A tough but beautiful day hike starting about one and a half hours drive east of Dili. Mt Curi is a sacred place, only accessible with permission from local chiefs in Ilimanu. There is little shade, and the route is steep, so I went up to the saddle and back, getting pretty much the same views as the summit, for less risk and effort (though it was still considerable!).

With local guides from Eco Discovery we started at Subaun, close to Gruta Santo Antonia Bee head, a small roadside shrine dedicated to St Anthony, fed with natural spring water.

Subaun is home to what locals call snake road, an impressive piece of road cut into the steep hillside by the stunning Manatuto coast.

The landscape was pretty parched in mid-August, well into the dry season, but there was still plenty of colour and things of interest.

Shade from the eucalyptus trees was welcome if fleeting.

The best spot for a proper rest was in this shady glade.

I love these traditional Timorese buildings.

This house had made good use of bamboo to pipe water into their bathroom.

We passed through a very tidy and photogenic hamlet, although the chained monkey with little shade was a sad sight to see.

An obvious path started to disappear beyond this point, and there was no escape from the hot sun, but the views were quite incredible.

There was some fabulous colour in the grass.

From the saddle we could see back down to the coast.

Along the ridgeline was Mt Curi, looking a little tricky to reach, and not much higher than where we were.

I took my drone for a flight around, before returning down the way we came, and having a very refreshing cold drink before heading home.

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