Manatuto

Why visit?

One of the largest municipalities, and the least populated, Manatuto lies between Dili and Baucau and stretches from the north to south coast of Timor-Leste. It is best known for One Dollar Beach (closed as of 2024), the historic church in Laleia, and Manatuto’s busy Sunday market. Laleia was the birthplace of Xanana Gusmão, resistance leader, President (2002-07), and Prime Minister (2007-2015 and 2023-) of Timor-Leste.

Top three experiences

Exploring the religious and historical sights of Manatuto town and panoramic views
Enjoying one of the most scenic drives (and best roads) in the country between Dili and Baucau
Visiting the beautiful Laleia Church

Top places to stay

Hotel Surprise, Manatuto (+670 7725 2476)

Top places to eat and drink

The Corner Store Network Timor-Leste, Manleuana (+670 7707 4425)
Delicious Ilimanu, opposite One Dollar Beach (+670 7733 6512)
Kafe BouAli, Laleia (+670 7636 0221)

Sights

One Dollar Beach – One of the best known beaches in Timor-Leste, One Dollar Beach was a popular spot with UN peacekeepers during the early 2000s. Locals would charge them $1 to access the beach. Entry is now free but the beach is closed with the gate locked and facilities (toilets, pools, etc) out of action. There is no timeline for when the beach will reopen, but it can be accessed by walking around the walls along the beach. The towers are a novel feature, offering good views and shade, but along with the barbed wire topped perimeter wall, make it feel more like a prison camp than a beachside resort. There is good snorkelling here. The beach is part of the large Subaun Important Bird Area which stretches for ~60,000 acres to Mt Curi.

Jaco Class Patrol Vessel – At Behau, just before Subaun, the Timorese naval Jaco Class Patrol Vessel is undergoing maintenance in 2024. It is easy to miss when driving from Dili to Baucau, but very obvious when driving in the other direction.

Subaun – Home to one of the most scenic stretches of road between Dili and Baucau, with impressive headlands and a snake like road cut into the side of the steep hills. Unusually for Timor-Leste there is a parking area at the highest point to allow the view to be fully appreciated.

Gruta Santo Antonia Bee Head – A small roadside shrine dedicated to St Anthony, fed with natural spring water. It is reached soon after driving along the most winding section of the Subaun road. A hard but scenic hike toward Mt Curi starts from here.

Manatuto town – Worth a detour from the main road. At the town entrance is a large memorial to Manatuto priests, and Timorese heroes from Manatuto are shown at the nearby Paz E Reconciliaçao. The sizeable St. Anthony Church lies close to the waterfront. The original church dates from 1880. The current version was last renovated in 2009, but as of 2024 another renovation looks needed. There are 14 Stations of the Cross surrounding the church, along with a small shrine to the Virgin Mary.

Gruta de Santo António de Saututun is a man-made cave shrine with a statue of the Virgin Mary on a hill with good views, close to the atmospheric ruins of the former home of the Portuguese colonial administrator. Even better views (accessible via a slightly less rough road) can be found from the Estatua St. António lookout on another hill to the east. At the base of this hill is Cemetério Santa Cruz Manatuto, the main cemetery in town, and a far smaller Chinese cemetery, identifiable by the circular tombstones.

Salt Fields – To the east of Manatuto town lie the Manatuto and Lamesana salt fields. These are among the largest salt fields in the country, and the first to be developed for commercial purposes to reduce Timor-Leste’s reliance on imported salt.

Laleia Church – Proclaimed by many as one of the most beautiful churches in Timor-Leste, this Portuguese designed, pastel pink church dates from 1933. If the doors are open enjoy the colourful interior with a green and yellow stripped ceiling.

Cribas waterfall – At least an hours’ drive south of Manatuto is a small waterfall, reached by 2km of dirt road and 1km of walking along the creek.

National Shrine of Our Lady of Aitara – The Virgin Mary appeared to several women near a large banyan tree on Aitara Hill, above Soibada, on 16th October in the early 20th century. As a result a shrine (consecrated as a national shrine in October 2004), a church, a convent, a college and a town were built during Portuguese colonial times. Every October hundreds of people travel on pilgrimage from around Timor-Leste to visit the shrine. Although the Vision is not officially endorsed by the Catholic Church, its significance to the people of Timor-Leste was acknowledged by Pope John Paul II on 6 May 2002, in his message on the occasion of the declaration of Independence – “While I extend a cordial Apostolic Blessing to you all, I invoke on the authorities of the Democratic Republic of East Timor and those who will be working for a prosperous and peaceful, divine assistance and intercession of Mary Immaculate, lovingly raised by you under the title the ‘Virgin of Aitara’.” Soibada is at least 1.5 hours’ drive south of Manatuto.

Snorkelling & diving

There are a number of excellent snorkelling spots in Manatuto, including One Dollar Beach (though avoid the Black Rock area as there are strong currents, and the beach is difficult to access), K41 (41km east of Dili, in the village of Behau), and Bob’s Rock (just down the road from K41). Once you start heading further east from Manatuto into Baucau the risk of crocodiles increases significantly. All these sites also have great diving accessible from the shore, and are frequently visited by Dili based dive companies.

Hiking

The 1,424m high Mt Maubere can be climbed with a local guide. Mt Curi is a tough but enjoyable day hike starting from Gruta Santo Antonia Bee Head, for which a local guide is required as there is no clear path. The summit may or may not be accessible as it sacred, and permission is required from the closest village to visit it. Just heading up to the saddle though offers similarly epic views for less effort.

Getting there

Local buses regularly leave the Becora bus terminal in east Dili heading through Manautoto toward Baucau and cost $5 or less. The main road through Manatuto is one of the best in the country, suitable for 2WD cars, motorbikes, and scooters. The other roads in the municipality are better suited to 4WD vehicles.

Getting around

There are few roads in Manatuto, the main one being between Dili and Baucau. Exploring beyond here is likely to require your own 4WD vehicle.