Timor-Leste

Places in Timor-Leste

• Balibo

  Balibo is a small East Timorese town about 10 km from the Indonesian border, notable for its 400-year-old Portuguese fort and its role in the country's struggle for independence. The town holds significant historical weight as the site where five Australian-based journalists—the Balibo Five—were killed by Indonesian forces in 1975.

  Atlas entry

• Baucau

  Baucau is Timor-Leste's second largest city and an important administrative and agricultural center on the northern coast. While Dili dominates national relevance, Baucau offers dramatic cliff-top scenery, a historic colonial Old Town with abandoned and scorched buildings from 1999 violence, and access to beautiful beaches.

  Atlas entry

• Dili

  Dili is a seaside capital with Portuguese-influenced architecture and food. Coastal walks, resistance-history sites and nearby diving give the city a varied visitor circuit.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$61

  Best months

  May–Oct

• Ermera

  Ermera is a former capital of the East Timorese community, situated in one of Timor's most beautiful highland regions. The area offers dramatic mountain landscapes, coffee plantations, traditional villages, and access to the Marobo Hot Springs.

  Atlas entry

• Gleno

  Gleno serves as the capital of Ermera district, sitting in a wide valley surrounded by forested mountains. The town is best known for its waterfall and makes an ideal day trip from Dili for travelers seeking mountain scenery without venturing too far from the capital.

  Atlas entry

• Maliana

  Maliana is the third-largest city in Timor-Leste with a dusty wild west atmosphere and a population of about 12,000 (2015). It is not a destination for its own attractions, but serves as a practical stopover on the road between Dili and western Timor, and a base for day trips to Marobo Hot Springs.

  Atlas entry

• Tutuala

  Tutuala sits at the easternmost tip of East Timor, often described as feeling like "the end of the world." The village is famous for ancient cave paintings dating back 2,000-10,000 years, featuring hunting scenes, animist symbols, turtles, boats, and handprints. It serves as the gateway to Jaco Island with its pristine white sand beaches and the Nino Konis National Park, East Timor's premier nature reserve.

  Atlas entry