Timor-Leste open to tourism

Timor-Leste’s ambassador to Cambodia, Ermenegildo Lopes said in a discussion with Khmer Nights that his nation is open once again for tourism.

To read about when KN met the Cuban ambassador click here.

Much like Cambodia, Timor-Leste has opened its doors to vaccinated tourists, including those vaccinated with Sinovac (among others). Timor-Leste is also one of the handful of countries that allows visa free access to Cambodian citizens, so theoretically a double hurrah for the Kingdom’s hot to travel crowd.

Despite boasting pristine beaches, tropical islands and some of the best diving in the region, Timor-Leste remains of the least visited countries on earth. This is partly due to how difficult it is to get there, the nation’s general lack of infrastructure and the fact that it is simply not well known in tourism circles.

How do you get from Cambodia to East Timor?

Currently there are two flight routes to the airport in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste. One flies from the tourist mecca of Bali and Indonesia. The other departs from Darwin in Australia. Previously the Bali option was the most viable, with a daily departure. Covid put paid to that however although there is some good news on the horizon.

According to Ambassador Lopes, “We will soon be launching a route from Kuala Lumpur to Dili, which we are hoping to link up to both London and Portugal”. This would result in getting to Timor-Leste expanding options to three options, with direct flights from KL, Jakarta and Bali.

Why visit Timor-Leste from Cambodia?

Timor has an awful lot to offer the adventurous traveller and having so few visitors makes it a very surreal travel experience.

For all intents and purposes Timor-Leste is very much a southeast Asian country. But it’s one that features empty beaches, almost no crime and a regionally unique cultural experience in that it is one of only two SE Asian countries with a Catholic majority.

To see what a tour to Timor-Leste looks like click here

Food for thought if your idea of a great travel adventure lies “outside the box”when filling your destination “bucket-list”.

Timor-Leste open to tourism