Baucau

Why visit?

Baucau is a beautiful municipality that stretches from the northern coast down to Matebian, the second highest mountain in the country. It is home to Timor-Leste’s second city, also called Baucau, which has many buildings from the Portuguese colonial period, and a famous swimming pool. The city of Baucau is about 15 times smaller than Dili, offering quite a contrast from the sprawling capital. There is plenty to explore in the municipality, either on the mostly smooth road toward Viqueque, which passes through the charming Venilale, or on the much less smooth road toward Matebian, passing through Laga to reach the stunningly located Baguia.

Top three experiences

Exploring the heritage of Old Baucau, swim in the Baucau pool, and enjoy panoramic views from Calvário
Hiking one (or both!) peaks of Matebian, and recovering at Baguia Fort Hotel afterwards
Visiting the varied sights of Venilale, including hot springs, heritage buildings, WW2 Japanese tunnels, and hiking

Top places to stay

Pousada Baucau, Baucau (+670 7724 1111)
Hotel Realistic, Baucau (+670 7441 8064)
daTerra Agroecological Farm, Baucau (+670 7730 6030)
Baguia Fort, Baguia (+670 7728 0188)

Top places to eat and drink

daTerra Agroecological Farm, Baucau (+670 7730 6030)
Pousada Baucau, Baucau (+670 7724 1111)
Restaurante Amalia, Baucau (+670 7726 3610)
Restaurante Vitoria, Baucau (+670 7726 3569)

Sights

Baucau Old Market – This stunning building was built by Portuguese between 1928 and 1934, as part of a grand master plan for the town. During WW2 it was partially destroyed before being rebuilt in the 1970s. It then fell into disrepair before being renovated in 2014 as a cultural centre. It is a quite stunning building and has some of the loveliest formal gardens to be found in Timor-Leste.

Calvário – A collection of shrines on the hillside about 10 minutes walk from the centre of Old Baucau. The shrines are interesting, and they’re in a spectacular setting, with huge views along the Baucau coastline, with Old Baucau close, and Watabo Beach in the distance.

St. Anthony Cathedral – The cathedral is a relatively new structure, and has a traditional Timorese Fataluku style pavilion outside used for some services. Outside the neighbouring church buildings are a couple of interesting statues.

Piscina de Baucau – Not many places are best known for a swimming pool, but this is the best in the country, though there isn’t a huge amount of competition to be honest. For 50c you can enjoy this spring fed gem from the Portuguese era, built by the Pousada. As long as it isn’t a Monday or Thursday, as on those days they drain the pool.

Pousada de Baucau – One of the most famous hotels in Timor-Leste. It was built in 1950s and is a rather fetching shade of dark pink. There are newer accommodation blocks to the side and behind the original hotel building.

Feto and Mane Statue – At the end of the road home to St. Anthony Cathedral is an attractive statue of a couple in traditional Timorese clothing.

Fatuk Domin – Just before Watabo Beach is this unusual rock arch with a tree growing on top, which is a popular photography stop.

Watabo Beach – A picturesque palm lined beach, which you should stay on, as crocodiles can often be spotted swimming by. The road to the beach from Baucau is winding but fine. The road along the coast by the beach is much rougher, and washed away in one place, preventing cars from travelling further.

New Baucau – The vast majority of Baucau’s population live in New Baucau, which is a 10 minute drive up the hillside. There aren’t really any tourist sites here but it does have seemingly endless markets, which can be fun to explore. If the stadium at the top of town is open, go inside and up to the top of the stalls for good views of the mighty Matebian mountains in the distance.

Seroja Military Cemetery Baucau – On the eastern edge of Baucau, lies one of two Indonesian Military Cemeteries (the other is i Dili, opposite Santa Cruz Cemetery). Originally there were 15 cemeteries around Timor-Leste, but they were consolidated to two to make them easier to maintain. There are around 300 graves, 255 relocated from Seroja Tiulale Heroes Cemetery.

Vemasse – The first town in Baucau after crossing the border from Manatuto has two main sights. Our Lady of Grace Church Vemasse is a pleasant church that has seen better days, while on the hillside above the town are the remains of a Portuguese era fort. Only the base of the fort remains but it offers great views over the surrounding landscape and the Vemasse River.

Gariuai – It would be easy to drive through Gariuai on your way to Venilale or Viqueque but there are a few sights of potential interest. The dark yellow church is one of the more unusual in a country full of churches. About five minutes walk behind the church is a colony of giant fruit bats. Gariuai cemetery is vast, and one of the most scenically located in Timor-Leste, with great views of Matebian in the distance.

Japanese Tunnels – Between Baucau and Venilale, are a number of tunnels dug by the Japanese during WW2, using forced local labour. During WW2, 40,000 Timorese died fighting the Japanese, one of the forgotten conflicts of the Pacific campaign. The tunnels were also used as hideouts for Timorese independence fighters during the Indonesian occupation. About 9km north of the main set of seven connected tunnels is a single tunnel at the side of the road revealed during recent road construction.

Venilale – A pleasant small town about 28km south of Baucau (about an hours’ drive), which is home to Portuguese colonial architecture, along with rice fields and terraces. During the Portuguese colonial era Venilale was a popular mountain retreat to escape the heat of the coast. The colourful old royal school (Escola do Reino) was one of only two public schools in the country when it opened in 1933, and was attended by both Xanana Gusmão and José Ramos-Horta. During the Indonesian occupation it was an orphanage. The school is now used as a school but the building has seen better days. It was last restored in 2005, by the Portuguese. Opposite is the main Venilale Catholic Church. Local markets are held at the other end of town on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Contact local guide Joni on +670 7727 7996 or jonisarmento@hotmail.com to learn more about the town, and visit well kept secrets including hot springs about 1.45 hours drive away, Lake Baha-mori, and Natural Bridge / Ponte Natureza where you can swim in beautiful blue waters.

Laga – East of Baucau, this small town has more to explore than it might initially seem driving along the quiet main road. The very blue São João Bosco Church was built in the 1970s and rebuilt in the 1990s. Across the road from it is a monument depicting Timorese being introduced to Catholicism by a Portuguese friar. Take the parallel road up the hillside to the Portuguese era Laga Fort, which follows the standard design of a square with two round corner towers. On the corner of the main road to Lautém and to road south to Baguia are a series of 14 white crosses marking the Stations of the Cross. At the start of the road to Baguia at Butufalu there are many Uma Lulik sacred houses built in a variety of materials, from traditional to modern. Ten minutes drive up the road from Laga to Baguia lies the impressive new Jardim dos Heróis e Mártires da Pátria – Laga, a huge memorial to those who lost their lives during the struggle for Timorese independence from Indonesia. On the coastal drive from Baucau to Laga look out for an attractive collection of Uma Lulik traditional sacred houses on a cliff top with the twin peaks of Matabian in the distance.

Laga to Baguia – Laga is the turn off for Baguia, a scenic if increasingly tough drive inland, though the first section of road is currently being improved and should be fully sealed by 2025. A good 4WD or motorbike with experience is required to reach Baquia as the ‘road’ is rocky and steep in places.

Nunira is home to an attractively located blue, red and white church set back from the road, and a number of Uma Lulik. The Mercado de Terilodae are local markets with a view at one of the more open and scenic stretches of road between Laga and Baguia. The markets are held every Wednesday.

Sagadate and Lalulai churches are worth a quick look, as is the Siguilaba Monument relating to Timor-Leste’s independence struggles.

Ruines de l’Escola do Reino de Haudère – About a kilometre before reaching Baguia look out for these atmospheric school ruins above the road on a small hill. The school was built in the 1920s and 1930s and badly damaged during WW2. It is now being reclaimed by nature, and is a photogenic place to visit.

Baguia – Baguia is home to a Portuguese fort turned hotel in 2014, which makes a good base from which to explore the Matebian area. The fort was built during the government of José Celestino da Silva (1894–1908). It has a double perimeter wall, with the inner wall home to two round corner towers. There is a further enclosed wall area at the front of the fort. Inside the inner wall are three buildings, two self contained rooms with en-suite facilities, and one main building with bunkrooms and facilities. During the Viqueque rebellion in early June 1959, at least a hundred insurgents attempted to take the fort, but were repealed by professional soldiers, though the fort was badly damaged.

Hiking

Matebian is the home to the second highest peak in Timor-Leste, the 2,376m Mane (male) peak. Neighbouring it is the 1,963m Feto (female) peak. Summiting either is significantly harder than Mt Ramelau, despite their lower height, due to both the terrain and logistics. Matebian is an important place for local Timorese as it is where their spirits and souls reside after death, and it was also one of the last holdouts of resistance by FALINTIL against the Indonesians. On October 10, 1993, a statue of Jesus Christ was erected at the summit to honor and protect the deceased. It is an important pilgrimage site. Due to the sensitivities of this area (and the lack of clear trails) a local guide is essential. Guides can be hired from the two main hubs to access the area – Baguia or Quelicai.

The climb to the summit of Mane peak is tough, one of the toughest day walks in Timor-Leste, a steep hike from the village of Waiboro up and down 1,100m with little shade. Allow 3-5 hours to reach the summit, and 2-4 hours to return the way you came. A decent 4WD with local driver or excellent motorbike skills are required for the 1-1.5 hour drive from Baguia to Waiboro, as the road is barely passable, rocky and very steep. To reach Waiboro from Baguia head uphill to Ossohuna School, then turn right, and then the next right. It is possible to walk from Baguia to Waiboro but allow 2-3 hours each way in addition for the 800m ascent / descent. To the east of Venilale, Mt Ariana is a much easier one hour return walk to a summit marked by a statute of the Virgin Mary, with excellent views of the surrounding landscape. Note that it is a popular place for people to pray, and that they shouldn’t be disturbed while doing so. It is best visited with a local guide or at least guidance from the locals as to whether you can summit or not.

Getting there

Local buses regularly leave the Becora bus terminal in east Dili for Baucau and cost $5. The road between Dili and Baucau is one of the best in the country, suitable for 2WD cars, motorbikes, and scooters. Beyond Baucau, particularly heading inland a 4WD or motorbike, along with rough road driving skills are recommended. MAF fly twice times a week from Dili to Baucau, a scenic 30 minute flight.

Driving from Dili to Baucau, after passing by Baucau airport (which was the main airport in Timor-Leste during the Portuguese colonial era), you will reach a statue topped by a warrior, marked Bemvindo Municipo de Baucau. Turn left to follow a reasonable but narrow road down to old Baucau. Turn right to follow a wider but much rougher (so many potholes!) road down to new Baucau (passing by Hotel Realistic).

Getting around

The bulk of the population live in new Baucau, which is a ten minutes, 25c, microlet ride (same as in Dili) up the hill. There aren’t any tourist attractions here but there are huge markets and it is a good place to see a typical Timorese town. From the Bus Terminal it is a $5 ride to Dili. Almost all of the microlets (A1, A2, B) go between old Baucau and new Baucau, and the E line goes to Uailili for $1.50. If driving yourself around old Baucau be aware that there is a one way system around the central area (close to Baucau Old Market) so pay careful attention to the street signs.