West Timor

western and Indonesian portion of the island of Timor

West Timor (Timor Barat) is the Indonesian western half of the island of Timor, adjacent to the independent country of East Timor. West Timor is one of the three main parts of the province of East Nusa Tenggara, along with the islands of Flores and Sumba.

Cities

  • 🌍 Kupang – the capital of East Nusa Tenggara province and the island's transport hub.
  • 🌍 Soe – the capital of South Central Timor regency. Being in the mountains, it is significantly cooler than in the coastal regions.
  • 🌍 Kefamenanu – the capital of North Central Timor regency. The regency is in the middle of Timor island. There are many interesting places like the traditional village of Tamkesi, Taolin palace, and some natural caves. The culture is maintained well by the people and is also of interest to some visitors. As the capital city of the regency, Kefamenanu has hotels, travel services, hospitals and a university.
  • 🌍 Atambua – a city near the border with East Timor (Timor Leste).

Other destinations

Understand

There are many languages spoken in West Timor, depending on the area. One of the major languages is Dawan.

Just like in independent East Timor, the dominant religion in West Timor is Roman Catholicism.

Get in

By plane

Kupang's El Tari Airport

The airport of the provincial capital Kupang, El Tari International Airport (KOE), is connected by regular flights to major Indonesian cities including Jakarta, Surabaya, and Denpasar (Bali), as well as a range of destinations in the province of East Nusa Tenggara, including Labuan Bajo, Ende and Maumere (on the island Flores) and Waingapu (on the island of Sumba). There are also international flights to Dili, the capital of East Timor, by Air Timor.

By bus

Since 2017 there are flights to Kupang from East Timor. However, many people still get from East to West Timor by taking the bus from Dili to Kupang, which takes about 12 hours. A short bus called Gemilang with about 30 passengers connects Dili, Timor Leste with Atambua. Passengers are picked up at home and disembark at the destination.

By boat

National long distance passenger ships operated by PT.PELNI call at the port of Tenau, west of Kupang, about once a week. PELNI ships connect Tenau with ports in Nusa Tenggara, Maluku and Papua.

Get around

See

Do

Eat

As most Timorese are Roman Catholic, pork is fairly common in the local cuisine, and most local food stalls are not halal.

  • Jagung bose: a porridge made from ground corn, mixed with red bean and peanuts. Usually eaten with pork or dried fish. The local substitute for rice.
  • Se'i babi: smoked pork. "Babi" means pork.

Drink

Stay safe

Go next

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