Indonesia – West Timor Tours and Travel

YPT Tours to West Timor

As part of our overall Indonesia travel packages YPT are pleased to announce our West Timor Tours, both group and independent.

Politically part of the Republic of Indonesia, the people of West Timor have a unique Christian culture more in line with that of East Timor.

This makes it a perfect gateway to East Timor, as well as the numerous sites of the province. To understand the difference between East and West Timor, you can read our site here.

Group Tours to West Timor

YPT currently arrange one group tour per year through West Timor, as part of our Timor overland trip.

Timor Independence Day Overland Tour – May 14th-22nd, 2025 – $1995

Timor Independence Day Overland Tour

Independent Tours to West Timor

YPT can help arrange independent West Timor Tours that are either standalone, in conjunction with Timor-Leste or other parts of Indonesia.

Example West Timor Tour

Day 1 – Kuta, Bali

Arrive at your convenience into Kuta – Denpasar Airport is well connected from many countries within Asia and Australia.
Bali is THE party place for a number of people and a number of reasons, so we hit the town in a big way for our one night in Kuta, Bali.
Overnight in Bali.

Day 2 – Kupang

Morning

We head to Denpasar Airport for the 11:05am flight to Kupang the capital city of Indonesian (West) Timor.

Afternoon

Arrival at 12:50pm to be met by our guides and transfer to our centrally located hotel.
Lunch in the city.
City tour of Kupang including the local parliament and lots of old colonial Dutch buildings.
Head to the beach for some photos and to do some people watching.
Get ready for some serious street food! Kupang has a legendary night market where we will head for food, drinks, and a great first night out in Timor.
Overnight at Neo Eltari Hotel.

Day 3 – Kupang

Morning

Breakfast at the hotel.
We head out to explore the beautiful countryside and to swim in the Crystal Cave.

Afternoon

Lunch in the countryside.
After lunch, we head further out to the Rosalin Orphanage to hear their story, and see the great work they are doing. If possible, we recommend bringing some small gifts for the orphans.
We then head to the beach where we can wade in the sea, swim, or just people watch.
Dinner and drinks at one of the numerous restaurants that overlook the beach.
Travel back to Kupang for a few drinks and perhaps a nighttime dip.
Overnight at Neo Eltari Hotel.

Day 4 – Pante Makasar

Morning

Breakfast in the hotel.
We head off for the 6-hour drive to Pante Makasar the capital of Oecusse — not only the least visited part of the least visited country in Asia, but also the only exclave of East Timor.
Regular tourists cannot cross this border, with YPT arranging special permission for us to get visa on arrival here.

Afternoon

We stop for lunch on the Indonesian side of the border.
Met by the friendly owners of our centrally located guesthouse with some Timorese coffee, and a chance to relax a little.
We head to the waterfront to capture an amazing sunset!
Traditional Timorese dinner, coupled with local moonshine as our hosts talk to us about life within the country.
Overnight in Pante Makassar.

Day 5 – Pante Makassar

Morning

Breakfast in the hotel.
We head out for our private charter prop plane to Dili, the capital city of East Timor proper. This flight can best be described as interesting!
We check into our accommodation on the beachfront of Dili, where we also have lunch.

Afternoon

We go for a whistle-stop tour of Dili including the genocide museum, the parliament, the revolutionary headquarters of the independence movement.
Hang out for sunset on the seaside wall before another treat for the street food.
lovers as we head to the famous Dili night market for an unforgettable helping of beers and fish whilst eating on the beach.
Overnight in Dili.

Day 6 – Dili

Morning

Breakfast in the hotel.
In the morning, we head out to our private boat to head to Atauro Island, the most famous tourist destination in East Timor, and home to some of the best diving and snorkelling in the country.

Afternoon

Lunch at the resort.
Despite being on a tropical island we wouldn’t be YPT if we didn’t check out the old Indonesian military airport for some photos and an exploration.
In the afternoon, we make the most of our time on a deserted tropical island by taking advantage of the great snorkelling and diving available.
Seeing as we’re on an island with private beaches we grab a load of supplies and make the most of it by having a BBQ beach party!
Overnight in Atauro Island.

Day 7 – Dili – National Day

Morning

Early Breakfast in the hotel before taking the boat back to Dili
Trip Highlight – We head to the National Day celebrations as the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste flag is raised. This will be attended by the President, as well as other senior members of government.
Join in the celebrations with the locals, independence was restored to East Timor on this day in 2002 so we’ll be celebrating their 22nd year of independence since the Indonesian invasion!

Afternoon

Traditional Timorese lunch in the city
We head up into the mountains for the museum dedicated to the Timorese who helped the Australians during World War 2, this is also the place to get the best view of Dili.
We next visit Dili Markey, which is a real treat and a place to try street food, one of our favorite things.
Next stop is the FRETELIN headquarters and museum, FRETELIN were the group who largely gained the country independence and the people here will tell us about the history of the movement.
We finish off with souvenir shopping, which will consist of flags, scarfs, hats and of course East Timor fridge magnets.
Last, but indeed by no means least we hike up to the statue of Jesus for sunset.
Dinner on the beach near the statue.
The evening is finished off with the independence day street party, which includes live music and parting with the locals.

Day 8 – Dili – Baucau

Morning

Breakfast in the hotel.
The journey takes around 3 hours with us stopping on the way for pictures opportunities and lunch.

Afternoon

On arrival in Baucau, we check into our bungalows on our very own private beach. This is simple, but also extremely serene.
City tour of Baucau including the old colonial building and government house.
We then head to what is quite a surprising highlight of the trip by visiting the local market.
Considering this is the second biggest city the market is surprisingly primitive with foreigners rarely venturing here. This offers a lot of opportunities to observe contemporary life as well as interact and speak with the locals
In the evening, we enjoy a home cooked meal with our hosts before grabbing some beers and heading down to our very own private beach for a kickback. The sea has bio phosphorescence, with the water lighting up on your every move.
Overnight in beachside bungalows

Day 9 – Dili to Kuta

Breakfast at Baucau before we drive back to Dili
Transfer to the airport for the 2:25pm flight to Bali
Tour concludes or continues for those on our West Papua tour!

Bespoke West Timor Tours

YPT can offer among other the following bespoke trips to West Timor.

Timer Overland

Our signature West Timor trip has us going via Kupang through west Timor and Oecusse before finishing in Timor-Leste.

West Timor and Indonesia packages

West Timor tours can be done as part of wider package taking in the key parts of Indonesia, such as West Papua, Bali and beyond. You can see our Indonesia page here which also contains a more extensive FAQ, as well finding more info on our Kupang site.

West-Timor -East Timor Tours

As per our Timor overland tour, but with the option to see more sites in West Timor, as well as East Timor. You can see our decorated Timor-Leste page here.

Business Internet trips of Oecusse

Oecusse is the special economic zone and exclave of Timor-Leste. Transport as well as tours here and introductions can be arranged by YPT. You can see our dedicated page here.

Beach tours in West Timor

While not exactly Bali West Timor does boast a number of beautiful beaches that are very much off of the beaten track. These can arranged by YPT.

Cultural Trips to West Timor

Being a Christian part of Indonesia, as well as having rich colonial history means that West Timor has a lot to offer culturally. YPT can help plan and organize cultural trips to West Timor.

Journalist travel/Filming in West Timor
Through our partners at Pioneer Media (MediaPioneers.net) we can help arrange both filming crews, as well as journalistic travel to West Timor.

Two Main Questions about West Timor Tours

Why Young Pioneer Tours?

After Covid-19 the tourist industry in West Timor all but disappeared. Despite this YPT were one of the first Tavel agencies to return to West Timor.

As such we have made sure to cultivate relationships with the best tour guides and agencies in the area as this very off the beaten track destination slowly recovers.

Do I need travel insurance in West Timor?

We do strongly recommend that travellers to all our destinations have travel insurance. Accidents or medical conditions can happen anywhere and it’s best to be prepared. A proper travel insurance should include coverage for (medical) evacuation/repatriation costs by helicopter, plane or ship.

You should always do your own research about insurance, but we at YPT use IATI. Using our referral link below will give you a 5% discount off their usual price: https://www.iatitravelinsurance.com/en/?r=23612524710385