An easy and scenic walk from Dili into the neighbouring municipality of Liquiçá and back, to see the wonderful mangroves in Tibar. It made a nice change from slogging up a hill which is the typical Timor hike, but there was even less escape from the sun during the 13km walk.

Just beyond Dili Rock, which marks the border between the municipalities, is empty stretch of coastline. If things go to plan though this will be the home of Pelican Paradise, a huge hotel, serviced apartments, and chapel. It has been years in the making, but hopefully at some point soon construction work will start. In the meantime the Singaporean company behind it is building a restaurant on the hillside above.

Low tide is the best time to do this walk, with lovely views out across the Wetar Strait to Atauro Island.

Turning the corner to Tibar Bay stopped me in my tracks, as the views were quite breathtaking.

Most mornings Dili is clad with low mist in the valleys between the hills, which is very atmospheric.

Across the water is Tibar Bay Port, a $500m investment, which opened in September 2022. It is the largest infrastructure project in Timor-Leste’s history and the country’s first public-private partnership, with Bolloré Group gaining a 30 year concession to build and operate the container port.

Some rather dull road walking followed unfortunately, along the reasonably busy main road, though at least the pavement area was fairly wide. It was worth it though to reach the Tibar Mangroves. These were restored as part of the port build, and handed over to the local community to run in late 2024. They’re open 9-7, cost $1 for adults and 50c for children under 12, and have surprisingly decent toilets on-site.

On first impression the boardwalk off to the right seemed interesting, particularly the natural spring below, and views of the mangroves.

I was expecting the same in the other direction, only to find that the boardwalks seemed to never end! They stretch almost the whole way along the mangroves, a great experience to walk along.

The established trees were impressive, with new mangroves growing underneath.

Looking more closely in the mud below there was plenty of life, with a range of crabs and other animals calling the place home.

The tide had come in a bit for the hot and shadeless return walk, but the views remained pretty magical.

I returned the following day on my motorbike with my drone to take a few more shots.

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