June 7, 2025 • 11 mins
Introducing Timor-Leste and 10 incredible travel experiences you can have in one of the least visited countries in the world.
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 Jonty, 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.
Welcome to the first episode ofthe Exploring Timor-Leste
(00:35):
podcast.
In this I will give you a briefoverview of Timor-Leste, as
most people have not heard ofthe country, although if you
found this podcast, you probablyhave some inkling, of what to
expect.
And then I'm gonna talk about10 incredible experiences you
can have in Timor.
Which will hopefully wet yourappetite for the rest of the
series.
The intention with the rest ofthe series is to really drill
(00:55):
down into specific, placeswithin Timor-Leste, for example,
Dili or at Island.
Talk about some of theincredible activities like the
snorkeling and diving and thehiking.
And I'm also gonna interviewlocals and expats who know this
country so well.
Timor Este is a small countryin Southeast Asia.
It is one hour's flight northof Darwin at the top of
(01:18):
Australia, and it is about halfof the island of Timor shared
with Indonesia.
Its much larger neighbor.
To the West.
Timor-Leste has had a somewhattraumatic history.
It was under colonization fromthe Portuguese for hundreds of
years before being invaded bythe Japanese during World War
(01:39):
ii.
Then the Portuguese were regaincontrol, and after they left in
1975, Indonesians.
Invaded and occupied thecountry for the next 24 years.
So it is had quite a brutalhistory, but the people are very
resilient and it is a vibrantand young and exciting new
country and somewhere that israrely visited by tourists, but
(02:01):
hopefully that will change overthe coming years.
For half of a small island, ithas a remarkably varied
geography with mountains up to3000 meters above sea level and
beautiful beaches and coralreefs around its shores.
The capital city is Dili, whichis a relatively bustling place
by Timor-Leste Standard, butpretty quiet compared to the
(02:23):
other capitals in Southeast AsiaAn interesting fact about
Timor-Leste.
It is the second most Catholiccountry in the world after the
Vatican.
So obviously the Vatican is ahundred percent Catholic, but it
owes only home to about 800people.
Timor less day is 98% Catholicout of the 1.3 million
(02:43):
population.
So expect to see lots ofchurches and lots of festivals
around important dates in theCatholic calendar.
To give a little bit ofbackground on myself, I spent a
year living in Dili in TimorLess day between 2024 and 2025.
I was volunteering through VSAvolunteer service abroad, which
(03:04):
is a New Zealand NGO, with alocal, NGO Ham, nasa, and with
the Ministry of Tourism.
I really enjoyed my experiencein Timor-Leste.
I wrote five books, aguidebook, a hiking guide, and
three photography books, andcreated lots of, social media
content.
And this podcast is another wayof getting the story out about
(03:26):
Timor Lesse and what anincredible place it is for
people to visit.
After that brief introduction,I'm gonna talk to you about 10
incredible experiences you canhave in Timor-Leste, which will
give you a flavor for what thecountry can offer.
These are in no particularorder, but starting with
snorkeling and divingparticularly around Aru Island.
(03:46):
Aru Island is about one and ahalf hours by ferry from Dili,
or only a 15 minute flight.
And the reefs surround it aresome of the most biodiverse
reefs in the world.
They found hundreds ofdifferent species of fish, and
the coral is renowned for beingparticularly healthy.
And colorful and varied, and itis a wonderful place to go.
(04:09):
Snorkeling and diving.
The reefs are just off shore,so you can literally walk in off
the beach and go snorkeling.
Although the best reefs tend tobe about a five minutes boat
journey, on a small fishing boatwith one of the locals, and
it's the closest that TimorLester comes to having a.
Tourist destination.
So there are a number, likethree resorts on the island,
(04:31):
which are not your sort of fourstar, five star resorts.
They're pretty basic, butthey've got a lot of charm and
you definitely have a veryauthentic experience, visiting
the island.
Number two is to watch thesunrise from the summit of Mount
Rameau.
Mount Rameau is the highestpeak in Timor less day at 2,986
(04:52):
meters above sea level.
So it's higher than any pointin mainland Australia Expect to
spend two to three hours toreach the summit, and then
another one or two hours downthe path is relatively clear and
straightforward, but it isgoing up a large hill, so some
effort is required you'rerewarded with fantastic views on
a clear day.
(05:13):
You can see pretty much theentire country from the north
coast to the South coast.
So it's a unforgettableexperience for those who like to
go for a walk.
Number three is Acui.
This is an enclave completelysurrounded by West Timor, which
is part of Indonesia.
It's accessible by plane or byferry from Dili and in a quite
(05:35):
an off the beaten track country.
This is even more off thebeaten tracks there.
Very few people visit Kui, butit is one of the most attractive
parts of the country, in myopinion.
It's where the Portuguese firstlanded in 1515 kui is one of
the cleanest and quietest placesin Timor-Leste.
It has very goodinfrastructure.
There are far fewer potholesand things seem to work well
(05:58):
there.
Kui has a fantastic coastlinewith, beaches and beautiful blue
waters, and then behind thatrises hills and mountains, which
are incredibly kind of steepand rugged and just very,
photogenic and interesting tolook at.
And it's just a veryinteresting place to visit.
Number four is Bcao, which isthe second city in Timor-Leste,
(06:22):
although it is about a 15th ofthe size of Dili.
So there's a big differencebetween the capital and Bal
Bacao has some of the bestpreserved Portuguese colonial
buildings in the country,including the beautiful world
market it is famous, if I canuse that word for the swimming
pool, which is quite unusual.
So it has a beautiful naturalspring fed pool, which is well
(06:44):
worth a visit.
Number five is to visit an um,luli.
You will see these pretty mucheverywhere in Timor, less
particularly once you getoutside of Dili.
These are traditional timor's,sacred buildings where festivals
related to the harvest andother pre Catholic, cultural
practices, are held.
Their design varies quitesignificantly around
(07:05):
Timor-Leste, but they're quitedistinctive then often raised
off the ground and have a, motifor symbols at the top of the
roof structure.
They're interesting both kindof architecturally and also
culturally, and they give you agood insight into traditional
timor's practices.
Number six is understandingTimor lessee's long struggle for
independence.
(07:25):
So as I mentioned earlier,Timor Lessee was colonized, it
was occupied.
It has had quite a challenge tobecome a independent country.
To understand this historybetter, there's a couple of
places I would recommend.
One is the National ResistanceMuseum in dhi, which gives a
good history of Timor-Leste,particularly under occupation by
(07:47):
Indonesia.
And then there is the Sherexhibition.
Which is also in Dili, which ishow old in the old, prison,
which is quite a confrontingplace it recently had a major
upgrade at the end of 2024, itwas good before, but now it's
even better in terms of tellingthe story of those who suffered
(08:08):
in the prison and during theoccupation Seven is to go hiking
in Timor-Leste, and I will talkabout this on a number of
following podcasts, butTimor-Leste really has something
for everybody as long as youcan cope with the heat and
humidity.
But there are amazing day walksin both Dili and Roo Island,
and there are some phenomenalmulti-day hikes, up to eight day
(08:30):
epics crossing the wholecountry from coast to coast.
Timor Este, to my mind, is oneof the great undiscovered.
Hiking destinations, localguides are near essential to
avoid getting lost, but they areworthwhile to be able to
explore the huge variety oflandscapes, explore the local
cultures, and enjoy some of themost spectacular scenery in
Southeast Asia.
Number eight is to visitChristo Ray, which is the icon
(08:55):
of Timor-Leste.
This is one of the largeststatues of Jesus in the world,
it is in Dili at the easternend, and a beautiful location at
the top of Cape Fuma.
You'll get amazing views ofboth the stature and also
looking out across the coastlineof Dili.
And afterwards, you can go fora dip or a snorkel app.
Back beach, which is on theother side of the peninsula
(09:17):
number nine is to explore thehistory of bbo.
This is probably best known inAustralia for the BBO five.
These were five Australianbased journalists.
So there were a mixture ofAustralians, Kiwis, and British,
and they were murdered by theIndonesian army in 1975 when
they invaded.
ABO is home to the secondoldest fault in the country,
(09:39):
which is now one of the besthotels in the country.
So probably the only place withan infinity pool in
Timor-Leste.
And it is it's a lovely placeto spend a few days.
It is also home to the BalboVeterans Museum, which tells in
detail the struggle against theoccupation from Indonesia.
There's also the Flag HouseMuseum and there's local walks
and caves to explore.
(10:00):
Number 10 is to take a scenicflight so it team or less day is
the landscape says quite ruggedand can be quite challenging to
get around by vehicle.
It's all doable, but it cantake some time.
It might be a bit bumpy andparticularly during the wet
season some roads may beinaccessible.
Probably the most comfortableway to explore team more less
(10:22):
estate is from the air.
There is a organization calledMission Aviation Fellowships at
Math, MAF, and they operate in anumber of poor countries
providing medical support, a bitlike the flying doctors in
Australia.
They provide an importantservice in Timor Less Day
connecting the country and theysubsidize their medical services
(10:45):
with running, scheduledflights.
So this is a great way to getfrom A to B across Timor less
day and.
Invariably you'll getspectacular views.
So particularly the flightsfrom Dili to Samme or to where
you're flying across themountainous spine of the island,
are particularly, scenic.
And also flights out to atrural island, are very pleasant
(11:05):
as well.
So that is a good way of seeingthe country from a perspective.
Hopefully those 10 experienceshave given you an idea for the
range of things that you can doin Timor Less day.
If you are interested inknowing more about Timor Less
Day, please do follow thispodcast and watch out for future
episodes where I drill intothese areas in a lot more detail
than I've been able to do sotoday.
(11:26):
Thank you so much for listeningto exploring Timor 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 Jonty, 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.
Welcome to the first episode ofthe Exploring Timor-Leste
(00:35):
podcast.
In this I will give you a briefoverview of Timor-Leste, as
most people have not heard ofthe country, although if you
found this podcast, you probablyhave some inkling, of what to
expect.
And then I'm gonna talk about10 incredible experiences you
can have in Timor.
Which will hopefully wet yourappetite for the rest of the
series.
The intention with the rest ofthe series is to really drill
(00:55):
down into specific, placeswithin Timor-Leste, for example,
Dili or at Island.
Talk about some of theincredible activities like the
snorkeling and diving and thehiking.
And I'm also gonna interviewlocals and expats who know this
country so well.
Timor Este is a small countryin Southeast Asia.
It is one hour's flight northof Darwin at the top of
(01:18):
Australia, and it is about halfof the island of Timor shared
with Indonesia.
Its much larger neighbor.
To the West.
Timor-Leste has had a somewhattraumatic history.
It was under colonization fromthe Portuguese for hundreds of
years before being invaded bythe Japanese during World War
(01:39):
ii.
Then the Portuguese were regaincontrol, and after they left in
1975, Indonesians.
Invaded and occupied thecountry for the next 24 years.
So it is had quite a brutalhistory, but the people are very
resilient and it is a vibrantand young and exciting new
country and somewhere that israrely visited by tourists, but
(02:01):
hopefully that will change overthe coming years.
For half of a small island, ithas a remarkably varied
geography with mountains up to3000 meters above sea level and
beautiful beaches and coralreefs around its shores.
The capital city is Dili, whichis a relatively bustling place
by Timor-Leste Standard, butpretty quiet compared to the
(02:23):
other capitals in Southeast AsiaAn interesting fact about
Timor-Leste.
It is the second most Catholiccountry in the world after the
Vatican.
So obviously the Vatican is ahundred percent Catholic, but it
owes only home to about 800people.
Timor less day is 98% Catholicout of the 1.3 million
(02:43):
population.
So expect to see lots ofchurches and lots of festivals
around important dates in theCatholic calendar.
To give a little bit ofbackground on myself, I spent a
year living in Dili in TimorLess day between 2024 and 2025.
I was volunteering through VSAvolunteer service abroad, which
(03:04):
is a New Zealand NGO, with alocal, NGO Ham, nasa, and with
the Ministry of Tourism.
I really enjoyed my experiencein Timor-Leste.
I wrote five books, aguidebook, a hiking guide, and
three photography books, andcreated lots of, social media
content.
And this podcast is another wayof getting the story out about
(03:26):
Timor Lesse and what anincredible place it is for
people to visit.
After that brief introduction,I'm gonna talk to you about 10
incredible experiences you canhave in Timor-Leste, which will
give you a flavor for what thecountry can offer.
These are in no particularorder, but starting with
snorkeling and divingparticularly around Aru Island.
(03:46):
Aru Island is about one and ahalf hours by ferry from Dili,
or only a 15 minute flight.
And the reefs surround it aresome of the most biodiverse
reefs in the world.
They found hundreds ofdifferent species of fish, and
the coral is renowned for beingparticularly healthy.
And colorful and varied, and itis a wonderful place to go.
(04:09):
Snorkeling and diving.
The reefs are just off shore,so you can literally walk in off
the beach and go snorkeling.
Although the best reefs tend tobe about a five minutes boat
journey, on a small fishing boatwith one of the locals, and
it's the closest that TimorLester comes to having a.
Tourist destination.
So there are a number, likethree resorts on the island,
(04:31):
which are not your sort of fourstar, five star resorts.
They're pretty basic, butthey've got a lot of charm and
you definitely have a veryauthentic experience, visiting
the island.
Number two is to watch thesunrise from the summit of Mount
Rameau.
Mount Rameau is the highestpeak in Timor less day at 2,986
(04:52):
meters above sea level.
So it's higher than any pointin mainland Australia Expect to
spend two to three hours toreach the summit, and then
another one or two hours downthe path is relatively clear and
straightforward, but it isgoing up a large hill, so some
effort is required you'rerewarded with fantastic views on
a clear day.
(05:13):
You can see pretty much theentire country from the north
coast to the South coast.
So it's a unforgettableexperience for those who like to
go for a walk.
Number three is Acui.
This is an enclave completelysurrounded by West Timor, which
is part of Indonesia.
It's accessible by plane or byferry from Dili and in a quite
(05:35):
an off the beaten track country.
This is even more off thebeaten tracks there.
Very few people visit Kui, butit is one of the most attractive
parts of the country, in myopinion.
It's where the Portuguese firstlanded in 1515 kui is one of
the cleanest and quietest placesin Timor-Leste.
It has very goodinfrastructure.
There are far fewer potholesand things seem to work well
(05:58):
there.
Kui has a fantastic coastlinewith, beaches and beautiful blue
waters, and then behind thatrises hills and mountains, which
are incredibly kind of steepand rugged and just very,
photogenic and interesting tolook at.
And it's just a veryinteresting place to visit.
Number four is Bcao, which isthe second city in Timor-Leste,
(06:22):
although it is about a 15th ofthe size of Dili.
So there's a big differencebetween the capital and Bal
Bacao has some of the bestpreserved Portuguese colonial
buildings in the country,including the beautiful world
market it is famous, if I canuse that word for the swimming
pool, which is quite unusual.
So it has a beautiful naturalspring fed pool, which is well
(06:44):
worth a visit.
Number five is to visit an um,luli.
You will see these pretty mucheverywhere in Timor, less
particularly once you getoutside of Dili.
These are traditional timor's,sacred buildings where festivals
related to the harvest andother pre Catholic, cultural
practices, are held.
Their design varies quitesignificantly around
(07:05):
Timor-Leste, but they're quitedistinctive then often raised
off the ground and have a, motifor symbols at the top of the
roof structure.
They're interesting both kindof architecturally and also
culturally, and they give you agood insight into traditional
timor's practices.
Number six is understandingTimor lessee's long struggle for
independence.
(07:25):
So as I mentioned earlier,Timor Lessee was colonized, it
was occupied.
It has had quite a challenge tobecome a independent country.
To understand this historybetter, there's a couple of
places I would recommend.
One is the National ResistanceMuseum in dhi, which gives a
good history of Timor-Leste,particularly under occupation by
(07:47):
Indonesia.
And then there is the Sherexhibition.
Which is also in Dili, which ishow old in the old, prison,
which is quite a confrontingplace it recently had a major
upgrade at the end of 2024, itwas good before, but now it's
even better in terms of tellingthe story of those who suffered
(08:08):
in the prison and during theoccupation Seven is to go hiking
in Timor-Leste, and I will talkabout this on a number of
following podcasts, butTimor-Leste really has something
for everybody as long as youcan cope with the heat and
humidity.
But there are amazing day walksin both Dili and Roo Island,
and there are some phenomenalmulti-day hikes, up to eight day
(08:30):
epics crossing the wholecountry from coast to coast.
Timor Este, to my mind, is oneof the great undiscovered.
Hiking destinations, localguides are near essential to
avoid getting lost, but they areworthwhile to be able to
explore the huge variety oflandscapes, explore the local
cultures, and enjoy some of themost spectacular scenery in
Southeast Asia.
Number eight is to visitChristo Ray, which is the icon
(08:55):
of Timor-Leste.
This is one of the largeststatues of Jesus in the world,
it is in Dili at the easternend, and a beautiful location at
the top of Cape Fuma.
You'll get amazing views ofboth the stature and also
looking out across the coastlineof Dili.
And afterwards, you can go fora dip or a snorkel app.
Back beach, which is on theother side of the peninsula
(09:17):
number nine is to explore thehistory of bbo.
This is probably best known inAustralia for the BBO five.
These were five Australianbased journalists.
So there were a mixture ofAustralians, Kiwis, and British,
and they were murdered by theIndonesian army in 1975 when
they invaded.
ABO is home to the secondoldest fault in the country,
(09:39):
which is now one of the besthotels in the country.
So probably the only place withan infinity pool in
Timor-Leste.
And it is it's a lovely placeto spend a few days.
It is also home to the BalboVeterans Museum, which tells in
detail the struggle against theoccupation from Indonesia.
There's also the Flag HouseMuseum and there's local walks
and caves to explore.
(10:00):
Number 10 is to take a scenicflight so it team or less day is
the landscape says quite ruggedand can be quite challenging to
get around by vehicle.
It's all doable, but it cantake some time.
It might be a bit bumpy andparticularly during the wet
season some roads may beinaccessible.
Probably the most comfortableway to explore team more less
(10:22):
estate is from the air.
There is a organization calledMission Aviation Fellowships at
Math, MAF, and they operate in anumber of poor countries
providing medical support, a bitlike the flying doctors in
Australia.
They provide an importantservice in Timor Less Day
connecting the country and theysubsidize their medical services
(10:45):
with running, scheduledflights.
So this is a great way to getfrom A to B across Timor less
day and.
Invariably you'll getspectacular views.
So particularly the flightsfrom Dili to Samme or to where
you're flying across themountainous spine of the island,
are particularly, scenic.
And also flights out to atrural island, are very pleasant
(11:05):
as well.
So that is a good way of seeingthe country from a perspective.
Hopefully those 10 experienceshave given you an idea for the
range of things that you can doin Timor Less day.
If you are interested inknowing more about Timor Less
Day, please do follow thispodcast and watch out for future
episodes where I drill intothese areas in a lot more detail
than I've been able to do sotoday.
(11:26):
Thank you so much for listeningto exploring Timor 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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