Join an elite club of fewer than 100 people who have ever crossed Timor-Leste entirely on foot. This extraordinary 8-day expedition traverses the mountainous spine of the island from the capital Dili to the historic south coast at Betano, summiting Mt Ramelau (2,963m), the highest point in Timor-Leste. This is genuine adventure travel through varied and spectacular terrain—from ridgeline villages and atmospheric forests to alpine-like grasslands and dramatic waterfalls.
Your journey takes you through five municipalities, crossing landscapes that have been home to communities for over 40,000 years. Camp beside the stunning Seloi Craic lagoon, traverse Mt Maubo’s panoramic ridges, explore rarely-hiked terrain around spectacular Dokomali Falls, and tackle the challenging Mt Kablaki traverse with its European Alps-like views. Watch sunset from Mt Ramelau’s summit, crowned with the Virgin Mary statue, spending a night in Hatu Builico, Timor’s highest village, before continuing your epic descent.
The trek concludes at Betano on the south coast, where Australian troops landed in September 1942 during WWII operations, a poignant reminder of the deep Australia-Timor connection. With support vehicles for gear transport and flexible route options to suit your mountain ambitions, this is the ultimate Timor-Leste trekking challenge for experienced Australian hikers seeking something truly unique.
Timor-Leste is hot—expect 30°C+ on the coast and above 20°C in the mountains. Best hiking months are June-July when it’s cooler and dry with lush greenery. Heat stroke is the biggest risk, so drink plenty of water with electrolytes, rest in shade regularly, wear a sun hat, and cool yourself with wet cloths.
Mostly rough local tracks with some dirt roads—no managed trails or signage. Nearly half of Timor-Leste has slopes over 40 degrees, so expect constant steep ascents and descents with loose stones underfoot. River crossings may be required; boots dry quickly.
Mosquitoes (Dengue/Chikungunya risk) are the main concern—take precautions at dawn/dusk. Village dogs will bark but rarely bite; move past quickly without running. Pick up rocks if needed. Snakes are rarely seen.
Camp at village schools or government offices with permission. Expect basic squat toilets and bucket showers—bring sandals. Support crew digs toilet tents if needed.
Simple, filling meals: breakfast (muesli, eggs, bread), lunch (noodles, cheese), dinner (rice, chicken/tuna, local vegetables). Support vehicle carries drinking water for daily resupply.
Crew includes lead guide, driver, and porters carrying lunch/cooking gear. Limited mobile coverage (Telemor best). Charge devices via vehicle USB. Typical day: 6am wake, 7:30-8am start hiking, noon lunch, 4-5pm arrive camp, 7pm dinner.
Eco Discovery was established in 2005. We are 100% Timorese-owned and operated. We have helped thousands of guests explore our beautiful country of Timor-Leste. We are a proud, environmentally responsible company that aims to protect it and help educate people on good preservation practices. We support locally based community projects and businesses.
Hotel in Dili
Pick up at 7:ooam from hotel in Dili
7am Get picked up from your hotel and drive 30 minutes to Fatisi, on the outskirts of the Dili region, to avoid busy road walking in the city. Walk up part of a tributary to the Comoro River, one of the largest river systems in the country, before a steep ascent up into the hills of Ermera. Follow a ridgeline home to a number of villages, before reaching the beautiful lagoon of Seloi Craic (pictured below) to camp for the night.
Cross about two thirds of the beautiful municipality of Aileu in one day, walking through villages and enjoying big views from the ridgelines. Walk out of Seloi Craic through rice fields before heading up into the hills before setting up camp in the panoramically situated village of Hahulo Ramsu.
Another big day, but with views to reward the effort, particularly in the afternoon as we summit Mt Maubo (pictured below), which offers great views of the 2,986m Mt Ramelau (pictured on the cover), the highest point in Timor-Leste. We cross crosses three municipalities (Aileu, Ermera, and Ainaro), through atmospheric forest before camping with a view with Mt Ramelau.
Hatu Builico (pictured below), the highest village in Timor-Leste, is a short drive from Usululi, avoiding hiking a dangerous ridgeline up Mt Ramelau. It is a beautiful village, and we’ll spend a few hours walking around looking at the Former Portuguese colonial administrative building, Uma Lulik (traditional Timorese sacred houses), impressive new church, the markets (if they’re on that day), and visit a cemetery with a view.
In the afternoon head up to the summit of Mt Ramelau to enjoy sunset, which unlike sunrise, you’re likely to have to yourself. Enjoy a night in a guesthouse, before returning to camping for the rest of the trip.
One of the more spectacular days as we walk out of Hatu Builico, through rarely hiked areas, down to the incredible Dokomali Falls, probably the best waterfall in Timor-Leste.
Mt Kablaki (2,062m) may only be the fourth highest mountain in Timor-Leste, but it is one of the most difficult and dangerous. We take a slightly easier traverse around the side of the mountain, offering incredible views, and the most challenging terrain of the whole Coast2Coast hike. Paths are usually overgrown or non-existent, and shoulder high grass is common, but the views are more like the European Alps than what you would imagine in Southeast Asia.
To avoid significant road walking you can use the support vehicle to hike the most scenic areas of Manufahi, including traditional Timorese houses south of Same, along by the significant Caraulun River, and head to Betano (pictured below) on the south coast where Australian troops landed (and were evacuated from) during WW2.
Relax on the 4 hour drive back from Same to Dili, travelling through at higher speeds the landscapes you’ve just spent a week walking through. Perhaps stop for a refreshing dip at the natural swimming pool near Same.
I booked a couple of tours with Eco Discovery, and they made my experience of Timor Leste even more enjoyable.
I was in Timor Leste for work and contacted a few local tour companies to ask for suggestions in my off time. Some didn’t bother to respond whilst others were very late with response.
However, Edna from Eco Discovery was one that responded promptly and after some initial emails used Whatsapp for discussions.
My schedule had the challenge of being free around work schedules, but I mentioned to Edna some places or things I would like to visit or see and also took upon her suggestions and feedback.
I found Edna to be very easy to communicate and plan with in that she was very honest and straightforward with her responses, and when I finally had locked in dates, she was very quick and meticulous to organise everything including guides, accommodation and paperwork for border crossings and much more.
Timor Leste is not widely known for tourism worldwide yet but has some hidden gems and I was very happy to get a taste of this in different regions.
The country is not the cheapest for travel and tourism as they use USD, and for me it was added costs of solo travel.
Fortunately, Eco Discovery could accommodate solo travellers, whereas some other organisations would not. Cost plays a part in decision making, but so too does safety and experiences and I felt I would get a good overall combination of these with Eco Travel and I was not disappointed.
I booked a 2-day weekend where I visited Maubisse and climbed Timor Leste’s highest mountain Mt Ramelau. Edna was the guide and Andrew the driver. A local guide joined us for the climb up Mt Ramelau.
I then did a 5-day customised/personalised tour, which went from Dili to Jaco Island, Baucau, Balibo, and across the a few borders and then into Oecusse before returning to back to Dili. It was thought such a schedule in the time available was not possible but Edna who organised all as well as came along as guide put it all together. The driver JP was also excellent and had great local knowledge in Oecusse and West Timor regions.
Edna was also helpful in answering other queries from SIM cards, to souvenirs, to best places to dine, shop, travel in Dili, and even tourist activities in Dili and Atauro Island which I self-did, but she was happy to answer questions and make suggestions, and I must thank her for this.
I have taken away lots of great photos and memories from my time in Timor Leste thanks to Eco Discovery and I highly recommend them for others to have the same.
We had and excellent trip in East Timor with Ecodiscovery, including an exceptional organisation to see the solar eclipse. It was very well organized, adaptable, reliable.
Thank you to Moty our guide and Ironio so very good driver for their kindness and the way they made us discover their country.
This was my second trip to Timor-Leste, my first being in Dec 2018 during Christmas. At that time, when I had sent enquiry emails, they were the first to respond. And over the days, they were quite happy to customise my itinerary to meet my travel dates. The whole trip was planned at short notice in less than a month or so. Luis was my guide and he made sure to show me places and vantage points for some great photographs on the way to Ramalau and back with stops at Aileu and Maubisse. Post Christmas day, he repeated the whole thing during our day trips to Ai Pelo, Liquica, Maubara, Ermera and Gleno, going out of his way at times to make sure that I had a great and memorable experience. He educated me with a lot of details about the history of his land.
My second trip was a just a week ago in Aug 2019. Edna and Maria were very considerate in helping prepare multiple different itineraries from 5 day trip to 8-10 day trip, bearing with my idiosyncracies with immense patience. Serafim was my guide this time as we travelled East from Dili on the scenic coastal road on the North – a 8 day trip covering Bacau, Loihuno with a hike to Mundo Perdido, Baguia for a hike up Matebeanmane, to Com and onto Valu/Jaco. Serafim made sure that I got to eat all the local food that I craved for, making sure that I was a happy person. He took me to some great photospots and view points, and was also more than happy to stop on the way and point out various scenic spots so I could take photos. Oh, and Serafim even detoured to take me to his home village to meet his mother and sister, and his community, and along with that, a side trip to the Ossuary of the resistance fighters in his home village.
And during the trip, I ran into Manny and Xisto. And for a short while, Luis too. They shared a lot of insights and gave me ideas for future trips.
And Edna, as usual, made sure I had a great itinerary.
My heartfelt gratitude to the team at Eco Discovery for a wonderful and memorable 2nd trip.
I will surely go back to them when it is time to visit their land again.
Thank you, Eco Discovery trip.