One of the easiest hikes on Atuaro Island (other than the complete lack of shade!) goes from the large village of Bikeli to the lovely small villages of Uaroana and Akrema. The later has the only white sand beach on the island.

I didn’t have this walk in mind when I left Beloi one morning, just planning to walk north along the road toward Bikeli. Once walking I remembered from my previous walk along here how boring and surprisingly busy the road was, and caught a $5 truck to Bikeli. It wasn’t the most comfortable ride, but it took 15 mins rather than 1.5 hours walking.

Things were much quieter, and more pleasant, heading north out of Bikeli along the coastal road. Unfortunately it was high tide so beach walking was mostly out, but it was still an attractive walk.

There were no cars but more motorbikes than I expected along this stretch of road.

The views inland were also impressive.

Uaroana was a lovely village to walk through, friendly and peaceful.

The scenery got more dramatic the further north I walked.

Until finally the white sands (mostly underwater) of Akrema appeared.

I’d spent the night here a few months before but unfortunately my friend in the village was away working in Vila when I visited this time. I made a new friend though in the village, taking a walk with him, and sharing my basic Tetun and his basic English.

At the end of the village there is possibly the only designated campsite on the island, a lovely spot.

The beach unfortunately was covered in rubbish washed up from the mainland, plus the odd stranded boat, and inland classic Timorese party speakers.

A final few photos from the walk back the way I came to Bikeli, which was followed by another very bumpy road journey back to Beloi.

For the detailed route and logistical information please select this hike below (click top left for the list of hikes).