East Timor - 15 days

Drifters Price: £731.50

RRP: £770.00

Trip Code: INTET

Local Payment: USD$200.00

Days 1-2 Dili

You can arrive at any time on day 1 as there are no activities planned. The group leader will contact you about a meeting time and dinner on the first night.

Please note that your leader will collect your local payment (USD200) today.

More than 90% of East Timorese are Catholic, so Sunday for most is a day of rest. Dili is located in the north-west of East Timor, facing the Wetar Straits. The city is quite small, sandwiched between steep hills on the southern and eastern sides and Dili Harbour to the north. Parts of Dili are still being rebuilt since its destruction in 1999, but it has come a long way since then. There are banks, internet offices, a post office, restaurants and many shops with a wide range of imported goods. Bottled water, soft drinks and beer are readily available all over town. It is easy to get around either by walking or paying around 20 cents for a mikrolet (minibus), which ply the main streets. Taxis are plentiful and charge just USD1 to take you anywhere within the city limits, regardless of the number of passengers. We have a full day in Dili to take in the sights.

We spend a half day together visiting some of the less-accessible places - including the outskirts of Dili, the Santa Cruz cemetery and the Jesus statue out at the eastern end of Dili Harbour. You also have time to wander the harbour front and explore the streets at your leisure.

A visit to one of Dili's markets is a must-do. Comoro, Taibesi, Becora and the Tais (weaving) markets are all busy and colourful. A visit to the Xanana Gusmao Reading Room is also recommended - it has a lot of resources on East Timor's history and culture and is a good place to pick up phrase books, photographic books or maps. Also visit the craft centre at the rear for a great selection of crafts from women's groups all around East Timor. In the evening we can watch the sunset from one of the terrific seafood restaurants along the eastern Dili beaches.

You may wish to come earlier than our arrival day or stay an extra couple of nights after the trip to have more time in Dili, or to perhaps go scuba diving. On all accounts the diving is fantastic and there are several dive companies based in Dili (please note, however, that Intrepid makes no representations about the safety of the activity or the standard of the dive operators).

Days 3-4 Maubisse

We head for the hills south of Dili, in our 4WD vehicles. After a short, steep climb, there is a great view back over Dili and the harbour. Our winding road takes us through farmland and coffee plantations to the pretty rural town of Aileu. Aileu was formerly the headquarters of Fretilin and the resistance movement. Coffee growing is the main industry of the region and is currently the greatest export earner for East Timor.

It's another hour on to the scenic mountain town of Maubisse where we stop at the Portuguese-style poussada or guesthouse to enjoy the views and cool mountain air. This area is very fertile and in a good season the market stocks a wide variety of vegetables. The road becomes much rougher as we head higher up to the small market village of Hato Builiko, passing fields of corn and cassava along the way. Hato Builiko has a wonderful market twice a week with which we try and conincide our visit. Colourfully attired men and women walk for miles, or ride into town on their Timor ponies, to bring their produce to sell or barter. Meet the locals, try out your bargaining skills or quietly absorb the hum of activity. Men compare their fighting cockerels, women chew on betel nut, gamblers try their luck on mini-lotteries and children chase each other around the rows of produce laid out on the ground.

Mt Tatamailau - or Mt Ramelau as it is commonly called - is above us. At 2,964m, the great Ramelau is the highest mountain in East Timor and home to the Mambai people. Since 1975 it has provided a sanctuary for East Timorese resistance and is considered, like the men and women it protects, to be indestructible. After the referendum in 1999, the people of Hato Builiko fled into hiding on Ramelau's upper slopes, while below, the departing militia destroyed their homes. We will head to bed early, in preparation to rise by 04.00 to ascend Mt Ramelau.

After a short drive, our climb begins. We aim to reach the summit for sun-rise. The well-defined track is steep but easily negotiated in the dark and manageable for most reasonably fit people, taking between 1.5 and 2.5 hours. The higher reaches of the mountains are thought by the Timorese to be the resting places of the souls of the dead. We are mindful of this as we climb quietly and respectfully. There is a statue of the Virgin Mary on the summit. On a clear morning, the views are breathtaking and we may see across the full width of the island, from the sea in the north to the sea in the south. We take our time descending, enjoying the views and the vegetation along the way.

Days 5-6 Suai

Our journey continues south-west through lush rainforest and farmland to the town of Ainaro and through to Suai, the district capital of Covalima. Suai is our base to learn about some of the activities of the district - agriculture, fishing, and arts and crafts. Suai is renowned for the weaving of traditional cloth (tais), education and soccer. Fancy a game anyone?

We visit the neat little village of Suai Loro, with its traditional thatched-roof houses near the sea, see Suai's oil wells where this black gold bubbles out of the ground, and visit the Suai Cathedral - the site of the horrific massacre of more than 250 people shortly after the ballot in September 1999. A 'Circle of Stones', memorial tablets, have been laid near the church by the local women, and this is perhaps an appropriate place to pay our respects to those, mainly women and children, who died there.

Days 7-9 Atauro Island

An early start has us on a long but scenically varied day, travelling back to Dili via the districts of Bobonaro and Liquica. We stop in Maliana and Balibo before heading east along the northern coast. The road conditions are usually better along this section and we aim to be back in Dili before dark. Bobonaro is a strong area for traditional tais production, and we are likely to see many women sitting at looms, on the verandahs outside their homes.

We stop off in Dili for 1 night before heading to Atauro. We leave most of our luggage in storage at the hotel and just take small bags with us on our island adventure. We journey by fishing boat, taking 3-4 hours to travel around 24 nautical miles across the Wetar Strait. Keep your eyes peeled for whales and dolphins - sightings are common. Atauro is 25km long with a mountainous spine and narrow coastal plains. It is home to some of the best coral reefs in the world, and breeding grounds for hundreds of species of fish fringe the island. The mountains are mostly limestone and the highest, Manucoco (995m), figures in many legends and is considered sacred.

Due to its isolation, historically Atauro was used by both Portuguese and Indonesian governments as a place of exile. The community of nearly 8000 people, mostly subsistence fishers and farmers, live in 5 villages spread over the island. Our hosts are the local community folk working through the NGO, Roman Luan. Their ecotourism project is part of a community capacity-building program. We stay in simple huts made from local materials, in a lovely location right near the beach front. The project has been developed with very carefully researched environmental and cultural preservation and empowerment principles, and is a great role model for other potential tourism projects in East Timor.

We can explore the fishing villages on foot, guided by local community members; go further afield in an outrigger; swim and snorkel over colourful reefs; hear some local songs, music and dance; or simply relax gazing out over the sparkling waters. We are guests in a community whose culture is still quite traditional and conservative, so your group leader will remind you of appropriate behaviour and dress.

Days 10-11 Baucau

We travel back to Dili for to freshen up before heading east on our second 'loop', driving along the 'great ocean road' to the town of Manututo, where President Xanana Gusmao was born. Onward east to Baucau, the second-largest town in East Timor (after Dili), with a population of approximately 16,000. Baucau town, our base for 2 nights, has many remnants of Portuguese administration and the more recent Indonesian occupation in the form of many large houses, churches, and other public buildings. Agriculture is the main economic activity of the district, with crops of corn, rice, peanuts, coconuts and vegetables all grown here. The area is quite lush and we can head down to a beautiful beach, about a 20-minute drive away, or relax and have a drink under the huge trees by the communal spring, where women come to wash their clothes and children come to bathe and play.

We take a day trip up to the hills to Venilale. It is a very picturesque drive along a winding road lined by gigantic ancient trees, and we'll view cave hideouts used during World War II along the way. Venilale is dominated by the Salesian school, the orphanage and the newly restored Portuguese-style community centre. After a look around town we trek through forest and farmland to Mt Ariana.

Days 12-13 Los Palos

Los Palos, the district capital of Lautem, is our next base. Los Palos receives high rainfall so it's tropical and lush, though if there has been heavy rain it may make the town difficult to access. East Timorese women of the area suffered greatly during Portuguese colonial times and more recently under the repressive Indonesian regime.

Our local guide and friend will show us some of the agricultural and community development projects of this area, particularly those established by the women to improve their economic situation and self-esteem. These include tais weaving, basketry and soap making. Heading further east to Tutuala, we pass many traditional 'uma lulik', or spirit houses along the way, a large freshwater lake to the south where crocodile abound, and see beautiful rainforest-covered peaks - the vistas are superb! If road conditions allow, we take a very rough road down from Tutuala village to the beach. Barbecued fish on the beach and an outrigger out to Jaco Island just off shore (only inhabited by deer) are possibilities. If time allows we may be privileged to see ancient cave paintings along the way.

Days 14-15 Dili

Our return to Dili is via the beach at Com. As we head towards the west and the setting sun, perhaps time will be needed to reflect on all the incredible experiences we have had in 2 weeks in peaceful and independant Timor Lorasae, Timor-Leste, East Timor.

Our last night, day 14, is spent in Dili and you can depart at any time on day 15.

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