TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The island of Timor is about 700 kilometres north of the Australian coastline and lies at the most southern point of the largest archipelago in the world, Indonesia.

It is one island with two nations, separated by a land border with Timor-Leste to the East and Indonesia to the West.

The Timorese Special Administrative Region of Oecusse sits on the Indonesian coastline, about an 8-hour drive from Dili.

Timor-Leste’s capital city, Dili, has many benefits and local attractions to be the central hub for International tourists but since the country first became an independent nation 19 years ago, a well-developed Government infrastructure to support them, has not yet materialised.

Aerial view of the capital city of East Timor, Dili. Doc. Lafaeknews.com

Successive Governments have done a great deal of talking about how important tourism is to the country, but very little action has followed. 

The Covid-19 Pandemic hit Timor-Leste nearly two years ago and its borders were closed to the outside world, resulting in International Tourism coming to a grinding halt.

Timor Leste Border. Lafaeknews.com

It is very rare these days to see foreign tourists in Dili, however before the lockdown, some chose to enter the country overland from Indonesia, with the majority arriving at the Nicolau Roberto International Airport.

After leaving the arrival hall, SIM cards and phone credit can be purchased by passengers from two independent Internet providers, whose outlets are adjacent to the Terminal and pickup point for taxis and hotel courtesy cars.

By the time they reach their destinations, they can usually be on-line, however, this depends on whether the connection to the Internet satellite receivers is working fast or slow.

Internet test results. Doc.: Lafaeknews.com
         
Timor-Leste’s internet service is erratic and falls far behind most of the world in regard to constant, uninterrupted upload and download speeds, which fluctuate at any time of the day or night.

The city center is a quick 15-minute drive from the airport and two different routes can be taken. 

Passengers in a hurry to get to their accommodation are whisked along a main dual highway that links the Airport to the Central Business District.

The most popular way is a leisurely scenic drive along the coastal road, which snakes along the empty beaches and a calm sea on the left.

On the opposite side, many well established foreign embassies face the shoreline, with a high mountain range dominating the skyline.

Scenic route to city. Doc.: Lafaeknews.com

The island lies east to west and most days of the year there are beautiful and quite often, spectacular sunrises and sunsets; ideal for those perfect holiday photos from a tropical environment.

Sunrise. Doc.: Lafaeknews.com

Sunset. Doc.: Lafaeknews.com

Tourist accommodation is plentiful and caters for the backpacker to the high-end tourist; but prices are more expensive than most popular tourist spots in the ASEAN region.

Backpacker accommodation. Doc.: Lafaeknews.com

Hotel Timor. Doc.: Lafaeknews.com

Backpacker rates start around $20 a night and hotels with a three star rating cost $100 or more for an overnight stay. 

There are no hotels that meet the requirements for a higher star rating, mainly because of poor customer service.

The Timorese culture is very laid-back and many businesses in the Hospitality Industry have difficulty finding staff who are capable of learning how international visitors expect to be treated, and put this into practice. 

The port of Dili is adjacent to the CBD and is geared-up to efficiently handle the arrival and departure of international cruise ships; the result of clever planning by a group of private operators.

Cruise ship arrives in Dili. Lafaeknews.com                      

The larger vessels cannot dock at the Port and anchor in deeper waters. A fleet of Tenders ferry the ship’s passengers to and from the shore. As they step onto the pier, a local produce, food and souvenir market is set-up to give them their first taste of Timorese craft and culture.

Local charter boat companies also use the Port as a pick-up point for tourist heading to the nearby Ataúro Island, which is internationally famous for its spectacular diving locations. 

Dili is by far the country’s largest city but at the same time is small and provides an ideal environment for tourists to wander the streets safely and take in the local sights and culture, day or night.

There are many small restaurants and coffee shops providing mostly Indonesian food and a spattering of other South East Asian dishes. 

Traditional Timorese cuisine is hard to find.

The Executive Director of Perma Culture Timor-Leste, Eugenio Lemos, wants this to change. Lafaeknews.com

“The infrastructure should be properly established and the hospitality community should be trained how to cook local, healthy, natural food using local ingredients that cannot be found in any restaurant. Timorese types of food for the visitor to taste once, and come back for more. Also drinks.

Timorese coffee is already well known in many parts of the world, however, if visitors come and we serve them with Nescafe, cheap imported Indonesian coffee, or any other instant coffee, they will never come here again.” he said. Mr. Lemos pointed out one of the major problems in the city, “Timor-Leste is a beautiful country but the rubbish has become one of the main challenges.”