Victor Valley College Tropical Research Initiative
Herpetofauna of Timor-Leste
Phase III

Dili to Viqueque District

Map of Timor-Leste showing route to Viqueque District.
(click to enlarge)

The road to Loi Huna, 10km north of Viqueque, is largely a familiar one for the expedition. We have driven the Dili to Baucau along the north coastal road everal times, and even the stretch south towards Venilale is relatively familiar. We went as far as Loi Huna on Phase I of the project in 2009, but beyond Loi Huna was new territory for us.

Let's play spot the monkey in Manatuto District.	Luis & Laca take a break.

A trilingual sign leaves little to the imagination on the north coast road at Lagoa Amessanana, Manatuto District. Cuidado = danger (Portuguese) Crocodile = crocodile (pictorial) nani iha nee = really do swim here (Tetun)

The northern coastal terrain through Manatuto and Baucau Districts consists of rice paddies, xerophytic coastal scrub and dry, sandy open woodland. Long bridges cross empty, stoney river valleys that must convert to raging torrents in the wet season with run-off from the mountains inland.

Rice paddies in Venilale, Baucau District.

Between Baucau and Venilale the road winds and climbs gradually through denser forest and wetter rice paddy.

Climbing into the mountains, Venilale, Baucau District, Hinrich's vehicle is on the road ahead.

Higher still the road enters the mountains of central Timor-Leste, crossing vast swathes of grassland and rice paddies, before breaching the mountains via the foggy pass at Liaro and entering Viqueque District.

The clouds descend over the pass at Liaro on the Baucau-Viqueque boundary.

The must have toy for 2010! Hours of fun for all the family at Liaro Pass.

From Liaro the road winds but drops down to Ossu through forests and rice paddy, until Loi Huna where a small dirt track on the left, before the waterfall and fish farm, leads to the Timor Village Lodge on the banks of the Rio Cuha.

We planned to make the Timor Village Hotel at Loi Huna our base for a few days before continuing south 10kms to Viqueque to enable us to herp the south coast.

We would then take the southern coastal road west and hope to make it to Same in Manufahi District. However, the condition of the road was a concern, as was the fact that in the absence of a bridge, one wide river would require fording, and with heavy rain this would be impossible. Our plans therefore, remained flexible.