Visitors should avoid any demonstrations or protests and enquire about the safety situation before traveling to any unknown areas.
Short history of Timor-Leste
Timor has been inhabited by Austronesian and Melanesian people for thousands of years. Chinese and Javanese traders were the first outsiders to visit the island, while the Portuguese colonized Timor in the 16th century. Portugal gave the western portion of Timor to the Dutch in a treaty in 1859. Japan occupied the area during the World War II, but Portugal’s colonial rule lasted until 1975 when East Timor declared itself independent. Just days later, it was invaded and occupied by Indonesia. The following pacification campaign cost an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 lives.Independence movement of Timor-Leste continued resistance until a UN-supervised referendum on independence was held in 1999. After a great majority of the people had voted for independence, local opposition militias organized by the Indonesian military destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure and forced many people to flee to Indonesia as refugees. An international peacekeeping force succeeded in ending the violence, and Timor-Leste finally became an independent state in 2002.
