Natarbora to Manatutu

Natarbora to Manatutu by motorbike

The road between Natarbora and Manatutu is not very heavily used. There are no shops or benzine dealers along the way.

If you have mechanical breakdowns the wait for the next vehicle coming through might be day or two.

The government has a road upgrading project underway making the highway more user friendly with new bridges and a wider smoother roadway. The closer you get to Manatutu, the better the road gets.

In the south all that bouncing around on the unimproved roadway dislodged the day pack off the back of my motorbike. It was secured with 6 bungee cords but I lost it anyway. I had to lift the bike over fallen trees in some areas.

I wasn’t about to turn back and try to find it because my bike was running low on fuel. The last time I filled my tank had been in the village of Same south of Maubisse.

Fortunately I thought to fill two 1.5 liter aqua bottles with gasoline because the shop in Natarbora was out of gas.  The picture below was taken on a previous trip going from Natarbora to Viqueque. She still had gasoline on that trip but was out this time.

It is a good feeling to be out there all alone on that desolate highway but it would be a bit of a nightmare if you break down. Even a flat tire would become a major hassle if you didn’t take a repair kit and basic tools along with you..

The trip from Maubisse down to Betano, across to Natarbora and up to Manatutu over to Dili takes about 10-12 hours depending on the problems you run into.

The coast road between Betano and Natarbora is smooth sailing but gets more difficult if you continue east towards Viqueque or turn north to Manatutu.

Soft powdery sand road through the dry marsh.

There is a river between Natarbora and Viqueque that is probably impassible after a heavy rain. (above) … but you do not cross this river when you head north from Natarbora. You will cross it only if you continue onwards down the coast to Viqueque. This picture was taken in the dry season and might be impassible during the wet. note – these pictures were taken in 2006 and I am told that the roads have improved in the past 5 years

Natarbora to Manatutu by motorcycle

East Timor