Liquiça is a quaint town in Timor-Leste that boasts of beautiful, deserted beaches and relics of Portuguese colonial architecture, mostly destroyed or crumbling. The town was once a capital of Portuguese Timor before the seat of government was moved to nearby Dili. It certainly has seen better days. The crumbling edifices that date back to Portuguese times are being restored one at a time. Once fully restored, I can only see better times ahead for the pretty, little town.

Located about one-hour drive by car from the capital of Dili, the drive to Liquiça goes through some beautiful and picturesque sceneries. Nowadays, the town is a favorite weekend retreat by foreign expats  and denizens based in Dili. The most famous of the resorts in Liquiça is the aptly-named Black Rock Resort. The resort sits on a peeble-strewn black-sand beach.

The road from Dili to Liquiça has some of the better paved ones in the whole of Timor-Leste, except for a few kilometers of rough road off Tasi Tulo in the outskirts of Dili and onward to the mangrove-strewn village of Bazartete. The road is mostly plain and flat, with a few climbs near Ulmera and Liquiça itself, with an outstanding view of the ocean on the right shoulder. A mountain bike is perfect for this type of trip, providing maneuvarability for the long strectch of paved roads and in the few spots of rough roads. Be warned though! Biking to Liquiça could take as long as 3 hours. And that’s just one-way.

It’s a grueling trip, for sure, but the scenery and the friendly people you meet are more than enough rewards for your effort. Make sure to stay early though, because the whole trip, vice-versa, could add up to six hours.