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Travel to Timor-Leste
Get an insight into Timor-Leste's dark history in Dili’s museums, then venture out of the capital. Hike to jungle caves, roam through foggy mountain village markets, and sip local coffee on the patio of grand Portuguese pousadas. Bump along diabolical roads, stopping for photographs of the seascapes as you hold the cliffs along the coast. Strap on a snorkel and marvel at the pristine reefs that fringe the north coast and Ataúro, or delve deeper with dive companies that are proud to show off sites with superlative reef fish biodiversity. Trailblaze your way through this amazing country, and find out what everyone else has been missing.
Diving in Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste sits at the eastern end of the chain of islands called the Lesser Sundas, which form the southern boundary of the huge Indonesian archipelago. To the north are the deep basins of the Banda Sea and the rich waters of the Indonesian Throughflow, the biggest volume of flowing water in the earth and the life-source of the renowned Coral Triangle. Those waters, loaded with nutrients from the Banda basins, brush along the north coast of Timor. This means two things — big currents and the chance for some great diving. We can break down the scuba diving in Timor-Leste into four areas, starting with those in and around the capital of Dili. Next are the coastal sites up to two hours’ drive to the east and west of Dili; the huge island of Atauro to the north of Dili; and the smaller, unpopulated island of Jaco at the far eastern tip of the country.
