East Timor Attractions

Dili

Wander the waterfront, talk to the locals and you may be surprised to find Dili has a laid-back, small-town openess. This welcoming feel contrasts starkly with the news-reel imagery of political unrest we often associate with this capital city.

Until the Indonesian takeover in 1975, Dili was the capital of the former colony of Portuguese Timor, and it still has the feel of a tropical Portuguese outpost. Badly damaged during the Indonesian mayhem in 1999, transitional elevated prices have gradually spiralled back to more sensible levels.

Oecussi

The isolated former Portuguese coastal enclave of Oecussi, also known as Ambeno, is politically part of East Timor, but is geographically and culturally part of West Timor. It was about 95% destroyed in 1999 and the small population is scattered throughout the province in hamlets.

Pantemakassar, more commonly called Oecussi town, is significant to the East Timorese as the first permanent Portuguese settlement in Timor. It is a sleepy coastal town sandwiched between the hills and the coast. The reef about ten metres off-shore in the clear water offers spectacular snorkelling.