So you want to travel to South East Asia’s least-visited nation.
Good, you absolutely should! Timor Leste is beautiful, home to untouched beaches and the world’s most biodiverse reef, as well as a wealth of little-known history and culture. It is however not the easiest place to visit, and it can also be really tricky to find accurate information online about how to get around.
So, what did I learn about navigating this hidden gem during my four day stay in Dili and Atauro Island?
The most compelling reasons to visit
Timor Leste was the first new country of the 21st century, having gained independence from Indonesia in 2002 following 27 years of occupation. It is also the only Portuguese-speaking nation in Asia, due to several centuries of Portuguese colonisation that only came to an end in 1975 . This has also meant Timor Leste is a predominantly Catholic country, and you’ll find Catholic churches all over (include self-improvised ones in the more remote areas!). This history, combined with Timor Leste’s links to Melanesia, make for an interesting melting pot of culture and language that you won’t find anywhere else in the region. Particularly if you’re a languages geek like me, it is fascinating to see how different languages are spoken in different parts of the country – in Dili, you will predominantly hear Portuguese, but on Atauro Island, Portuguese seemed barely understood, with most people speaking Bahasa Indonesia and Tetum (one of Timor’s official languages, also spoken on the Indonesian side of the island, in West Timor).
You’ll also find a particular kind of ‘Island Life’ vibe here that is even more relaxed than anywhere else in Asia – plan or don’t plan, pay now or pay later, maybe the boat will leave at 8 or maybe at 10 – everyone was very relaxed! There were some very bizarre things I experienced too – Christmas decorations found all over in the middle of August, and local markets with all of the 20+ stores selling a huge variety of clothes and goods branded with the Timor Leste flag (still have a lot of regret at not buying at least one of these souvenirs!). It was also incredibly expensive to do anything in Timor Leste, comparative to local salary levels. The average monthly salary is around $120, but grabbing a coffee in a local cafe will set you back $5, a small dinner in a fairly basic restaurant came to around $30 for two people – I assume these places are aimed either at visitors or diplomatic staff (the waterfront area is lined with around 15 pretty large embassies), but it was still an odd juxtaposition.
If you happen to visit during a weekend, Sunday is very much a day of rest, and this is taken very seriously. No boats to or from the ports, most shops and restaurants closed, people go to church and spend time with family. I spent a Sunday on Atauro island, and found a lot of people taking naps on the ground or on benches by the ocean.
Most people will visit Timor Leste for diving and snorkelling. Don’t get me wrong, you should absolutely do this while you’re there, the waters are clear and the coral reefs are breathtaking, but seeing life in action is equally as interesting.
Know before you go
You must arrive in Timor Leste with USD – there is nowhere to get cash inside the airport, the ATMs outside were not working, and most ATMs in the city did not accept foreign cards. There were one or two that did take visa, but nowhere took Mastercard, and paying by card was not possible anywhere I went. If you do manage to get an ATM to work, it will give you old, sometimes slightly damaged bills that are not often accepted elsewhere, so you’ll need to try and spend them while you’re there. If you can, try and take small bills with you – if you need to buy something on the street, like water or snacks, people are unlikely to have change for a $5 or $10 bill. There is a local coin currency (Centavos – 100 to the $1) for anything less than $1, you can’t find it outside of Timor Leste, but you will receive it as change.
I would also suggest having a rough plan before you go. You can arrange some things when you’re there, but knowing where you want to go, and being sure transport options exist on the days you want to go there, is going to make things a lot easier. I knew I wanted to go to Dili and Atauro Island, which was fairly easy to plan for (or so I thought, the boat timings made this a different story… read on to find out), but if you want to see other parts of the country it can be trickier to arrange.
How to get to Timor Leste
There is a daily flight from Bali to Dili with Citilink, which takes around two hours. Both flights to and from Dili were pretty empty, and the roundtrip cost around £340. There is also a daily flight with Qantas to and from Darwin.
As a UK passport holder landing at Dili, I was eligible for a 30 day Visa on Arrival – it cost $30, payable in cash at a kiosk as you get off the plane. For those short on passport space – beware, this was a whole page sticker and it takes them a little while to print it at immigration, meaning lines can be long. If you enter via a land border you have to apply for a visa in advance. Citizens from European Union countries that are part of the Schengen Agreement were able to enter visa-free for 90 days, just a stamp on arrival, no fee, no giant sticker.
Things were slightly chaotic when leaving the airport, there’s a customs form that you have to sit and fill out at a slightly ancient-looking desktop (there is a QR code, but the airport has no wifi) – this took a while as everyone who had been on the flight was queueing. There was a large crowd of people in the arrivals area waiting for returning family members, and certain areas were cordoned off. I had arranged for the hotel to do an airport pickup (which they offered free of charge!) which was definitely the most convenient option, but there are yellow taxis in the airport area that you can hail – metres aren’t really a thing here so negotiate a price in advance (I have generally heard that $6 is about standard to get to central Dili – taking a taxi in the other direction from the city centre to the airport cost around $3).
It was difficult to find anywhere to get a SIM card at the airport, places that looked like they would sell them were shuttered. The driver said there would be places downtown, but I didn’t come across those particularly easily either. Fortunately I had downloaded and installed an eSIM from Airalo in advance (I was fairly surprised one existed for Timor Leste, but grateful that it did!) – it was only 1GB, and I could only get a 3G connection the whole time, but it was sufficient for needing to WhatsApp hotels and double check info. Wifi was not widespread in Dili, I only found it in one cafe (Gloria’s Jeans), and would not suggest Timor Leste is a place you could work remotely from very easily.
Getting around Dili
It’s pretty easy to flag taxis down on the main roads within the city area of Dili, though along the waterfront you might wait a while before one drives past. Taxis are not really in the best shape in Dili – the cars are pretty banged up, windshields can have big cracks, door handles don’t work, and don’t expect seatbelts or AC! There is also a slightly odd tradition of drivers covering more than half of their windshields with black stickers to shade from the sun, meaning there’s only a tiny gap for them to look out at the road. As above with airport taxis, you will need to negotiate the price before you set off, as there aren’t any meters. Don’t expect drivers will know hotel names, so you’ll need street names or even pinned places you can show (ideally on an offline map given limited data access).
The other mode of transport in Dili is called the Microlet, a brightly coloured and decorated minivan that locals use to travel around the city. If you’ve not researched in advance, it can be pretty unclear how to use the Microlets, as there are no bus stops, and no information on where one is going when you find it. However, each colour has a number is meant to correspond to a specific route (up-to-date info on this is hard to find – this website has routes, but was last updated in 2019…). You have to hail the Microlet as it’s going past, and then you can just signal to get off when it is passing by the location you need, all for the modest cost of 25 Centavos ($0.25). Because I hadn’t looked this up in detail in advance, I didn’t take a Microlet while I was there, so I very much need to go back and try one!
Where to stay in Dili
Generally speaking, you won’t find that many compelling accommodation options in Timor Leste on the usual travel booking websites, although in the last few months I’ve seen that start to change a little. In Dili, I looked at the areas I thought I wanted to stay – waterfront was top of my list, and then did a google maps search for hotels nearby. I ended up finding Oceanview Beach Restaurant and Resort, took their WhatsApp number from the Facebook page linked to their google maps entry (no website, which is pretty normal here), and arranged the stay. It was $60 for one night including airport pickup and a drop-off to the port the next morning, and the owner also sent someone to buy our ferry tickets for us while we went to explore Dili. The rooms are converted shipping containers but are equipped with electricity and AC, hot water, and a small kitchen area – I was honestly really impressed! Big benefit of this hotel was that it also had a waterfront restaurant attached – I found it difficult to find anywhere around the main city centre area to get a good dinner (apart from a wildly overpriced Burger King…), so this was not only convenient but also a really nice place to sit by the sea and enjoy a couple of beers. If you are in Timor Leste to Dive, the owners of this hotel also have a PADI dive centre at the same spot and can arrange dive trips for you. The owner was also really cool and very happy to share info about how to get around, what to do etc. and had some great stories about his experience setting up the business. If I ever go back to Timor Leste, I’m staying here.
Things to do in Dili
You can walk around Dili in a couple of hours, and see the highlights of the city. The waterfront area has excellent views, as well as lots of seating areas made up of ’arm chairs’ made from tires that have been painted in pastel pinks and blues – a perfect place for enjoying the sunset!
The Church of Santo António de Motael, Timor Leste’s oldest Catholic church, located in an area that was a busting hub for European residents during the Portuguese colonial period. If you’re lucky, you might catch a wedding taking place here, quite publicly too with doors and windows open so you can peek inside.
Visit the Tais Market, only a short walk from the Church of Santo António de Motael. Tais is a traditional handwoven textile, used to create traditional clothes and decorations; it has a long and important role in Timorese life and is used to express cultural identity, welcome new-borns, used in traditional ceremonies, and more. Honestly, you won’t find so much of the cultural aspect of Tais at this market – it isn’t really a spot with much info or where you’ll see people making it, and I had to look up its significance afterwards. However, you will find some really beautiful items, as well as some old school souvenirs. There is also a LOT of non-Tais, Timor Leste-themed things for sale here (flags, hats, t-shirts, posters) so for souvenir shopping this is the place to be.
The Immaculate conception cathedral, reportedly the largest Catholic cathedral in Southeast Asia, funded by the Indonesian government, and blessed by Pope John Paul II. This is again only another short walk from the market, and I honestly really enjoyed walking around the grounds here. The architecture is also super interesting – if you’ve been to other former Portuguese colonies such as Angola or Guinea Bissau, you’ll see quite a striking resemblance to the churches and cathedrals seen in the main cities there.
Enjoy a coffee by the beach – the Letefoho Speciality Coffee Roaster is a delightful hipster-style coffee place where you can get a much-needed iced coffee after walking around in the sun. There weren’t so many cafes around, particularly in the waterfront area, though you’ll find a few Gloria’s Jeans branches throughout the city (we visited this one, which seemed to have generally OK wifi, though probably not strong enough for working from).
Cristo Rei – the infamous giant statue of Jesus Christ standing on top of a globe, arguably the main sightseeing attraction of Dili. Disclaimer, I shamefully ran out of time and didn’t make it here, and only saw it from the ferry on the way to Atauro (hence the stock image…). It is quite far from Dili, and once you get there, there’s unlikely to be many ways to get back, so you’ll need to find a taxi driver in the city and arrange for them to take you, wait, and bring you back. It does apparently lie on one of the Microlet routes, if you’re brave enough to try!
Bonus! If you’re looking for a haircut, there are barber shops on every corner offering $2 trims!
Atauro Island
Atauro Island is located just off the coast of Dili, around 35km away, and frankly, is incredibly beautiful and really worth making the trip to if you’re in Timor Leste. It is also home to the most biodiverse reef in the world, which you can catch a glimpse of just off the shore through the crystal-clear waters (perfect even for those who don’t dive!).
Getting to Atauro
You really need to plan ahead with this one, as the transport options are limited and not the same each day. You can get there via ferry, dragon ferry, speed boat, fishing boat, and private light aircraft. Regular ferries ($4) leave Dili Tuesdays and Saturdays and take around 3 hours, you must buy your ticket in advance at the port. Dragon Fast ferries ($12) leave Dili on Thursdays and Saturdays, tickets are advertised as being available as you board, but are recommended to buy in advance. The ticket offices for both ferries are opposite the Dili port, near Burger King. The ferries generally leave Dili between 7am and 8am (though this can vary), and return from Atauro the same day, later in the afternoon – you’ll need to be at the port in advance. I would really recommend asking your hotel for help with arranging the ferries, there are no websites or online bookings, the port area in Dili is confusing, the area to buy tickets is not clear at all, particularly in Atauro where the port is only really manned when ferries are coming in and out. Our hotel in Dili was more than happy to send someone to get the tickets for us, and our Atauro hotel was quite savvy on how to arrange transport too.
Speed boats are another good option, though much more pricey at $70 per seat (if you want to charter one just for you, it’s around $450). We took a speed boat back to Dili, and arranged it all on Whatsapp through Compass Diving – they have a schedule on their website though in my experience it can vary quite a lot timings wise, so you’ll need to contact them in advance. IMPORTANT NOTE – there is no transport to or from Atauro on Sundays, not even speed boats. I was hugely caught out with this, as info I was sent on transport options, and the info online, does not make that explicitly clear. I ended up having to stay an extra night in Atauro, and spent quite a lot of time panicking that I wouldn’t make my flight out of Dili on Monday as it wasn’t clear if there would be a speedboat available (thankfully Compass had space for us first thing on Monday morning and arranged seats last minute, phew!).
Fishing boats and flight options are less reliable. For fishing boats, they leave Dili around 8am from near the Marine Police area, and are said to cost around $10, but you’d need to go and negotiate your way onto one with the fishermen. In Atauro there isn’t a clear area where you can take them from so you’d need to ask around. They can be bumpy and take several hours, and those I spoke to in Atauro advised against this one due to concerns about safety. For flights – there’s a flight service run by Mission Aviation Fellowship, it’s a 7 seater plan and runs on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, timings vary throughout the week and you have to book via email or WhatsApp, though in my experience they weren’t hugely responsive, and there’s a risk the flights are changed or rescheduled if there’s a medivac (this flight service isn’t really designed for tourists, its more for humanitarian services). Compass offer a service where they can help book it for you. The airstrip is also quite far from the main beach area, so there’s additional transport arrangements to think about too.
Staying in Atauro
Again, finding accommodation here wasn’t as simple as just looking online – at the time I could only find one place listed online, although that’s now grown to two – Compass Atauro Eco Lodge, and Atauro Dive Resort. Both have PADI dive centres and are generally pitched as resorts for divers, though of course you don’t have to dive if you don’t want to! I went with Atauro Dive Resort, which was nice enough, huts on the beach with a fan inside, a separate shared bathroom hut, hammocks by the sea, meals served 3 time a day (at additional cost). The Compass Eco Lodge is quite a bit more expensive, but the quality of accommodation looked to be higher (AC, private bathrooms etc) and there are more services on offer.
Generally it’s worthwhile staying near the port area (known as Beloi beach), as it’s not easy to get around the island and you’ll need to be in this area for your arrival and departure. If you don’t want to go for either of the above online listings, there’s quite a few other, smaller hotels in the same area that you can either book via email or WhatsApp – its worth taking a look on google maps to see what is there, there are usually photos and contact details linked into the maps entry.
Things to do
People mainly head to Atauro for diving and snorkelling, and the main dive centres on the island are usually offering 2-3 dives and snorkel trips per day, which could be scheduled with very little notice given. Dive prices were really reasonable, at around $60 per dive including kit, even if you were the only one in the group. You’ll need a PADI open water certificate if you want to dive – it looked like some places were offering the course to be undertaken on the island but that would take 3 days of your time!
The island isn’t huge, but it is hilly. There’s a walking trail through the hills taking you to the other side of the island, but it’s 12+ kms, and then you would need to walk back, not for the faint hearted! There didn’t seem to be anything particularly of note either through the trail or on the other side of the island, so I gave this one a miss. You can have a nice walk around the port area though, seeing local churches, houses, schools etc. I found this super interesting to see how people lived on a truly secluded island.
One of the best things to do here is relax on the beach. I couldn’t believe how empty the beach was, it honestly felt like having a whole island to yourself. You can walk up and down the whole length of the coast on the east side of the island, and if you head far enough north you can see some pretty cool rock formations, giant trees with roots going into the sea, and more. The water was super warm too so even if you just want to dip your toes in, you can do so as you go along the coast.
Pro tip: take snacks. There aren’t really restaurants on the island, other than those located in the hotels, though even these have set mealtimes and if you miss breakfast or lunch (or both…) because you were out exploring, you’ve got a long wait until dinner!! There are a couple of very basic shops near the port though opening times may vary and they’re not likely to be open for long/at all on Sundays or after dark. They’re mainly selling water, beer, soft drinks, and some slightly questionable fried crispy snack things in a bag; also on sale are kitchen items, notebooks, shoes, etc – it seems like this is the main place locals buy everything they need for the day-to-day so they don’t have to constantly make trips to the mainland. On ferry days only, there is a food market by the port for 1-2 hours while the ferry is docked, you can get fresh coconuts and basic local dishes with fish and rice – would suggest eating lunch on arrival from the ferry, we didn’t, and had regret 7 hours later when desperately waiting for dinner!
Atauro really was a highlight of this trip, being able to completely switch off without connection to the outside world, spending the days in the sea or lounging in a hammock, and falling asleep to the sound of waves. I could’ve stayed there for much longer and prolonged the hiding from reality…!
And that brings me to a close! I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Timor Leste, and would love to head back there to see more of the mainland, particularly now I feel more confident about how to arrange logistics in the country. I highly encourage you to visit, particularly if you’re in the region already – getting here from Bali was incredibly easy and very much worth the trip to experience somewhere so totally unlike its neighbours.
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