" Timor trouble soon over??? " Top 5 Page for this destination East Timor by Yiannis2000

East Timor Travel Guide: 195 reviews and 484 photos

Children in Dili- 1998

Timor Leste *

Timor Lorosae, as East Timor is called by its people, declared its formal independence on the 20th of May 2002. Its formal name is now Timor Leste, in Portuguese. Timor has not developed its infrastructure yet, its people are strugling to heal past wounds, but it offers amazing experiences to the determined travellers that reach it. Lately- May 2006- a wave of violent riots rocked Dili but a new government led by Nobel Peace Laureate Ramos-Horta seems to have stabilised the situation.

Tutuala 2001

Less than a million people inhabit the eastern half of the Timor island, that makes the country of East Timor. The western half still belongs to Indonesia, for some tips on West Timor check my Kupang page...
For general data on East Timor try this Tourismo
link!
In 2005 about 3,000 were estimated to be actual travellers or tourists, with the remainder(over 90% of visitors) being military, media, aid related etc. Timor Leste currently offers just one four star hotel and this, included with other lower category hotels, means there is a total of just 1,500 rooms for travellers to choose from.

East Timor to Increase Tourist Numbers

In an attempt to spread the word of what the raw beauty of Timor Leste has to offer, officials this year attended three major trade shows - the ITB in Berlin, the BTL in Lisbon and the PATA Travel Mart in Hong Kong. Participation at these events was made possible largely thanks to support from Portugal, Macau, Thailand and other industry partners.

Timor Leste's largest obstacle in attracting more tourists does not come from the question of security, but instead from accessibility. Currently there are only two airlines which fly to Timor Leste, Merpati and Air North. Merpati currently flies from Bali four times a week and will be increasing this to daily in the near future. Air North flies out of Darwin to Timor Leste 11 times per week.
Officials from Timor Leste are already in talks with other carriers, including low cost airlines in Indonesia and Singapore's Silk Air.

All travellers to Timor Leste receive a 30 days visa on arrival except Portugese nationals who receive a 90 days exemption.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Not ready for mainstream tourism
Cons:Not ready for maistream tourism, dangerous these days
In a nutshell:I left my heart there

Last visit to East Timor: Sep 2001
Intro Updated Sep 4, 2007
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Reviews (14)

From its Olympics coverage! - East Timor

Timor Leste Sun Favorites (5)

A good online source for news about East Timor, the country and its people! Go to... more travel advice

2004 birthday Celebrations Things to Do (2)

Timor Leste is celebrating its second anniversary as an independent country this May, there will be several cultural... more travel advice

Don't miss Tutuala,... Off The Beaten Path (2)

If you visit Timor Lorosae, try to visit TUTUALA, the last village at the eastern tip of the island, it is situated at... more travel advice

With my daughter, Xmas 99.. - East Timor

Areia Bianca... Things to Do (2)

You normally arrive to Timor via the airport of Dili, so don't miss the chance to visit the best beach near the capital,... more travel advice

Transportation (2)
See All from Bali or Darwin???
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Travelogues (6)

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Comments (68)

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DSwede Mar 7, 2010 at 1:27 AM

I just came back from 2wk backpack in Timor. Yes, I was a tourist... I will be starting some of my own pages soon. I'll be reading more of what you have. -Dave
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Russuo Feb 6, 2010 at 1:02 AM

Yiannis, this is Joaquim. I am in Geneva now, and I am planning to visit Greece. Will you be there? Joaquim Fonseca
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angiebabe Jan 2, 2009 at 5:24 AM

Wld love to visit E.Timor 1day- always been shockd by the Indonesians treatmnt of these people&the murder of Aust&Brit journalists many yrs ago to hide their massacres-but hopefully peace&love forGod will reign there& new president with good mind&heart..!
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hunterV Aug 19, 2008 at 9:51 PM

Hello, Yiannis ! You were lucky to visit that remote place. Good for you! Thanks.
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SLLiew May 16, 2007 at 8:17 PM

With another election completed, hope Timor Leste will soon be back on a rebound of tourism. SL
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ozalp Mar 15, 2007 at 1:21 AM

You have some really interesting pages here.
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Melisin Aug 29, 2006 at 4:43 AM

yiannis!!!! great pictures and info in here.. How did you get East Timor?? Interesting:)
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kmfw72 Jan 19, 2006 at 8:01 PM

Tetum derives many words from Portuguese, and many of those are similar to English ones. E Timor has NOTHING to learn from Aus or Indo about languages!
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K.Knight Aug 2, 2004 at 2:26 AM

Very well written & presented pages. It must have been quite an experience for you? Do you think that selecting Portuguese language lends itself to doing trade in the region? G'day from Australia
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Angelinka Jul 28, 2004 at 2:06 AM

hmm...great!!!! Your pics are really amazing!