Climbing Mt. Ramailau – East Timor
Seeing Timor from the top of the crocodiles back is fantastic.
If you feel energetic some day it is a great day trip from Maubisse. The Pousada De Maubisse has great mid week rates of around 16.00 dollars a night.
Another place to stay in Maubise is the Sara’s Guesthouse right across the street from the entrance from the Posauda. They charge 10 dollars a night but are not geared up for big groups.
It is less than an hours drive to Hatobuilico where the trail up the mountain begins.
There is also a pousada in Hatabulico and sometimes the police allow camping in their yard if you have a tent and other camping equipment.
You can camp on the mountain without any difficulty too.
I met a neat guy from New Zealand that was doing some geographical research in the area.
They were carrying rock samples out of the mountain and the river beds to test for whatever they test for.
He and his assistant were camping out at in the police station and invited me to stay for the night as I was planning my assault (easy walk) on Ramailau in the morning.
They put on a great feed. There are no restaurants in Hatobuilico that I am aware of so you should bring some food along if you plan to camp there.
The water coming from the mountain is ok to drink but some might prefer to bring their own bottled water.
There is not a lot going on in town at night but the clear skies give a splendid view of the stars in the dry season.
The trail up the mountain starts about 100 meters from the police station. It is not a very difficult trail to follow but it is a good climb.
It is recommended to take along a jacket and some water even if you think that you don’t need it. It’s possible to get a guide but most hikers should be ok on their own.
Keep in mind that if it is cold and rainy it would be possible to feel the effects of hypothermia.
It is best to start up the mountain in the morning because it could be a problem if you ran out of daylight or if a heavy fog came rolling in.
Possibly under bad weather conditions you could loose the trail, but it would be highly unlikely in good weather.
There are a number of good camping locations along the trail if you chose to camp on the mountain itself. It would be best to have a tent in case it starts raining.
It can get cold up there and there is the remote possibility of hypothermia if you are not dressed properly and get cold and wet. Hypothermia also affects your ability to think clearly and you could make a mistake.
The view is very good and you can see from the north to the south coast if it is clear.
A statue of the Virgin Mary is at the top. Those guys that built it must have been some tough guys, especially if they had to carry all the cement up there.
Some Australian airmen were circling the mountain top in a helicopter when I was up there so I took a few interesting photos.
It was a good hike. Around 3 hours up and 2 hours down. Fitness freaks could do it in a lot less time but 5 to 6 hours would be a good gage for most people.
Add an hour if you want to spend more time at the top or prefer a slower pace.
climbing Mount Ramailou