All activities / Wildlife Safaris / Atauro Island
Wildlife Safaris in Atauro Island
A steep volcanic island rising from the Ombai-Wetar Strait about 25 kilometres north of Dili, ringed by fringing reefs that scientific surveys have found to hold the highest average reef-fish diversity ever recorded, and a laid-back base of eco-lodges and dive resorts.
Why here
The deep channel between Atauro and the Timor mainland, the Ombai-Wetar Strait, is one of the world's great cetacean corridors, and a boat off Atauro is a front-row seat. The strait is a migration highway where blue whales, the largest animals that have ever lived, pass alongside sperm whales, short-finned pilot whales, melon-headed whales and huge pods of spinner and bottlenose dolphins, with sightings of a dozen or more cetacean species recorded in these waters. The peak is the transition into the dry season and again in October and November, when the animals move through the strait in numbers and boats set out from the island's lodges to find them. This is wild, deep-water whale watching, not a provisioned show, and the same trips often turn up turtles, flying fish and sea birds against a backdrop of Atauro's steep green coast.
Best months
The prime whale and dolphin windows are roughly October to December and again around April to May, though dolphins are seen year round; blue and sperm whales are most reliable in the October-November passage. Trips run in small boats on the open strait, so some sea state is normal and mornings are usually calmest. Sightings are wild and never guaranteed, but the diversity of cetaceans passing here is exceptional.
Getting there & around
Whale trips leave from the Atauro lodges, reached from Dili by the twice-weekly ferry or daily speedboats to Beloi, about one to two hours across the strait. Trips are arranged through your accommodation and run on demand in season, so plan a stay of a few nights to get a good-weather morning. Bring sun cover, water and a windproof layer for the open boat, and book ahead in the October-November peak.
Skill levels: beginner
Schools & guides (1)
Barry's Place
OutfitterBarry's Place is one of the oldest eco-lodges on Atauro Island, run by Barry Hinton, a Queenslander who came to Timor-Leste as a teacher and has lived there over twenty years, and his Timorese wife Lina. Sitting on the coast about 25 kilometres north of Dili, it bases guests for snorkelling and boat trips into the Ombai-Wetar Strait to look for the pilot whales, dolphins and passing blue and sperm whales that move through these waters. Rooms include meals in a simple beachfront setting.