September 6, 2025 • 6 mins
Exploring the mountainous municipality of Ermera, home to huge waterfalls, coffee plantations, and beautiful churches.
More information on Ermera - https://exploringtimor.com/ermera/
Website - www.exploringtimor.com
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@exploringtimor
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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.
(00:31):
Today's episode is about Amira,which is one of the better known
municipalities of Timor-Leste.
So it's just to the southwest ofDili and is best known as one of
the major.
Coffee growing areas of TimorTte along with a naro.
So during the harvest seasonbetween May and September, it's
a popular time to visitplantations, to see coffee beans
being picked and processed.
(00:52):
And it's also home to some ofthe most spectacular scenery in
the country.
The summit of Mount Ramala isactually in a mirror, although
you generally access it via anaro, but in many places around
Amira, you get good views ofMount Ramala, and it's also home
to the Bandera waterfall, whichis the highest in the country
and outside of Dili.
Amira is the most denselypopulated part of Timor Este
(01:13):
with villages and hamletsscattered around the many hills.
So it's quite a interestingcultural place to visit, and the
scenery is amazing.
So to start with the capital ofa mirror, which is Glen O, which
is by far the easiest place toget to in the municipality.
So generally, the roads in themirror are some of the worst in
Timor Este, which is sayingsomething.
They're almost entirelyunsealed, almost impassable.
(01:35):
During the wet season, you needa decent four wheel drive
vehicle and a tolerance forbumps.
But it's worth the effort to getto the places.
'cause a mirror does have quitea lot to see and do.
Glen o though is a sealed roadall the way from Dili.
It's maybe like an hour's drive.
It's pretty straightforward.
You just wind your way up intothe hills.
It gets gradually cooler as yougain altitude.
It's about 900 meters above sealevel.
(01:56):
And Glen o is a relativelybustling town of about 9,000
people.
There's big markets there everyThursday, and the main site to
see in town is the huge Catholicchurch, which was built in the
last 10 years or so.
And I don't know this for sure,but it feels larger than the
cathedral in Delhi, especiallywhen you're inside.
It's a very cavernous impressivechurch.
(02:16):
Just down the road is the muchsmaller Protestant church, which
has a traditional Timorese roofat the front, and then there's
not a huge amount of other sitesin Glen o but the stadium is
quite colorful and there are anumber of murals to Timor's
independents heroes painted onthe walls.
It's where the peace Corpsvolunteers from the us go and
learn the local language tetinin Glen o when they start their
(02:37):
assignments, spending a coupleof months there.
So it's a bit different fromDili and it's relatively easy to
get to, and it gives you a bitof a flavor for what a timor's
town is like.
Now on the way to Glen, you'llpass through the town of ko.
That is home to a number ofcoffee processes.
So that's a good place to go ifyou want to see during harvest
season how coffee plantationswork and how they process the
(02:57):
beans.
And there's also some quite niceviews and a few walks around
from Rako.
They heading further into amirror from Glen O As I say the
roads get a bit tricky, butthey're worth it to head into
letter foho, so that's one ofthe most cynically located
villages in the country.
You get fantastic views on theclear day of Mount Ramal and the
(03:18):
surrounding landscape.
It's home to an interestingchurch where the steeple is in
the shape of clasped hands,which I haven't seen anywhere
else in the world.
And then further up the hillsidebehind the church is the statue
of crystal lure.
Similarly, you've got ChristoRay in Dili, and this is a sort
of similar statue of Jesus withhis arms outstretched.
(03:39):
It's not quite as big as ChristoRay, but the location is even
more spectacular.
On a clear day, fantastic viewsfrom the summit there.
And it's an interesting designbecause the statue of Jesus is
standing on a.
Forked tongue serpent and thesteps to reach the statue.
You basically walk up the backof the snake and then you come
around the other side and you'dsee the mouth of the snake with
(04:00):
the forked tongue.
And then you come down tocomplete loop.
So this was built in 2019 andit's a real attraction in the
area.
And a bit further on fromletter.
Fho is Asbi, which is one of myfavorite places I, in
Timor-Leste.
It's a beautifully situatedtown.
We've got fantastic mountainviews all around.
It probably has the idealclimate or for, certainly for a
(04:21):
malai or a foreigner.
It's a lot cooler up here in themountains and less humid than it
is down at the coast.
SBI and Tijo are known for beingparticularly religious places in
an already very religiouscountry.
And they have a sizable newchurch in a sabi in front of the
old church.
The church has a nice grottoshrine to the Virgin Mary, and
there's a large statue of aneedling work per in front of
(04:43):
the church.
And even local markets therehave some fantastic views.
So it's a very relaxed place togo and spend a bit of time up in
the mountains.
And if you really want to getoff the grid.
20 minutes drive west from AABalong a rough road is, and this
is not a tourist site, this isjust a village, but it's very
cynically located, beautifulmountain views very relaxed kind
(05:04):
of place.
I visited there with work I wasdoing, sporting local health
NGO.
And it was just a nice place tospend some time.
Now between letter Foho and Asabis the Bandera waterfall, which
I mentioned earlier, is thehighest in the country.
So it's about 200 meters fromthe top of the waterfall to the
bottom.
You can hike to it.
You'll probably need a localguide.
(05:24):
It's not the most obvious placeto reach, but it is an
impressive waterfall.
You wanna allow at least an hourto get there and return from the
base of the road.
I also mentioned a couple oftimes the roads in the mirror
are not great, but it is afantastic place for hiking.
Again, you probably want to gowith a local guide to avoid
getting lost, but there isreally good hiking terrain in
terms of some of the scenery.
There's a couple of things Imentioned before.
(05:46):
You can hike out to the base ofthe waterfall.
There is hiking around Glen ofrom ko.
There's a really nice half dayhike across the river, around
the hills and then back acrossinto town.
So those things are all worthconsidering if you're interested
in exploring a mirror on foot.
Hopefully that's given you alittle bit of an overview of the
municipality of Amira.
Thank you so much for listening to exploring Timor
(06:08):
Less Day.
If you've enjoyed today'sepisode, please consider leaving
a rating or review.
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.
(00:31):
Today's episode is about Amira,which is one of the better known
municipalities of Timor-Leste.
So it's just to the southwest ofDili and is best known as one of
the major.
Coffee growing areas of TimorTte along with a naro.
So during the harvest seasonbetween May and September, it's
a popular time to visitplantations, to see coffee beans
being picked and processed.
(00:52):
And it's also home to some ofthe most spectacular scenery in
the country.
The summit of Mount Ramala isactually in a mirror, although
you generally access it via anaro, but in many places around
Amira, you get good views ofMount Ramala, and it's also home
to the Bandera waterfall, whichis the highest in the country
and outside of Dili.
Amira is the most denselypopulated part of Timor Este
(01:13):
with villages and hamletsscattered around the many hills.
So it's quite a interestingcultural place to visit, and the
scenery is amazing.
So to start with the capital ofa mirror, which is Glen O, which
is by far the easiest place toget to in the municipality.
So generally, the roads in themirror are some of the worst in
Timor Este, which is sayingsomething.
They're almost entirelyunsealed, almost impassable.
(01:35):
During the wet season, you needa decent four wheel drive
vehicle and a tolerance forbumps.
But it's worth the effort to getto the places.
'cause a mirror does have quitea lot to see and do.
Glen o though is a sealed roadall the way from Dili.
It's maybe like an hour's drive.
It's pretty straightforward.
You just wind your way up intothe hills.
It gets gradually cooler as yougain altitude.
It's about 900 meters above sealevel.
(01:56):
And Glen o is a relativelybustling town of about 9,000
people.
There's big markets there everyThursday, and the main site to
see in town is the huge Catholicchurch, which was built in the
last 10 years or so.
And I don't know this for sure,but it feels larger than the
cathedral in Delhi, especiallywhen you're inside.
It's a very cavernous impressivechurch.
(02:16):
Just down the road is the muchsmaller Protestant church, which
has a traditional Timorese roofat the front, and then there's
not a huge amount of other sitesin Glen o but the stadium is
quite colorful and there are anumber of murals to Timor's
independents heroes painted onthe walls.
It's where the peace Corpsvolunteers from the us go and
learn the local language tetinin Glen o when they start their
(02:37):
assignments, spending a coupleof months there.
So it's a bit different fromDili and it's relatively easy to
get to, and it gives you a bitof a flavor for what a timor's
town is like.
Now on the way to Glen, you'llpass through the town of ko.
That is home to a number ofcoffee processes.
So that's a good place to go ifyou want to see during harvest
season how coffee plantationswork and how they process the
(02:57):
beans.
And there's also some quite niceviews and a few walks around
from Rako.
They heading further into amirror from Glen O As I say the
roads get a bit tricky, butthey're worth it to head into
letter foho, so that's one ofthe most cynically located
villages in the country.
You get fantastic views on theclear day of Mount Ramal and the
(03:18):
surrounding landscape.
It's home to an interestingchurch where the steeple is in
the shape of clasped hands,which I haven't seen anywhere
else in the world.
And then further up the hillsidebehind the church is the statue
of crystal lure.
Similarly, you've got ChristoRay in Dili, and this is a sort
of similar statue of Jesus withhis arms outstretched.
(03:39):
It's not quite as big as ChristoRay, but the location is even
more spectacular.
On a clear day, fantastic viewsfrom the summit there.
And it's an interesting designbecause the statue of Jesus is
standing on a.
Forked tongue serpent and thesteps to reach the statue.
You basically walk up the backof the snake and then you come
around the other side and you'dsee the mouth of the snake with
(04:00):
the forked tongue.
And then you come down tocomplete loop.
So this was built in 2019 andit's a real attraction in the
area.
And a bit further on fromletter.
Fho is Asbi, which is one of myfavorite places I, in
Timor-Leste.
It's a beautifully situatedtown.
We've got fantastic mountainviews all around.
It probably has the idealclimate or for, certainly for a
(04:21):
malai or a foreigner.
It's a lot cooler up here in themountains and less humid than it
is down at the coast.
SBI and Tijo are known for beingparticularly religious places in
an already very religiouscountry.
And they have a sizable newchurch in a sabi in front of the
old church.
The church has a nice grottoshrine to the Virgin Mary, and
there's a large statue of aneedling work per in front of
(04:43):
the church.
And even local markets therehave some fantastic views.
So it's a very relaxed place togo and spend a bit of time up in
the mountains.
And if you really want to getoff the grid.
20 minutes drive west from AABalong a rough road is, and this
is not a tourist site, this isjust a village, but it's very
cynically located, beautifulmountain views very relaxed kind
(05:04):
of place.
I visited there with work I wasdoing, sporting local health
NGO.
And it was just a nice place tospend some time.
Now between letter Foho and Asabis the Bandera waterfall, which
I mentioned earlier, is thehighest in the country.
So it's about 200 meters fromthe top of the waterfall to the
bottom.
You can hike to it.
You'll probably need a localguide.
(05:24):
It's not the most obvious placeto reach, but it is an
impressive waterfall.
You wanna allow at least an hourto get there and return from the
base of the road.
I also mentioned a couple oftimes the roads in the mirror
are not great, but it is afantastic place for hiking.
Again, you probably want to gowith a local guide to avoid
getting lost, but there isreally good hiking terrain in
terms of some of the scenery.
There's a couple of things Imentioned before.
(05:46):
You can hike out to the base ofthe waterfall.
There is hiking around Glen ofrom ko.
There's a really nice half dayhike across the river, around
the hills and then back acrossinto town.
So those things are all worthconsidering if you're interested
in exploring a mirror on foot.
Hopefully that's given you alittle bit of an overview of the
municipality of Amira.
Thank you so much for listening to exploring Timor
(06:08):
Less Day.
If you've enjoyed today'sepisode, please consider leaving
a rating or review.
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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