Timor Leste (East Timor) Tips

General Info

Timor Leste is a great place to visit for any traveler hoping to find a holiday that still offers a touch of adventure. With the tourism industry in its infancy, locals still seem excited  to see travelers passing through their towns, especially in some of the more remote villages. The people were generally very friendly and seemed more welcoming the further you got from the larger cities. I generally stayed in guesthouses and homestays to experience local life as much as possible, the accommodation was always good, as was the food, don't expect 5 star living though, some places have only just got power and running water.
As a motorcyclist I couldn't recommend Timor Leste more highly, it's a country that offers some real adventure riding, with all the joys and challenges that come with it. The roads aren't the best but the potholes and puddles just add to the fun, having said that, I did come across some very challenging roads, especially in the more remote places (Tutuala Beach and the last few km to Mount Ramelau).
I did my trip with very little planning and almost no grasp of the local language so it's definitely an achievable place to visit on bike, learning a few phrases in Tetun would deffinately serve you well. There really wasn't much tourist info once in the country and a road map was impossible to find, it would be well worth you time to do a little research and planning and if your riding get a decent map before you arrive.
I enjoyed having my own bike and traveling on my own time frame however it is possible to do an organized motorcycle tour through the country. Timor Adventures were really friendly, you can book motorcycle trips through them and they'll provide the bike and take care of all the details, the best thing is that they're flexible and have all the local knowledge. They are located under the Dili Beach hotel and you can contact Dave and Shirley at www.timoradventures.com.au or  email at carlos@timoradventures.com.au

The flight from Darwin to Dili was quite expensive at $430 one way, at the time of my flight the only company that did the route was Air North, I did hear rumors from expats that another airline will be doing the Darwin to Dili route soon so hopefully a little competition brings the prices down. The other option is to fly from Darwin to Bali and then onto Dili, not sure if it’s much cheaper and it depends if you want the side trip to Bali or not.

I received my visa on arrival at the airport, it was a simple process and cost US $50.

If you’re travelling to Indonesia via the land border you will have to apply for your visa at the embassy in Dili. You arrive at about 7am and put your name on the list, then return between 9 and 10 with your documents, men must be wearing long pants and closed shoes otherwise you’ll be asked to get changed and return later. You will also need to provide a passport size photo with a red background, the photo companies in the shopping district will know this once you tell them it’s for an Indonesian visa.  Visa’s usually take 2 -3 days and cost US $50.

Dili uses the US dollar, which tends to mean that the cost of things is not cheap, they’re also used to the days of the UN and Australian army being around to pay higher prices. It’s worth having US dollars upon arrival as I found that the ATM machines would often run out of money and when I was there and not many places took card.

Generally you can get anywhere around town in a Taxi for $2 - $3, the drivers often try to over charge you, I got charged $20 from the airport to the hotel when I first arrived in town so its wise to know the prices and also to negotiate the fare when you get in.

As a guy, I didn’t have any hassles walking through some of the worse areas of town by myself, even at night time I didn’t feel threatened. The attitude of local men towards western women makes it a different story for women walking through the streets alone, most of the girls I’d talked to had been harassed in some way or another, it's definitely a great country to visit  however it would be wise to err on the side of caution if you’re a woman travelling alone through Timor Leste.

Accommodation and hangouts

Dili Beach Hotel: Great view from the second storey, plenty of westerners hanging out during the day and free, fast WIFI, good place to have a beer if you want to use the interent. I didn’t use the accomodation here but the rooms seemed reasonable at $40 a night.

Nautilus: This is a restaurant with a nice Balinese atmosphere, good food and a favourite watering hole for expats, Bruce the manager is a laugh and there’s usually some interesting people to meet

Caz Bar: This restaurant is situated across from the beach on the way to the Christ statue, the food was great, especially the pork belly roll and the atmosphere was really nice, good place to get away from the city and hang out on the beach.

Timing Hotel: This is the first place I stayed in Dili, the rooms were good but the position isn’t great and its only locals that stay there so it’s pretty much just a place to sleep, not to socialize, rooms were $40 p/n which included an ensuite

East Timor Backpackers: My advice is to avoid this place like the plague, this is where the spotlights on my bike were stolen, there were a few other accusations of theft from other guests while I was there too. having said that it’s not a bad place to meet travelers and it's quite cheap, the reviews all used to be good but the recent ones are mostly. Single rooms are $20 p/n  and a dorm bed is $12 p/n, if your hell bent on a cheap stay this is an option however I’d suggest couchsurfing.com

www.couchsurfing.com : I mention this because some friends that I met in Timor Leste stayed at some houses via couchsurfing.com and had really good experiences, if you want a cheap stay and at the same time meet some locals check it out, the local expat site, which I believe is called diliexpats is supposed to be worth checking out too.

Atauro Island: We stayed at some beach bungalow’s run by a guy named Paul, they were very basic grass huts but I stayed with a good group of guys so it was a good atmosphere, at $10 p/n it was a cool place to stay. We went to Barry’s for meals, He was booked out because of a long weekend, I believe he charges $60 p/n with all meals included, worth it even just for the local info he provides.

Baucau: During my stays in Baucau I spent 2 nights at the Melita guesthouse, the rooms are $20 p/n and have their own ensuite, the owner is friendly and speaks quite good English, apparently it was a favourite place for peace keeper to stay. There is parking for a motorbike under their carport, it’s not the securest place to leave your bike but I didn’t have any problems. The main place I ate was Amelia restaurant, the food was really good and well priced, if you want something a little classier the renovated pousada offers food and accommodation.

Tutuala Beach: There are two tourist villages at the bottom of the hill, We stayed at the fist one as it was community run and also cheaper. The accommodation was in traditional grass huts, which was great, the waterfront location was spectacular, the food was really nice and well priced but the beer was a little warm and a tad expensive, $20 p/n, all in all a great place to stay.

Loi Hunu: There’s a community run holliday village here near some local limestone caves that are worth checking out, It's a really nice location, surrounded by forest in the hills of central Timor Leste. The price for accommodation is $40 a night per bungalow. It's a little hard to find, turn left at the cemetery exactly 8 km past Ossu and head down the dirt track for 500m

Mount Ramelau/hatubuilico: We stayed at a guest house here that was run by the village chief, The rooms were good, the bed was comfy and the food was tasty, not bad for $15 p/n. There are a couple of guest houses in town, the signage on them is quite good. They were Building a new hotel/restaurant when I went through.

Maubisse: We stayed at Café Maubisse, which is actually a guest house not a café. It is family run and the people are super friendly, $15 p/n with breakfast included…. Bargain. It’s worth heading up to the old Portuguese Pousada for a coffee or beer to check out the view over the surrounding countryside.

Liquicia: I stayed at the Blackrock resort, You stay in a large tent for $40 p/n, it’s a bit pricey but they have hot running showers and a great beachfront location, the food was amazing too.

Balibo: I stayed in the priests accommodation as a guest of the parish priest, other accommodation includes the Nunnery which is a little pricey at $20 - $30 p/n depending on the day and a guesthouse which is located in the centre of town. They were almost finished building a resort in the old Portuguese fort at the time of my visit, looked quite swanky.