Hiking Mount Ramelau in Timor Leste

A dawn climb to watch sunrise at the summit of Mount Ramelau in Timor Leste, Southeast Asia.

From the turn-off the main road 30 minutes after Maubisse, a sign points to Ramelau. This road is 18 kilometres and takes over an hour. It’s guaranteed to be a bumpy. Yet, it’s incredibly scenic, as we drive to Hato Builico, 20 minutes from the base of Mount Ramelau.

It’s June and the roads are mostly dry making them more easily navigable. However, it’s still a slow and steady challenge. There are a few tight squeezes as we meet yellow trucks carrying people and cargo coming in the opposite direction.

Just before arriving at Hato Builico, we stop to admire the view of Mount Ramelau. We gaze up at the mountain, all 2,986 metres of it. Bright and early tomorrow morning, all going well, we will be at the summit looking down.

We arrive in Hato Builico, check into the Ovalido Garden Guesthouse and shortly after I setoff to explore by foot. I pop into a small hardware shop, a loja selling drinks, biscuits and cans of tuna, and the abandoned posada.

A thick, cold fog whirls in quickly a providing an eerie look to the quiet town. It’s hiding any potential views, and some of the old buildings nearby. I spend a while chatting with a group of Timorese teens also exploring and planning to climb the mountain tomorrow. We take a few selfies.

Returning to the guesthouse, there are plenty of high fives to be had from young children playing at the roadside. They excitedly shout ‘malae’ (foreigner) as I pass them. Everyone is also very keen to practise their English. I pass a monkey sitting on a garden fence on a leash. Also a large group of people singing, and carrying supplies to a destination unknown to me.

At 3:00AM the next day, with music still blaring from a nearby building I step outside. I’m wearing the most clothes I’ve worn during my time in Timor-Leste. A merino t-shirt, a fleece, a newly acquired windbreaker coat from Maubisse 2nd hand clothes market and a beanie. It’s a 20-minute, extremely slow and bumpy ride to the meadow at the base of Mount Ramelau. Occasionally the 4WD grinds to a halt and another path on the road is taken.

At the plateau of Mount Ramelau, there are 100’s of tents and a barrage of scooters. Only visible under the 4WD’s headlights and the odd fire. We make our way through the tents to the ticket stall using our headlights to lead us. We avoid stumbling into groups of huddled people, presumably having climbed or about to climb. We sign in putting our names and city into a book and purchase our tickets for $1 USD per person.

We paid $20 USD each for our local guides, leading us to the top safely in the dark, as we set-off. Our group quickly splits into two, as half take off into the darkness, and the other tackle the mountain at a more leisurely pace.

With our big group we opted for 3 local guides, however most visitors will opt for one or none. However, it’s good to use their services. We follow our headlights up 30-minutes of steps before moving onto a well-trodden track for the remainder of the hike.

There are so many people heading to the summit this morning. I guess at least 300 people must be on the track today. I’m unsure if it’s a special occasion or whether it’s always this popular.

We get a message from the fast group. They have reached the telecommunications tower, 5 minutes from the summit, at around the 2 hour mark. The other group reach it after 3 hours. There is hot black coffee in plastic water bottles for sale at the tower. However, we resist the temptation and continue onwards to see the sunrise from the summit.

We are treated to a sea of clouds stretching as far as the eye can see. Black silhouetted mountains resting in the distance peaking through the clouds. The sky quickly changing between shades of pinks, oranges and reds. There’s a bitterly cold wind whirling up from below. It’s battering us as we fumble to put fleeces, beanies and gloves back on with numb fingers.

At the summit of Mount Ramelau the crowds quickly grow around Nain Feto Ramelau (Our Lady of Ramelau). People pray, admire the view, take photographs and huddle close to share body heat. The Timor Leste flags are out in full force flapping frantically in the wind. People pose with them for photographs against the  sprawling backdrop of Timor Leste.

We stay at the summit for 1 hour. We are numb but eagerly watching as light is shed across Timor Leste’s rugged landscape. It reveals a stunning rolling landscape of mountains and winding rivers.

We spot the beautiful Atauro Island off in the distance. We can now also see the colourful dots of the tents far below at the base of Mount Ramelau.

Our descent in the daylight is like walking a completely different route. Views unknown to us on the way up are magically revealed. We spot other high peaks surrounding us and the town of Ainaro, and Hatu Builico now visible. There are numerous craggy cliffs to stop and gaze at for a while.

Many more people greet us with ‘good morning’ and ‘bondia’ now that it’s light and you can see people’s faces. There are even more people with Timor Leste flags, and acoustic guitars. They are making their way up in the daylight in much warmer conditions, praying, singing and dancing as they go. We gradually remove our layers as we decrease in altitude and as the sun quickly warms us.

It takes us approximately 1 hr 30 minutes to return to the sights and sounds at the plateau. It’s still full with people and tents singing, laughing, and having fun.

Passing under the arch which reads ‘Santuariu Inan Santa Ramelau’ (Sanctuary of the Holly Mother Ramelau), our group re-convenes. We take a moment to quietly celebrate our achievements with a few group shots. We head back to our guesthouse for a breakfast of fried eggs, bread and black coffee. And before too long we are winding our way back to the capital Dili, tired, and happy.

Tips for climbing Mount Ramelau, Timor-Leste.

• Use the services of a local guide, costing $20 – $25 USD. It’s good for the local community and a good safety net while hiking in the dark.
• Get any additional warm clothes you might want – long pants, coats, hats etc – at the Maubisse 2nd hand clothes market. They’ll cost you anywhere from $1.50 to $2.50 per item.
• Buy any fruit, vegetables and snacks for the climb in Aileu or Maubisseas supplies are limited in Hato Builico. There is a small store for biscuits, drinks and cans of tuna.
• There are snacks, coffee and bottled water available at the meadow if you need to top-up or warm up. However, try to purchase beforehand just incase.
• Before walking up Mount Ramelau remember to buy your $1 ticket and sign-in at the meadow on the plateau.
• Bring all your rubbish back off the mountain with you and dispose of it properly.
• If you’re planning  a dawn summit, pace yourself to arrive just before sunrise. There’s no need to rush to the summit and wait in the bitterly cold wind.

Are you planning to walk up Mount Ramelau?

Contact the following fantastic Timorese tour guides, who will ensure you have a wonderful experience in Timor Leste:

Jonias on WhatsApp: +670 7734 5224

Julio on WhatsApp: +670 7835 5255

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Hi, I’m Adam Constanza, a freelance content creator and videographer from Wellington, New Zealand living, working and exploring Timor Leste, Southeast Asia.

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