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What I did in a year volunteering in Timor-Leste
The first of two posts to mark the end of my year volunteering in Timor-Leste through Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA). This focuses on what I did, the other post is a reflection on the year. I volunteered through VSA with local NGO HAMNASA and the Timor-Leste Ministry of Tourism, and did a few other things while here… The year in numbers… 2.5 million views on my Exploring Timor-Leste TikTok…
Beloi to Adara
For the detailed route and logistical information please select this hike below (click top left for the list of hikes). A tough but popular route crossing Atauro Island between Beloi and Adara, home to the lovely Mario’s Place, possibly the best located accommodation on the island. A boat trip between the two costs $80, hiking will take you at least 4 hours and a decent amount of sweat as you…
Big Beloi Loop Hike
For the detailed route and logistical information please select this hike below (click top left for the list of hikes). The longest and one of the hardest hikes I did in my first three months in Timor-Leste, little about this morning on Atauro Island went according to plan. I nearly got heat stroke, went completely off the route I was trying to follow, and my legs were eaten by march flies… The…
Fatululic, Covalima
I was in Covalima as part of my work supporting local NGO HAMNASA. I was taking photos of workshops they were holding with the leadership of local sucos, governance units below administrative posts, and above hamlets. Fatululic is about two hours drive along bad roads from Suai, but it was an interesting if rather overcast drive. Covalima is home is a notably large number of structures with…
Fatumea, Covalima
One of the highlights of my time in Timor-Leste has been visiting remote regions through my work supporting local NGO HAMNASA. The day after driving for five hours from one side of the country to the other, I spent two and half hours on some pretty rough roads travelling from Suai west toward the Indonesian border to visit the Administrative Post of Fatumea. It was an interesting drive though…
Suai, Covalima
Capital of the Covalima municipality, Suai is a moderate sized town by the south coast of Timor-Leste. It was an interesting place to spend a few nights thanks to a work trip, particularly the day trips out to the remote areas of Fatumea and Fatululic by the Indonesian border, which I’ll cover in separate posts. The closest place to a tourist destination is the beachside community of Suai Loro,…
Watching and swimming with Blue Whales in Timor-Leste
One of the least known countries in the world, Timor-Leste is becoming slightly better known for the annual migration of blue whales. Timor-Leste is one of about ten countries where swimming with whales is permitted, and is possibly the only country where this is possible with blue whales (usually it is with humpback whales). This article shares the whale watching (and swimming) experience, and…
Dili to Covalima and back by road and air
One of more scenic journeys I’ve made, travelling by road across the width of Timor-Leste from Dili to Covalima in 5 hours, and returning a few days later by air in just 30 minutes. The flight was more comfortable and spectacular, but the road was more varied and interesting. From Dili there is some sizeable terrain to cross, involving a lot of switchbacks. Just over the border heading into…
New Baucau & Watabo Beach
The vast majority of Baucau’s residents live in New Baucau, a ten minute drive uphill from Old Baucau. Very few tourists venture here, but though it lacks any real sights it was still an interesting place to explore for a couple of hours. It is easily reached for 25c by one of the many microlets leaving from Old Baucau. Slightly confusingly they have the colour schemes of Dili microlets, but the…
Old Baucau
Timor-Leste’s second largest city, Baucau offers quite a contrast from Dili and is a lovely place to explore. Dili’s population is around 300,000 people, Baucau‘s is more like 16,000 people. There are two parts to the city, Old Baucau which has all the heritage and places that tourists are likely to visit, and the much larger New Baucau which is a pretty typical Timorese town. There were two…
Dili to Baucau
I’ve done many scenic journeys in my time and the drive from Dili to Baucau is up there with some of the best. In two and half hours it offered incredible coastal scenery and plenty of stops of interest along the way. Heading over the hills of Hera the first stop was at the home of local monkeys, whose habitat was surrounded by barbed wire. Presumably to keep humans out! Further on was the…
Most and least popular posts of 2024
My annual reflection on the blog hits and misses, what was popular, and what wasn’t, expanded this year to cover my Exploring Timor-Leste TikTok account, which proved far more popular than I ever expected with close to 2 million views. My blog JontyTravels also did well, with over 45,000 visitors, the most since I started it a decade ago, despite publishing fewer posts than in the…
Best of 2024 - Travel
I spent pretty much the whole of 2024 living in Timor-Leste. Every time I planned to leave the capital Dili for more than a day I had to complete a travel notification form for Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA). VSA are the New Zealand NGO who supported me to volunteer with local NGO HAMNASA and the Ministry of Tourism. By the end of 2024 I had completed 29 forms! So rather than my usual…
Best of 2024 - Hiking & Cycling
My annual look back at the best books I’ve read / listened to this year. I only read about 80 books, the lowest number since 2016, and well down from my peak of 308 in 2020. I spent almost the whole year living in Timor-Leste, one of the poorest countries in the world, where printed books are a rarity and there are no lending libraries. I borrowed eBooks on my iPad through my New Zealand library…
Best of 2024 - Hiking
I’ve hiked further in a year, but I’ve probably never hiked as hard as this year, with almost all of it in the hot and humid climate of Timor-Leste, which can be as physically challenging (and certainly sweatier!) than hiking at high altitude. Rather than my usual chronological approach I’ve themed the hiking by location and type. Usually I would reflect on my cycling trips as well but since…
Tasi Tolu Hills Hike
For the detailed route and logistical information please select this hike below (click top left for the list of hikes). A wonderful Dili hike, offering perhaps the highest ratio of views and things of interest for the distance of any walk in Timor-Leste. In just over 5km, though with plenty of ascent and descent, it offers several summit points with incredible views, stations of the cross up to…
Hike opposite the Bamboo Institute in Tibar
For the detailed route and logistical information please select this hike below (click top left for the list of hikes). A short but steep hike up into the empty (and pathless!) hills opposite the Bamboo Institute in Tibar, for wonderful views and a decent workout. To get to the start catch a tom-tom for 50c from Tasi Tolu to Tibar. They work the same as microlets, just tap your coin on the…