Oecusse
Timor-Leste · 10 m
Description
Oecusse is an exclave of Timor-Leste on the north coast of Indonesian West Timor, separated from the rest of the country by seventy kilometres of foreign territory and reached by ferry from Dili, by flight or by a road crossing two borders. It is where the Portuguese first landed in the sixteenth century, which is why this odd shape exists at all. Lifau, the site of that landing and the first colonial capital, is marked by a monument on an empty beach. The exclave is dry, quiet and very little visited. The ferry runs twice a week and takes about twelve hours.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 2 to 5 days (optimal 3 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: June – November
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Lifau, site of the first Portuguese landing
- Ferry crossing from Dili
- Empty beaches along the north coast
- Pante Macassar town and its market
- Traditional uma lulik sacred houses
- Dry savannah hills of the interior
- Fatusuba and the inland viewpoints
- Border crossings into Indonesian West Timor
Getting there
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry
- Border town:
- Timor-Leste