A beautiful loop hike from Railaco, about 45 minutes drive from Dili heading toward Gleno in Ermera.

The early morning light lit up the small community of Railaco as I started from the medical centre.

I think this mural may have been painted by members of the Dili Saturday Walkers group.

The blue building is the local government office, opposite an attractive shrine to the Virgin Mary.

I was surrounded by a pack of 8 dogs barking as me as I walked past the shrine, which wasn’t the best way to start the hike. Thankfully continuing on and using my hiking poles resolved the situation.

It soon turned to lush landscapes, a benefit of walking in the middle of the wet season.

The river marks the border between the municipalities of Ermera and Liquiçá. Crossing it was just about manageable without getting my boots wet, using my poles to leap across.

There was a reasonable, if not overly steep, climb the other side up to the ridgeline.

This was covered in eucalyptus trees offering always welcome shade, though blocked most of the views.

It did open up in places though to a sea of green.

Coming down the way wasn’t as obvious and it got steeper, before ended up behind a couple of houses.

Before returning to the river, which had some impressive cliffs.

Final few photos heading back through Railaco to where I started a couple of hours before.