June 8, 2025 • 18 mins
Your host, Jonty, talks about ten amazing hikes in Timor-Leste...
Horta Loop in Dili, 10km, 3 hrs, Easy - Timor-Leste’s best known day walk
Tasi Tolu Hills in Dili, 5.5km, 2-2.5 hrs, Moderate to Hard - Spectacular views of Dili from several lookouts, from Gruta de Nossa Senhora Maria Auxilliadora / Cave of Our Lady of Mount Golgotha
Tibar Coastal Walk in Dili, 13km, 3 hrs, Easy - Beautiful coastal walk to mangroves
Mt Ramelau / Tatamailau, 9.5km, 3-5 hrs, Moderate to Hard - Summit the highest peak in Timor-Leste
Matebian, 9.3km, 5-9 hrs, Hard - Challenge yourself on the second highest peak
Mundo Perdido, 6.6km, 3-4 hrs, Moderate to Hard - Explore Timor-Leste's largest remaining rainforest
La Rende!, 92km, 6 days, Hard - Discover the WW2 history of Timor-Leste with Mad Dog Adventures
Mt Saboria to Mindelo, 45.8km, 3 days, Hard - Remote hiking through spectacular landscapes with Eco Discovery
Tapo to Atsabe, 41.4km, 3 days, Hard - Enjoy two hot springs and the highest waterfall with Eco Discovery
Timor-LesteCoast2Coast, ~100km, 8 days, Hard - Cross the entire country on foot with Eco Discovery
Exploring Timor-Leste on Foot: 30 incredible hikes in one of the least visited countries in the world - https://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Timor-Leste-Foot-incredible-countries-ebook/dp/B0DNF9VK9Z
Website - www.exploringtimor.com
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@exploringtimor
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jonty (00:06):
Bondi.
Welcome to exploring Tim Este,the podcast that talks about
Southeast Asia's best kepttravel secret.
I'm your host Jte, and I'llshare firsthand insights, expert
interviews and practical traveltips.
Whether you're a traveler, acultural lover, or just curious
about places rarely covered inthe mainstream.
You're in the right place.
Let's explore two more.
Less day.
(00:32):
Today's episode, I'm gonna talkabout one of my favorite
activities in Timor-Leste, whichis hiking.
Timor-Leste is home to someincredible hiking with some of
the most impressive scenery inSoutheast Asia, including near
3000 meter high mountains,beautiful waterfalls, stunning
beaches, and diverse landscapes.
Exploring Timor Este on footallows you to enjoy the sites as
(00:53):
well as the rich local culture,and spend time with warm and
welcoming Timorese.
Note that hiking in Timor Esteis very much frontier.
Hiking with limited facilitiesand signage, you need to be
prepared for heat, humidity, andhills.
It's best to walk early in themorning, soon after sunrise
rise.
Avoid the worst of the heat andtake plenty of water and sun
protection however, if you arewell prepared, Timor Este
(01:16):
rewards with stunning scenery,friendly locals, and a real
sense of exploring where fewother tourists have been.
So in today's episode, I'm gonnatalk about 10 hikes throughout
two more less day.
So three in dili, three summitsoutside of Dili, and then four
multi-day adventures.
I'll do separate episodes in thefuture about day walks in dili
(01:39):
and day walks, and longer walkson Roo Island.
But this episode will give you agood overview for what you can
do on foot exploring Timor Este.
Before I get into the walks, Iwill highlight that I have
written a book called ExploringTimor Less Day on Foot, which is
available on Amazon as a Kindleebook, and that has the 10 I'm
(02:00):
talking about today and another20 more.
The book provides a lot moreinformation that I can cover in
the podcast, including maps andphotos.
So if you are particularly keenon hiking and team Oreste, check
that out.
I'll start with the TER loop,which is probably the best known
day, walk in Timor less day, andthat is in Dili from the Christo
(02:21):
ray area.
It's a 10 kilometer walk, takesabout three hours.
It is technically easy, butthere is limited shade.
To make sure you carry anumbrella or go prepared for
walking in the sun for severalhours, navigation is pretty
straightforward.
It is basically a road walk,although most of the road is
gravel road.
So you walk up past Ramsay'sER's house on the Hira coastal
(02:45):
road, and follow the road andthen that will take you down to
the coast on the other side ofthe hills, and then you turn
left and then you follow thecoastline around.
There's a couple of nice baysyou'll walk around by.
Back beach.
And then you're getting toChristo ray, the statue of
Jesus, and then Christo Raybeach, and then back to where
you started in a loop.
(03:05):
And what's particularly goodabout this walk is there are a
number of good places to eat,like Beachside or Cas Bar.
And you can start and finishfrom those places.
So you can have brunch before,after you do the walk note that
it is best to do the walk withother people.
There have been a few instancesaround the very far side, so
just take care.
(03:25):
It's generally a very safe walk,but it goes to some relatively
remote parts in Deli.
It has beautiful scenery.
You'll get amazing views of thecoast.
You go to back beach, and if youbring your snorkel gear, that's
a great place to go for asnorkel the second walk is in
the Tassie Tolu Hills.
So Tassie Tolu are the lakesnear the airport in Dili.
This is a two to two and a halfhour walk, which is quite a bit
(03:48):
harder than the ter loop'causeit involves more climbing
uphills.
But it offers some of the bestviews of dili from several
lookout points.
Now Navigationally, this is alittle bit trickier, but if you
start from the Gru, Deno, Sonoraand Mariana Aux.
Or the cave of our Lady of MountGha, which you can find on
(04:09):
Google Maps.
That is the best place to start.
So from there, there is a shrinenotice.
It's a silent shrine, so bequiet and respectful if you're
walking through there.
And behind that shrine, thereare 14 stations of the cross,
which lead up the hillside tothree crosses representing where
Jesus was crucified.
If you follow the crosses,that's quite straightforward and
(04:32):
offers amazing views, and thenyou can return the way you came
or we can continue around theridge line and come down a
different way.
Now there are maps for all thesehikes on exploring timor.com.
If you visit the hiking sectionof the website, there is a
Google map which has lots ofinformation about all these
hikes and it has links to GPSmaps, which you can use in all
(04:53):
trails to avoid getting lost.
The third walk is also in Dili,and this is another easy walk.
It's about 13 kilometers, takesabout three hours, and
Navigationally is quitestraightforward and it's a T-bar
coastal walk.
Start from Dilly Rock, whichmarks the border between Dili
and Kosar you basically walkalong the coast from Dilly Rock.
(05:15):
There's a bit of road walking,then you get onto the old
Coastal Road to Sal, which is agravel road.
Beautiful coastal scenery.
I'd really recommend walking itat low tide.
If you walk it a low tide on astill morning, you have stunning
reflections and you get greatviews of t-bar port.
At the end of the hike, you'llfinish off at the mangroves in
T-bar, which are well worth avisit.
(05:36):
There's a lot more boardwalkthan I was expecting and there's
some really interesting wildlifethat's a really good kind of way
to either mark the halfway pointof the walk you can either walk
back the way you came.
Or catch public transport backfrom the mangroves to where you
started.
Hike number four is probably thebest known big hike in
Timor-Leste, which is MountRamal.
(05:57):
So this is the highest point inTimor-Leste, nearly 3000 meters
high.
It's a three to five hour returnwalk.
It's about 10 kilometers andit's moderate to hard.
Navigation is relativelystraightforward, but you've got
a reasonable amount of ascent toget to the summit.
This starts from the village of.
How to al, which is in Narro.
(06:17):
So if you go to moi and a bitfurther on from there.
The road from Moi to Hako is adirt slash mud road, depending
on whether it's rained or not.
You'll probably need a fourwheel drive vehicle in order to
get to HaCo.
That is the highest settlementin Timor Este, and it's a
beautiful village just toexplore.
Many people go up Mount Ramalafor sunrise, which is around
6:00 AM So you need to startaround 3:00 AM So an early
(06:41):
start.
But they are awarded with somestunning views at sunrise and it
was also very windy up there.
And it's cold.
It's the coldest place in TimorEste, which makes sense is the
highest point.
So make sure you take somelayers while you're waiting for
the sun to rise.
A slightly warmer and more sleepfriendly approach is to go for
sunset, but please make sure youtake your head talks when you
(07:02):
come down in the dark.
The second highest peak in TimorLester is Matter bn, which is in
the Baal municipality.
It is a little bit tricky to getto the start.
You need to take a rather rough,although it is being
redeveloped, road up to Bagilla,which is a beautiful place to
visit anyway, it has an oldPortuguese fort which you can
stay in and then you all need aguide for this because it is
(07:24):
very easy to get lost and it isquite a climb up to Mat bn is.
Not overly technical, but it issteep and a decent workout.
So expect to take somewherebetween five and nine hours
return to do the nine k walk tothe summit.
But the views, as you canimagine, are pretty impressive.
Interestingly, the summit ofMount Ramal.
(07:45):
Is marked with a statue of theVirgin Mary, which was brought
over from Italy in the latenineties.
And the Summit of Matter bien ismarked with a statue of Jesus
looking a bit like Christo ray,but quite a lot smaller another
great hike is around the MundoPerdido region, which is in
Vicke So it's one of the moreremote areas.
(08:07):
If a KK has got beautifullandscapes and Tito is very
worthwhile for those interestedin hiking again, a local guide
is required.
'cause the tracks are prettyrough and often overgrown, it's
also a good place for wildlifespotting as it is Timor less
day's largest remaining area ofrainforest To move on to the
multi-day hikes.
These you will need to do with atour operator.
(08:28):
There is very limited facilitiesand infrastructure for long
distance.
Hiking in Timor, less day evengetting food and water can be
quite challenging.
So you all need a support crewwho can help you with the
directions'cause there are noobvious trails.
And also with, food andsupplies.
The first of the multi-dayheights to talk about is Lae.
This is a six day adventure,primarily through Amira, which
(08:52):
is particularly beautiful andmountainous part of Timor-Leste
to the southwest of Dili.
Now, this follows in thefootstep of Australian soldiers
and the Tim who fought alongsidethem against the Japanese in
1942.
This can be organized throughMad Dog Adventures, and it's a
mixture of.
Scenic hiking plus historicsites.
(09:12):
You will get a goodunderstanding of the conflict
that took place between Februaryand August, 1942.
It's 92 kilometers long andexpect to climb around four and
a half thousand meters and godown three and a half thousand
meters.
The final three hikes I'll talkabout today are multi-day
adventures with eco discovery.
Eco discovery is pretty muchapart from Mad Dog who doe Eco
(09:34):
Discovery are the go-to touroperator for doing any hiking in
Timor Less day.
They've got the experience andthey're just very nice people,
and I had a great time exploringthese roots with them.
The first talk about is MountSaia to Mandela.
Start close to summit of MountSaia, which offers great views
of Mount Ramal.
From there, you follow theoriginal lines with fantastic
(09:56):
views into the MOI area beforeclimbing to the shrine at the
summit of Mount Rabbi Lao, whichis different to Mount Ram Lao.
So Rabbi Lao there's, there is abit of a festival that happens
there every year and they'retrying to turn it into a bit
more of a tourist destinationand there is a rare campsite.
You'll see a lot of coffee beinggrown on this hike as it's one
of the main coffee growing areasof Timor less day, as well as
(10:19):
walking through welcoming andinteresting small villages along
the way.
The last day is very remote.
And the main reason for visitingother than some very impressive
scenery is to go to the sitewhere Tim Marie's hero, Nicholas
Lovato, was killed by Indonesianforces in 1978, and you get a
real feeling for they werehiding from the Indonesians.
(10:40):
And this is quite a remote placeto hide, and you can understand
why it took them a while to findthem.
This is a 46 kilometer three dayhike along some quite rugged
terrain.
So you do need to be fit andwell prepared.
The ninth hike is tap to Asab.
It's a phenomenal four day hikethrough Bobro and Amira That
includes two natural hot springsand the highest waterfall in the
(11:02):
country.
You start off hiking throughbeautiful Litchfield Forest up
to a summit before a longdescent, down to Morobo Natural
Hot Springs,.
They're not very wellmaintained, but they are an
incredible spot to visit.
Camping there for the night andthen heading over into a mirror.
Through to Asbi, which isprobably one of my favorite
villages in Timor-Leste.
(11:24):
It has amazing mountain viewsand it's just a beautiful place
to camp out.
So that is a four day trip withabout two and a half days worth
of hiking because it's a sixhour drive to the start and a
six hour drive back to Dilly atthe end, and you're gonna cover
about 42 kilometers and go upand down about 2000 meters.
So it's a reasonably challenginghike But you are rewarded with
(11:44):
an incredible hiking experience.
The final of the 10 is thelongest and probably therefore
the hardest of these hikes.
This is an eight day epiccrossing the entirety of
Timor-Leste from the North Coastto the South Coast.
Again, this is with ecodiscovery and you're gonna hike
around a hundred kilometers withover 5,000 meters of elevation.
(12:04):
This includes summiting, MountRamlow, and you'll also have a
good look at Mount Kaki, whichis the fourth highest mountain,
two more less day, and probablythe scariest from my experience,
just given the terrain and it'svery overgrown and quite a
challenging mountain to hikearound.
But it was an incredibleexperience.
When I did this hike in 2024, ithadn't been hiked for about six
(12:25):
years and probably less than 50people have actually done this
hike.
So it is pretty remote.
A number of people have run itor attempted to run it which is
beyond what I could do, buthiking over eight days was just
a, an amazing adventure.
Very varied.
You get a real feel for two moreless day as a country.
Hopefully those 10 hikes havegiven you an idea of the variety
(12:48):
of hiking that you can do inTimor Estate.
It is worth finishing off withus.
A few general points aroundhiking and Timor less day.
So first of all, it is a hotplace.
This is a tropical country,relatively close to the equator,
so expect it to be hot, 30degrees plus and also humid.
So you do need to be preparedwith some protection in terms of
(13:10):
hats and plenty of water, andthings like electrolytes or
electrolytes are really usefulfor refreshing yourself.
An umbrella can be fantastic ifyou have limited shade.
You need to be careful to avoidheat stroke.
That is a always a risk when youare hiking team or less day.
Again, starting early in themorning will help and taking
rest through the day anddrinking and pacing yourself.
(13:31):
Now the terrain in Timor lessday is quite rugged.
Underfoot is generally not toobad.
It's often rocky or potentiallya little bit muddy.
You don't need to worry abouttrue roots that much,
particularly compared to mynative New Zealand.
But there are no real officialhiking trails.
You're using the paths thatlocals use to get between
villages, so the condition ofthose paths can vary quite
(13:55):
significantly, and you will needa local guide.
Otherwise, you are going to getvery lost very easily.
Apparently nearly half the landand Timor less state is at a
slope pool, 40 degrees or more.
So expect to generally be goingup a hill or down a hill.
River crossings are rarelybridged.
So you would need to read therock hop or Safer option is to
walk across in your boots asthey will dry quickly in the hot
(14:17):
climate In terms of wildlife.
Despite Timor, Este beingrelatively close to Australia,
which is full of things thatwill kill you, there's always
nothing in Timor Lesse that'sgonna hurt you.
Although Team Este does have afew poisonous animals and
plants, you're very unlikely tocome across them.
During hiking.
I did a lot of hiking team Este.
I saw one snake which was quiteimpressive, but it disappeared
(14:38):
as before I could get my cameraout I found one place had
stinging nettles, but otherwise,the plants are gonna leave you
alone on at rural island, Marchflies can be a problem in some
places at some times of theyear.
They're not poisonous, but theydo have quite a nasty bite and
don't seem to mind even copiousamounts of de.
So the only way to really copewith those is to wear long pants
(14:58):
or wear zip offs that you canadd them when required.
In the wet season, there may beleeches in some places near
Rivers.
I came across, I think two orthree leches in my entire time,
Tim Oreste.
So they're not that common, butif you're unlucky, you may come
across them.
The most common animal you'regonna come across are dogs
because pretty much every singlehousehold in Timor-Leste has at
(15:19):
least one dog, and they're thereto protect the household, so
they're not going to necessarilychase after you.
They will bark much more thanthey will bite, but you just do
need to be aware that they willcome and investigate if you are
walking close to'em.
This is where I find that havinglocal guys is very helpful to
deal with the dog situation.
I never got bitten by a dog, butI certainly got barked at by a
(15:41):
lot of dogs.
And if you're not comfortablewith that, that can be quite
confronting.
If you start talking to theowners of the house, that tends
to calm the dogs down.
Hiking poles are very usefuljust to give yourself some
protection and just move awayfrom the home when you can, and
then they will leave you alone.
So I've mentioned a few timesthat guides are essential for
quite a few of these hikes.
Less so maybe in Dilly, butcertainly when you get outside
(16:04):
Dili, they are invaluable.
In terms of finding a guide.
Eco Discovery, they can reallyhelp you out either with
organizing hikes with them, orthey will have local contacts
also in local guest houses.
For example, Bigge Fault, nearMat bn, they will can help
organize guides Those were acouple of ways you can find
locals who can help you out.
(16:24):
There is no certification ofguides in Timor less day.
Anybody can call themselves aguide.
So you may just get the thelocal farmer's son helping you
out, but they will know thelocal terrain and be probably
raining rain Jans, and go up thehill much faster than you all.
There are no hiking shops inTimor less day, so you need to
bring everything with you thatyou want to use.
So decent shoes, plenty ofwater.
(16:47):
A camelback is very helpful.
See, sun lotion, sun hats,sunglasses.
I think hiking poles areessential, both for dealing with
the terrain, with the ups anddowns, and also dealing with any
dogs.
I swear, by umbrellas forhiking, which is a bit of a
minority view, but they're superhelpful for some protection and
obviously rain protection.
Bring some decent insectrepellent.
(17:07):
Electrolytes and hydrolyses arevery helpful after a day's
hiking to help you rehydrate.
A small cloth or a sweat rag canbe really useful as well.
'cause your hiking shirt isgonna be wet through with sweat
pretty soon after startinghiking.
Bring along any food or snacksthat you want.
'cause options are limited tonon-existent whilst you're out
hiking.
And expect limited mobile phonereception depending on where you
(17:28):
are.
Hopefully that's given you a bitof a taste of the hiking.
And two more less day check outexploring two more less day.com.
The hiking section for moreinformation and exploring team
or less, stay on foot for acomprehensive guide to hiking in
this beautiful country.
Thank you so much for listeningto exploring Timor Less Day.
If you've enjoyed today'sepisode, please consider leaving
a rating or review.
(17:49):
It really helps more peoplediscover the show.
If you have any questions orfeedback, I'd love to hear from
you.
Drop me an email at exploringTimor lessDay@gmail.com.
Until next time, or Bodo ADEs.
Bondi.
Welcome to exploring Tim Este,the podcast that talks about
Southeast Asia's best kepttravel secret.
I'm your host Jte, and I'llshare firsthand insights, expert
interviews and practical traveltips.
Whether you're a traveler, acultural lover, or just curious
about places rarely covered inthe mainstream.
You're in the right place.
Let's explore two more.
Less day.
(00:32):
Today's episode, I'm gonna talkabout one of my favorite
activities in Timor-Leste, whichis hiking.
Timor-Leste is home to someincredible hiking with some of
the most impressive scenery inSoutheast Asia, including near
3000 meter high mountains,beautiful waterfalls, stunning
beaches, and diverse landscapes.
Exploring Timor Este on footallows you to enjoy the sites as
(00:53):
well as the rich local culture,and spend time with warm and
welcoming Timorese.
Note that hiking in Timor Esteis very much frontier.
Hiking with limited facilitiesand signage, you need to be
prepared for heat, humidity, andhills.
It's best to walk early in themorning, soon after sunrise
rise.
Avoid the worst of the heat andtake plenty of water and sun
protection however, if you arewell prepared, Timor Este
(01:16):
rewards with stunning scenery,friendly locals, and a real
sense of exploring where fewother tourists have been.
So in today's episode, I'm gonnatalk about 10 hikes throughout
two more less day.
So three in dili, three summitsoutside of Dili, and then four
multi-day adventures.
I'll do separate episodes in thefuture about day walks in dili
(01:39):
and day walks, and longer walkson Roo Island.
But this episode will give you agood overview for what you can
do on foot exploring Timor Este.
Before I get into the walks, Iwill highlight that I have
written a book called ExploringTimor Less Day on Foot, which is
available on Amazon as a Kindleebook, and that has the 10 I'm
(02:00):
talking about today and another20 more.
The book provides a lot moreinformation that I can cover in
the podcast, including maps andphotos.
So if you are particularly keenon hiking and team Oreste, check
that out.
I'll start with the TER loop,which is probably the best known
day, walk in Timor less day, andthat is in Dili from the Christo
(02:21):
ray area.
It's a 10 kilometer walk, takesabout three hours.
It is technically easy, butthere is limited shade.
To make sure you carry anumbrella or go prepared for
walking in the sun for severalhours, navigation is pretty
straightforward.
It is basically a road walk,although most of the road is
gravel road.
So you walk up past Ramsay'sER's house on the Hira coastal
(02:45):
road, and follow the road andthen that will take you down to
the coast on the other side ofthe hills, and then you turn
left and then you follow thecoastline around.
There's a couple of nice baysyou'll walk around by.
Back beach.
And then you're getting toChristo ray, the statue of
Jesus, and then Christo Raybeach, and then back to where
you started in a loop.
(03:05):
And what's particularly goodabout this walk is there are a
number of good places to eat,like Beachside or Cas Bar.
And you can start and finishfrom those places.
So you can have brunch before,after you do the walk note that
it is best to do the walk withother people.
There have been a few instancesaround the very far side, so
just take care.
(03:25):
It's generally a very safe walk,but it goes to some relatively
remote parts in Deli.
It has beautiful scenery.
You'll get amazing views of thecoast.
You go to back beach, and if youbring your snorkel gear, that's
a great place to go for asnorkel the second walk is in
the Tassie Tolu Hills.
So Tassie Tolu are the lakesnear the airport in Dili.
This is a two to two and a halfhour walk, which is quite a bit
(03:48):
harder than the ter loop'causeit involves more climbing
uphills.
But it offers some of the bestviews of dili from several
lookout points.
Now Navigationally, this is alittle bit trickier, but if you
start from the Gru, Deno, Sonoraand Mariana Aux.
Or the cave of our Lady of MountGha, which you can find on
(04:09):
Google Maps.
That is the best place to start.
So from there, there is a shrinenotice.
It's a silent shrine, so bequiet and respectful if you're
walking through there.
And behind that shrine, thereare 14 stations of the cross,
which lead up the hillside tothree crosses representing where
Jesus was crucified.
If you follow the crosses,that's quite straightforward and
(04:32):
offers amazing views, and thenyou can return the way you came
or we can continue around theridge line and come down a
different way.
Now there are maps for all thesehikes on exploring timor.com.
If you visit the hiking sectionof the website, there is a
Google map which has lots ofinformation about all these
hikes and it has links to GPSmaps, which you can use in all
(04:53):
trails to avoid getting lost.
The third walk is also in Dili,and this is another easy walk.
It's about 13 kilometers, takesabout three hours, and
Navigationally is quitestraightforward and it's a T-bar
coastal walk.
Start from Dilly Rock, whichmarks the border between Dili
and Kosar you basically walkalong the coast from Dilly Rock.
(05:15):
There's a bit of road walking,then you get onto the old
Coastal Road to Sal, which is agravel road.
Beautiful coastal scenery.
I'd really recommend walking itat low tide.
If you walk it a low tide on astill morning, you have stunning
reflections and you get greatviews of t-bar port.
At the end of the hike, you'llfinish off at the mangroves in
T-bar, which are well worth avisit.
(05:36):
There's a lot more boardwalkthan I was expecting and there's
some really interesting wildlifethat's a really good kind of way
to either mark the halfway pointof the walk you can either walk
back the way you came.
Or catch public transport backfrom the mangroves to where you
started.
Hike number four is probably thebest known big hike in
Timor-Leste, which is MountRamal.
(05:57):
So this is the highest point inTimor-Leste, nearly 3000 meters
high.
It's a three to five hour returnwalk.
It's about 10 kilometers andit's moderate to hard.
Navigation is relativelystraightforward, but you've got
a reasonable amount of ascent toget to the summit.
This starts from the village of.
How to al, which is in Narro.
(06:17):
So if you go to moi and a bitfurther on from there.
The road from Moi to Hako is adirt slash mud road, depending
on whether it's rained or not.
You'll probably need a fourwheel drive vehicle in order to
get to HaCo.
That is the highest settlementin Timor Este, and it's a
beautiful village just toexplore.
Many people go up Mount Ramalafor sunrise, which is around
6:00 AM So you need to startaround 3:00 AM So an early
(06:41):
start.
But they are awarded with somestunning views at sunrise and it
was also very windy up there.
And it's cold.
It's the coldest place in TimorEste, which makes sense is the
highest point.
So make sure you take somelayers while you're waiting for
the sun to rise.
A slightly warmer and more sleepfriendly approach is to go for
sunset, but please make sure youtake your head talks when you
(07:02):
come down in the dark.
The second highest peak in TimorLester is Matter bn, which is in
the Baal municipality.
It is a little bit tricky to getto the start.
You need to take a rather rough,although it is being
redeveloped, road up to Bagilla,which is a beautiful place to
visit anyway, it has an oldPortuguese fort which you can
stay in and then you all need aguide for this because it is
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very easy to get lost and it isquite a climb up to Mat bn is.
Not overly technical, but it issteep and a decent workout.
So expect to take somewherebetween five and nine hours
return to do the nine k walk tothe summit.
But the views, as you canimagine, are pretty impressive.
Interestingly, the summit ofMount Ramal.
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Is marked with a statue of theVirgin Mary, which was brought
over from Italy in the latenineties.
And the Summit of Matter bien ismarked with a statue of Jesus
looking a bit like Christo ray,but quite a lot smaller another
great hike is around the MundoPerdido region, which is in
Vicke So it's one of the moreremote areas.
(08:07):
If a KK has got beautifullandscapes and Tito is very
worthwhile for those interestedin hiking again, a local guide
is required.
'cause the tracks are prettyrough and often overgrown, it's
also a good place for wildlifespotting as it is Timor less
day's largest remaining area ofrainforest To move on to the
multi-day hikes.
These you will need to do with atour operator.
(08:28):
There is very limited facilitiesand infrastructure for long
distance.
Hiking in Timor, less day evengetting food and water can be
quite challenging.
So you all need a support crewwho can help you with the
directions'cause there are noobvious trails.
And also with, food andsupplies.
The first of the multi-dayheights to talk about is Lae.
This is a six day adventure,primarily through Amira, which
(08:52):
is particularly beautiful andmountainous part of Timor-Leste
to the southwest of Dili.
Now, this follows in thefootstep of Australian soldiers
and the Tim who fought alongsidethem against the Japanese in
1942.
This can be organized throughMad Dog Adventures, and it's a
mixture of.
Scenic hiking plus historicsites.
(09:12):
You will get a goodunderstanding of the conflict
that took place between Februaryand August, 1942.
It's 92 kilometers long andexpect to climb around four and
a half thousand meters and godown three and a half thousand
meters.
The final three hikes I'll talkabout today are multi-day
adventures with eco discovery.
Eco discovery is pretty muchapart from Mad Dog who doe Eco
(09:34):
Discovery are the go-to touroperator for doing any hiking in
Timor Less day.
They've got the experience andthey're just very nice people,
and I had a great time exploringthese roots with them.
The first talk about is MountSaia to Mandela.
Start close to summit of MountSaia, which offers great views
of Mount Ramal.
From there, you follow theoriginal lines with fantastic
(09:56):
views into the MOI area beforeclimbing to the shrine at the
summit of Mount Rabbi Lao, whichis different to Mount Ram Lao.
So Rabbi Lao there's, there is abit of a festival that happens
there every year and they'retrying to turn it into a bit
more of a tourist destinationand there is a rare campsite.
You'll see a lot of coffee beinggrown on this hike as it's one
of the main coffee growing areasof Timor less day, as well as
(10:19):
walking through welcoming andinteresting small villages along
the way.
The last day is very remote.
And the main reason for visitingother than some very impressive
scenery is to go to the sitewhere Tim Marie's hero, Nicholas
Lovato, was killed by Indonesianforces in 1978, and you get a
real feeling for they werehiding from the Indonesians.
(10:40):
And this is quite a remote placeto hide, and you can understand
why it took them a while to findthem.
This is a 46 kilometer three dayhike along some quite rugged
terrain.
So you do need to be fit andwell prepared.
The ninth hike is tap to Asab.
It's a phenomenal four day hikethrough Bobro and Amira That
includes two natural hot springsand the highest waterfall in the
(11:02):
country.
You start off hiking throughbeautiful Litchfield Forest up
to a summit before a longdescent, down to Morobo Natural
Hot Springs,.
They're not very wellmaintained, but they are an
incredible spot to visit.
Camping there for the night andthen heading over into a mirror.
Through to Asbi, which isprobably one of my favorite
villages in Timor-Leste.
(11:24):
It has amazing mountain viewsand it's just a beautiful place
to camp out.
So that is a four day trip withabout two and a half days worth
of hiking because it's a sixhour drive to the start and a
six hour drive back to Dilly atthe end, and you're gonna cover
about 42 kilometers and go upand down about 2000 meters.
So it's a reasonably challenginghike But you are rewarded with
(11:44):
an incredible hiking experience.
The final of the 10 is thelongest and probably therefore
the hardest of these hikes.
This is an eight day epiccrossing the entirety of
Timor-Leste from the North Coastto the South Coast.
Again, this is with ecodiscovery and you're gonna hike
around a hundred kilometers withover 5,000 meters of elevation.
(12:04):
This includes summiting, MountRamlow, and you'll also have a
good look at Mount Kaki, whichis the fourth highest mountain,
two more less day, and probablythe scariest from my experience,
just given the terrain and it'svery overgrown and quite a
challenging mountain to hikearound.
But it was an incredibleexperience.
When I did this hike in 2024, ithadn't been hiked for about six
(12:25):
years and probably less than 50people have actually done this
hike.
So it is pretty remote.
A number of people have run itor attempted to run it which is
beyond what I could do, buthiking over eight days was just
a, an amazing adventure.
Very varied.
You get a real feel for two moreless day as a country.
Hopefully those 10 hikes havegiven you an idea of the variety
(12:48):
of hiking that you can do inTimor Estate.
It is worth finishing off withus.
A few general points aroundhiking and Timor less day.
So first of all, it is a hotplace.
This is a tropical country,relatively close to the equator,
so expect it to be hot, 30degrees plus and also humid.
So you do need to be preparedwith some protection in terms of
(13:10):
hats and plenty of water, andthings like electrolytes or
electrolytes are really usefulfor refreshing yourself.
An umbrella can be fantastic ifyou have limited shade.
You need to be careful to avoidheat stroke.
That is a always a risk when youare hiking team or less day.
Again, starting early in themorning will help and taking
rest through the day anddrinking and pacing yourself.
(13:31):
Now the terrain in Timor lessday is quite rugged.
Underfoot is generally not toobad.
It's often rocky or potentiallya little bit muddy.
You don't need to worry abouttrue roots that much,
particularly compared to mynative New Zealand.
But there are no real officialhiking trails.
You're using the paths thatlocals use to get between
villages, so the condition ofthose paths can vary quite
(13:55):
significantly, and you will needa local guide.
Otherwise, you are going to getvery lost very easily.
Apparently nearly half the landand Timor less state is at a
slope pool, 40 degrees or more.
So expect to generally be goingup a hill or down a hill.
River crossings are rarelybridged.
So you would need to read therock hop or Safer option is to
walk across in your boots asthey will dry quickly in the hot
(14:17):
climate In terms of wildlife.
Despite Timor, Este beingrelatively close to Australia,
which is full of things thatwill kill you, there's always
nothing in Timor Lesse that'sgonna hurt you.
Although Team Este does have afew poisonous animals and
plants, you're very unlikely tocome across them.
During hiking.
I did a lot of hiking team Este.
I saw one snake which was quiteimpressive, but it disappeared
(14:38):
as before I could get my cameraout I found one place had
stinging nettles, but otherwise,the plants are gonna leave you
alone on at rural island, Marchflies can be a problem in some
places at some times of theyear.
They're not poisonous, but theydo have quite a nasty bite and
don't seem to mind even copiousamounts of de.
So the only way to really copewith those is to wear long pants
(14:58):
or wear zip offs that you canadd them when required.
In the wet season, there may beleeches in some places near
Rivers.
I came across, I think two orthree leches in my entire time,
Tim Oreste.
So they're not that common, butif you're unlucky, you may come
across them.
The most common animal you'regonna come across are dogs
because pretty much every singlehousehold in Timor-Leste has at
(15:19):
least one dog, and they're thereto protect the household, so
they're not going to necessarilychase after you.
They will bark much more thanthey will bite, but you just do
need to be aware that they willcome and investigate if you are
walking close to'em.
This is where I find that havinglocal guys is very helpful to
deal with the dog situation.
I never got bitten by a dog, butI certainly got barked at by a
(15:41):
lot of dogs.
And if you're not comfortablewith that, that can be quite
confronting.
If you start talking to theowners of the house, that tends
to calm the dogs down.
Hiking poles are very usefuljust to give yourself some
protection and just move awayfrom the home when you can, and
then they will leave you alone.
So I've mentioned a few timesthat guides are essential for
quite a few of these hikes.
Less so maybe in Dilly, butcertainly when you get outside
(16:04):
Dili, they are invaluable.
In terms of finding a guide.
Eco Discovery, they can reallyhelp you out either with
organizing hikes with them, orthey will have local contacts
also in local guest houses.
For example, Bigge Fault, nearMat bn, they will can help
organize guides Those were acouple of ways you can find
locals who can help you out.
(16:24):
There is no certification ofguides in Timor less day.
Anybody can call themselves aguide.
So you may just get the thelocal farmer's son helping you
out, but they will know thelocal terrain and be probably
raining rain Jans, and go up thehill much faster than you all.
There are no hiking shops inTimor less day, so you need to
bring everything with you thatyou want to use.
So decent shoes, plenty ofwater.
(16:47):
A camelback is very helpful.
See, sun lotion, sun hats,sunglasses.
I think hiking poles areessential, both for dealing with
the terrain, with the ups anddowns, and also dealing with any
dogs.
I swear, by umbrellas forhiking, which is a bit of a
minority view, but they're superhelpful for some protection and
obviously rain protection.
Bring some decent insectrepellent.
(17:07):
Electrolytes and hydrolyses arevery helpful after a day's
hiking to help you rehydrate.
A small cloth or a sweat rag canbe really useful as well.
'cause your hiking shirt isgonna be wet through with sweat
pretty soon after startinghiking.
Bring along any food or snacksthat you want.
'cause options are limited tonon-existent whilst you're out
hiking.
And expect limited mobile phonereception depending on where you
(17:28):
are.
Hopefully that's given you a bitof a taste of the hiking.
And two more less day check outexploring two more less day.com.
The hiking section for moreinformation and exploring team
or less, stay on foot for acomprehensive guide to hiking in
this beautiful country.
Thank you so much for listeningto exploring Timor Less Day.
If you've enjoyed today'sepisode, please consider leaving
a rating or review.
(17:49):
It really helps more peoplediscover the show.
If you have any questions orfeedback, I'd love to hear from
you.
Drop me an email at exploringTimor lessDay@gmail.com.
Until next time, or Bodo ADEs.
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