Explore East Timor

DESCRIPTION

Join YPT for a week exploring the history and of course the beaches in one of the newest and least visited countries in South East Asia.

East Timor, or Timor-Leste was a Portuguese colony that proclaimed it’s independence in the 1970s before being occupied by Indonesia until the late 1990s and then becoming fully independent in 2002. We’ll be exploring the far regions of Baucau and Lospalos as well as of course the capital Dili, checking out the markets, catching the sunsets and getting our fill of local food.

There will be beaches and diving opportunities, and this tour will start and finish in Bali, Indonesia, an island about which not much else needs to be said!

As the only predominantly Christian country in SE Asia along with the Philippines, you can explore East Timor on it’s own or join us for a combo taking in both of these countries.

ITINERARY

Tuesday 9th October

• Palawan group depart Manila at 4am for the flight to Bali arriving at 7am where we transfer directly to the hotel.
•Everyone else arrival at own leisure and transfer to hotel
•Bali is THE party place for a number of people and a number of reasons, so we hit the town in a big way for our first night.
•Overnight in Bali

Wednesday 10th October

•We transfer to the airport to board the 09.15 flight to Dili, capital of East Timor
•Arrival at 12.00 arrange our visas on arrival before transferring to our very centrally placed accommodation
•Lunch in town
•Optional Scuba dive (at own cost) or free time for some rest
•We take a walk down to the pristine beachfront in Dili where we will grab dinner at one of the restaurants overlooking the sea
•Overnight at East Timor Hostel

Thursday 11th October

•We go for a city tour of Dili including the parliament, presidential palace and old Portuguese architecture
•Visit to the Timor genocide museum, not only a very moving place, but essential in understanding the recent history of the nation.
•Lunch in a traditional Timorese restaurant
•Our local guide continues our driving tour of the city with a visit to the former prison building of the Indonesian army and other sites related to the war of independence .
•Back to the hostel for shower and change before we transfer to the beachside barbecue restaurants to sample how the locals get together for drinks and food
•Walk down the seafront for nighttime beers overlooking the sea
•Overnight at East Timor Hostel

Friday 12th October

•We get up nice and early to board our private bus to drive to the second largest and most important city in the country – Baucau
•The journey takes around 3 hours with us stopping on the way for pictures opportunities and lunch.
•On arrival in Baucau we check into our bungalows on our very own private beach
•City tour of Baucau including the old colonial building and government house.
•We then head to what is quite a surprising highlight of the trip by visiting the local market. Considering this is the second biggest city the market is surprisingly primitive with foreigners rarely venturing here. This offers lot of opportunities to observe contemporary life as well as interact and speak with the locals.
•In the evening we enjoy a home cooked meal with our hosts before grabbing some beers and heading down to our very own private beach for a kick back. The sea has bio phosphorescence, with the water lighting up on your every move.
•Overnight in beachside bungalows

Saturday 13th October

•Baucau has a very famous outdoor saltwater swimming pool frequented by the locals so we head here for a morning swim and a relax
•Lunch at locally famous restaurant to try the regional speciality Kulu, or for the less adventurous Portuguese cuisine.
•We carry on our regional by driving another 4 hours by private bus to the far east of East Timor Lospalos. This is an extremely scenic drive and we will be stopping on the way for drinks, snacks and photos.
•We check into our beachside accommodation
•Overnight

Sunday 14th October

•We begin the long 6 hour journey back into Dili, again this will be an extremely scenic journey with our private bus affording us the opportunities and ability to stop as and where we need for refreshments and photos.
•We stop at the one of the villages on the way for lunch
•Arrival back in Dili and check into our beachside accommodation, for those inclined we can arrange a night dive locally.
•We head for sunset at the most iconic feature of both Dili and Timor, the huge statue of Jesus, for the amazing view, before enjoying last night dinner and drinks at the numerous beach bars and restaurants here.
•Overnight in Dili

Monday 15th October

•Free morning in Dili to either do some last minute shopping or relax on the beach before we head off over to the airport to continue our journey back to Bali.
•We take the 2.15 pm flight to Bali arriving at 15.00 in Bali
•Transfer to South Bali and check into our guesthouse
•Head out to visit the Bali Bomb Memorial before heading off to the world famous Kuta Beach for dinner, drinks and night time festivities.

Tuesday 16th October

•Combo group take the 8.35 am flight back to Manila arriving at 12.35
•Everyone else end of tour

GALLERY