Tutuala

Tutuala is a village in the Lautém district at Cabo Cutcha the easternmost peninsula of East Timor. The village is famous for cave paintings, several thousand years old, though young when compared to remains of the first inhabitations of the island. It's also starting location to explore the Jaco island and the Nino Konis National Park. Here one may feel like at "the end of the world" and for some people it once was; from here the ancestors of Aboriginals set out to settle Australia.

Understand
Tutuala village (suco) is the headquarters of the subdistrict with the same name (officially Tutuala Administrative Post). It covers the eastern peninsula of East Timor and the small island of Jaco. The Tutuala subdistrict is entirely in the Nino Konis National Park, as is the surrounding sea. At the western border is the biggest lake of the country, Lagoa Ira Lalaro, also known as Suro-bec, which shrinks in size during the dry period.

The landscape is made up of savanna and forests, the former with grazing horses, buffalos and cattle and the latter with a rich birdlife. Mount Paitchau, Ira Lalaro and the Jaco island have been declared as Important Bird Areas by BirdLife International.

The coast facing north ends steeply into the sea but unlike most of East Timor, here the landscape isn't mountainous. There are some steep slopes, called fatus, though. The western part of the subdistrict is part of the Fuiloro Plateau, which is the remains of a lagoon from a prehistoric atoll. In the middle it reaches an altitude of 700 m, towards the south 500 m, and before the coast it reaches an altitude of 960 m, this part is called the Paitcheau Massif.

Like most villages in East Timor, Tutuala village is more of a gathering of huts and small houses than something strictly planned. Some dwellings are made of stone with metal roof, others of clay and straw. The other villages in the subdistrict look similar. Mehara, the second biggest village is halfway between Bauro and Tutuala, and going there one will pass through Poros. South of Lake Ira Lalaro is the village of Malahara, and there's a road to Mehara. If you're lucky it's passable all the way to Lospalos.

The subdistrict has around 3500 inhabitants (as of 2015) and the most spoken native language is Fataluku. The village of Mehara is home to the last speakers of Makuva, the only Malay-Polynesian language native to the island. Furthermore the national language Tetum is taught in schools, as well as Portuguese (especially in higher education). People who have lived in colonial times understand some Portuguese regardless of their education level as it was the language used by authorities back then. English is occasionally spoken - it was "brought in" by foreign peacekeepers and policemen in the 21st century. The country was occupied by Indonesia for the last quarter of the 20th century, so while Indonesian may be understood, locals perceive it as the language of the occupants. and could be offended if addressed in Indonesian.

By bus
Minibuses, mikroléts in the local language, bring you in from Lospalos. The bus can be very full, in which case carrying a large backpack is difficult. Mikroléts depart from the market in Lospalos and take you to the elementary school in Tutuala (Escola Primaria Tutuala).

By car
From the Lospalos-Lautém highway there's the dirt track to Tutuala, the distance is about 25 km as the crow flies.

By boat
If you're sailing your own craft, you can anchor at the coast. From the beach facing Jaco Island, there's a track to Tutuala village.

Get around
The village itself is small enough to explore on foot. Walking is also the only way to get to many of the attractions outside the village.

Locals may joke that you can get to the beach on foot in 20 minutes. Now, the distance as the crow flies is 5 km, and the sand track is 9 km in length descending 70 m in altitude through the jungle. The track is often damaged by heavy rainfall. If it's not too ruined it can be driving on an all-wheel driven vehicle. Otherwise you could walk or ride a mountain bike - bring enough drinking water.

See












Do










Buy


There's a small general store with a small selection of goods. Packed drinking water isn't always available, if not you can pick up some cans of Coca Cola instead.

You can buy handicraft in the village like as woven cloths or woodworks, often decorated with crocodiles - animals that play an important role in the creation myth of the island. There are also decorated shells of turtle eggs, mussels and corals for sale but stay away from these. They're both illegal to bring out of the East Timor and to import to many countries and you'll be fined if carrying such items.

Eat and drink
The guesthouse also cooks meals for guests. Your other option is self catering.

Unsurprisingly, there's no nightlife.

Sleep




At Valu Beach there's an "eco village" offering places to sleep, moreover many villagers rent out rooms for visitors.

Cope
The guesthouse is the main node for tourists and other outsiders in the town. Other places where you can get information if you don't speak Tetum are the police station, the school and the church. Policemen were trained by the UN and as such speak some English. With school teachers you can speak Portuguese.

Respect
The caves especially and most other points of interest too are holy places in the traditional religion. Almost all Timorese are Catholics, but they do also observe traditional religion with its taboos. As such, it's polite to ask permission of locals before visiting. On the upside you will often get accompanied by someone who can show you around and tell you about the places. It may cost a few dollars but is worth it.

Connect
Timor telecom has spotty GSM (2G) coverage in and around town.

Go next