West Timor

West Timor main entry point is Kupang Domestic airport. Forget about Pelni boat if you don't have a month to waste. Intercity transport options in Timor are limited at best, but a good way to travel around is to use the efficient Timor Tour & Travel Shuttle service [book in advance - TT&T phone in Kupang: 0380881543].

TT&T destinations include Dili, Soe (access to Mutis summit at 2,417 m), Kefamenanu (from now on, we will just use the diminutive Kefa as locals do) and Atambua (both cities lie on plateaux surrounded by hills in the 1000m range).

Having been staying in Kefa quite often in 2012-2013, we've been exploring the surroundings thoroughly in a 20km radius from the city center.

In the subsections East, West and North Kefa are described some of the best daily treks in the area.

The mountain village of Taekas, 20min uphill from Kefa is an interesting starting point for a few scenic daily treks. Locals are very friendly, but dont forget to smile a lot, even when they run towards you brandishing a large knife, it's a kind of local custom. Kids never see "bule", foreigners, and most the time they will run away from tourists, scared to death.

Never lose face and answer the inevitable "Hello Mister" by just "Selamat Siang". If you spend time with villagers, they will offer you part of their production (cucumber, salak, guava...), and down to earth conversations in exchange for a few kreteks.

In case you don't bring your own transport means, a key population to spoil will be the ojek drivers (mototaxi) as they are your insurance for a safe return back to Kefa!

In the slideshow below, spot the striking difference between the months of Oct-Nov [dry season] & Jan-Feb [rainy season]. Another helpful address in Kefa: Jerry Neonbeni http://westtimortours.blogspot.com