Getting There

By Plane

Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport (DIL) in Dili is the country's only airport with regular public passenger services. However the runway cannot acommodate large passenger airplanes.

Flights from Darwin in Australia are operated by Airnorth. Flights from Denpasar in Bali,Indonesia are provided by Merpati Airlines. Flights can be booked out weeks in advance, so plans need to be made accordingly.

By Train

There is no rail infrastructure in East Timor.

By Car

The main border crossing with Indonesia is at Mota'ain, 115 kilometres west of Dili. The nearest East Timorese town is Batugade, 3 to 4 kilometres away. The nearest Indonesian town of is the West Timorese town of Atambua. You need an international driving permit and all the right documentation and insurance regarding the car.

By Bus

There is a direct bus daily between Dili and Kupang in West Timor, Indonesia and the journey takes 12 hours. You can also do the trip in stages by taking minibuses to the border, cross on foot and go to the nearest town on the other side of the border.

By Boat

There are no regular passenger services to and from Dili anymore though you might be lucky to get a ride on a cargoship or yacht.

Getting Around

By Plane

There are no domestic flights within East Timor at the moment. Baucau has an airport (with a longer strip than the one in Dili in fact) and was used as the main territory under Indonesian occupation, but it is presently unattended. Suai Airport is also unattended.

By Train

There is no rail infrastructure in East Timor and West Timor in Indonesia.

By Car

Car hire options are available in Dili. Thrifty has a large fleet of cars.

Taxi services are available in the major towns. Standard fares are US$1, maybe US$2 for longer distances. The cars used are often recycled from other countries and could just look like regular cars.

By Bus

Buses, mikrolets and vans run to many parts of the country, and at US$2-3 per trip are an economical means of getting around. The main cities of Dili, Baucau, Maliana, Los Palos and Suai are quite well linked by this infrastructure. Departures are generally early in the morning. Starting looking after 8:30am or so might leave you without luck.

By Motorcycle

Motorcycles can be rented from East Timor Backpackers.

By Boat

There is a ferry connection from Dili to Ataúru Island and the Oekusi Enclave. You can arrange with a ride with local fishermen to visit Jako islet.