After being assaulted and very nearly robbed in Dili, I desperately wanted Atauro to be the haven I imagined it to be. I was to stay on the island with no way of contacting the outside world for a few days and after the previous days incident, I was worried it would be another horrible experience – but this time one I couldn’t run away from.
Luckily for me, all those fears were unfounded and instead, what I found on Atauro was nothing short of paradise. Better yet – it was off-season paradise – which meant that for the majority of my stay, I did not have to share this unspoiled island with any other travellers.
Atauro Island is located 36km north of Dili and is accessible by numerous different private boat companies and also occasionally by the Nakroma ferry. Transfers go for around $40 USD and usually take about 1.5-2 hours.
Oddly enough, on the boat I caught to Atauro, I was joined by another passenger – an Aussie bloke named Barry who has lived in Timor-Leste for the past 15 years. He arrived in 2001 as a PALMS volunteer and volunteered for 6 years, during which time he began to build ‘Barry’s Place’ on the island.
Barry’s Place is open to anyone, but it is not exclusively designed as tourist lodgings. Thanks to Barry, this is the epicentre of a huge number of community projects on the island and also where volunteers and NGO workers are based out of when they come to work on Atauro. He assists in the creation and continuation of sustainable projects within the island communities and is the PALMS Australia in-country manager of volunteers in Timor-Leste.
With all this emphasis on creating sustainable projects and jobs for those on Atauro, it seems completely fitting that the place would also be completely environmentally friendly!
Camp showers, composting toilets, communal meals, a distinct absence of wifi, very few electrically powered appliances and solar power are the name of the game here, and while it may sound a bit like ‘roughing it’, it is more like eco-friendly glamping, but without the tents.
For the price of $45 USD per night, I had my own little cabin with the comfiest bed ever and all of my meals provided. Not only this, my cabin was right on the beach and surrounded by gorgeous gardens. Heavenly doesn’t even begin to describe it.
This next picture shows the communal dining area, where a Timorese feast is prepared for each lunch and dinner. The little library has the eclecticism that can only be acquired in dribs and drabs from many visitors and over a long period of time. There are stacks of magazines and board games free for the using and a collection of fridges that are powered by solar panels for a few hours of each day. The little fans on the roof are also powered by solar energy, as is everything else at Barry’s Place.
This next picture shows the view I had from the porch attached to my little cottage. Certainly not a half bad location!
These thriving gardens were the home to hundreds of beautiful butterflies. Every time I would walk through the place they would fly and flutter all around me.
These hand carved wooden entry points to the beach were a lovely touch.
On many tropical islands, travellers place emphasis on wanting to find pristine white sand beaches. While such beaches are certainly wonderful, there is something to be said for islands that are wild and unkempt. The Timorese wet season meant that all the vegetation was coming out in full force and growing completely unencumbered. Vines were branching out along the shore and seemed to be crawling ever closer to the waters edge.
Maybe these beaches aren’t the textbook definition of ‘pristine’, but in my eyes that made them all the more appealing! Occasionally the sun would peek out from behind the clouds, but it was amazing how quickly the weather could go from this…
… to this!
Out of nowhere (and on the regular) the skies would open up and the heavens would begin a steady downpour. My cottage was the perfect place to watch the wet season live up to its name.
No sooner than the rains would come, they would depart. I kid you not, several hours after the previous two pictures were taken, the rain stopped and almost immediately, the place went from wet and stormy to dry and sunny – pretty amazing changes for such a short space of time.
This was another little beach bungalow, totally eco friendly and nothing short of gorgeous – who wouldn’t want to spend a few nights here?!
Every now and then the clouds seemed to disappear into thin air and blue skies would appear. It happened so infrequently and lasted for such short periods of time that I never once had to apply sunscreen! Finally, an island getaway where the reigning champion for the ‘Palest Australian Ever’ didn’t get even a little bit sunburnt!
There are hand carved signs throughout the lodge directing you to places of note, like this next one pointing you in the direction of the Timorese meals…
… and this cheeky sign that does not in fact lead to a swimming pool!
My time at Barry’s Place was absolutely incredible, made even more amazing by the feeling that I had the island practically to myself! After a horrible time in Dili, it was the perfect place to visit to make sure that I would leave Timor-Leste with some exceptionally fond memories.
Atauro Island is still an unspoiled island paradise – but with ‘off the beaten track’ destinations getting ever more scarce, I wonder how long it will stay that way…
Stay tuned for more adventures on the beautiful Atauro – next week I will show you the healthiest and most colourful coral reef I have ever seen!
T H E L O W D O W N
Getting to Dili: Flights to the Timorese capital arrive from Bali and Darwin
Getting to Atauro: Access on most days is by speedboat, contact Compass Charters via email (svscdili@telstra.com) to organise
Barry’s Place: One of two accommodation options on Atauro – Barry’s is the best! $45 USD per night will cover all of your meals and get you a beach bungalow for you to rest your head
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M1 with M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 lens
Weather: Rates stay the same regardless of the season, but occupancy varies massively – during the dry season it would be advisable to book at least a few days in advance
Remember: Pack a veritable tonne of mosquito repellent and thank me later!
Don’t forget to add me on Snapchat and Instagram – @wwellend – for more foolishness and travel adventures!
Great post! Happy Travels!
Thanks so much Steph for reading! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Wow, stunning photos! Hope your luck remains on the up 😊
Thank you very much Fiona 🙂 Atauro really is a stunning place!
The pictures and story are amazing! Does Barry work with sustainable construction volunteers?
It is my understanding that he employs a whole bunch of Atauro locals year round and that they assist with all the construction 🙂
This would be a nice change from a big dollar destination, nice! The vines growing toward the ocean are amazing. Great photography as always. ❤️🌴
It definitely was a beautiful change of pace! Thanks as always for reading 🙂
Reblogged this on GUM | Growing Up Millennial.
Woah, $45 seems such a steal for what you get. Love the eco-friendly focus too! Glad you found this piece of good luck! 🙂
No kidding right! Beachfront bungalows and all your meals included! Doesn’t get much better than that 🙂
beautiful place 🙂 i love the story
Thank you so much! It is a pretty gorgeous spot 🙂
Glad you stayed and found paradise!
Me too – it was the perfect antidote!
I’m glad…
Very nice, heavenly location and heavenly price. Looks like a nice place to park it for awhile. Glad the trip has turned for the better, ENJOY.
Thanks Terry – it was a pretty heavenly place! I certainly did love it there!
Glad your experience has improved somewhat. I’ve never seen vines growing out onto a beach before. How peculiar. Any idea what kind of plants they are?
I have absolutely no clue! I have tried to research the local flora and fauna on Atauro but have had very little luck I’m afraid 🙁
It can be quite hard to find things out on the Internet when you don’t really know what to search for…I have the same problem with New Zealand names especially when they are in Maori sometimes too…
I love those vines spreading out on the beach. Just something about them! Glad that your trip is back on track, and that you stayed in such a cool spot! Barry’s Place is pretty remarkable!
I totally agree! I thought they were amazing! Thanks Wade – it was a great place to visit after such a yuck experience in Dili!
Wow! What an amazing place! Thanks for sharing it!
Thanks James for reading! Definitely worth a trip to Timor for!
Wow, stunning photos and story are amazing! Thanks for sharing it! Waiting for another post
Thankyou so much! Posted a new Timor-Leste post today and another one will be coming in a few days. Thanks for reading!
Hi Ellen – wow it really is a small world. So many wonderful memories came flooding back when I read about Barry’s place as my husband Greg & I have been PALMS volunteers – plus I was born in Mackay and we lived for 10 years in Yeppoon. In 1995 we went to Kalumburu, an aboriginal mission in the north west of Western Australia, then to Sydney to work at the Columban Mission Institute where PALMS held their orientation courses, then in 1999 we went to South Africa. Great to read about Barry and his involvement with PALMS. Glad to know you are safe this trip – keep travelling and writing – maybe we will meet when you get to Chiang Mai.
Wow – the world really is small! Have you ever visited Timor-Leste?
No, I have not visited Timor-Leste as yet, but after reading your articles am certainly keen to go there.
That is what I like to hear! If you ever do visit please do send me a link to any posts you write about it!
I certainly will – happy travels
Barry is doing everything right, by the Timorese. This sort of center is exactly that of which the world needs more. More urgently, it no doubt served you as a place of healing, after the jarring time in the capital.
He absolutely is! Even in low season when he doesn’t need many staff, he still keeps his entire staff employed (even if it means making a financial loss) so that they can earn a consistent wage each year – amazing!
You are right – it really did – it was exactly what I needed.
You’ve traveled so many places. I am amazed. Definitly, this one looks like a little piece of heaven. You are right not to let anything drag you down. Keep on going, you are inspiring!
Thank you so much! I am a very lucky lady to have travelled as much as I have. Thank you for reading – I look forward to sharing more adventures with you!
This looks honestly incredible! 🙂
Isn’t it amazing!? And the price tag ain’t bad either!
Phew, good thing it’s all looking up now! 🙂
lovely post…seems like a great location. I was on Timor Timor when it was called Timor Timor back in the day…lovely then too
Where in Timor Timor did you visit?
Just the areas around Kupang really. I wanted to venture further north, but I’d spent the whole two months of my visa traveling the islands, I departed on my last day of the visa. I bought some old stuff there, one very interesting mask that actually sort of scares me when I look at it.
Love the story, except the struggle in Delhi😢, but your attitude is priceless! Gorgeous destination! Thank you for sharing your adventure.
Yes the Dili times were not fun, but it certainly got better!
Wow! What an amazing place! Its absolute paradise when still giving back to the community and being kind to the land.
Absolutely! Eco friendly and sustainable business for the locals – so amazing!
Great story, will be there in October, not surprised but disconcered about the episode in Dili though it’s a much different place than when I was there in 2000/2001.. Looking forward to the return and your story was enough for me to pick up the phone and call Barry.
Hello, we stayed here in July and just loved it. I’d go back any time! Maybe we will meet back there one day. A truly sspecial and delightfully quiet spot in a too-busy world.