How to get there:
First get to Dili, the capital of East Timor. There are daily flights to/from Bali.
Next, rent a sturdy 4WD. A Toyota Landcruiser or Hilux or similar car is needed.
The driving time to the trailhead from Dili is 7-8 hours.
Drive the very nice, paved Hwy. from Dili aalong the north coast, towards the east.
Drive past the town of Baucau and continue to location S8.474135, W126.596271 where a smaller
road forks (uphill) right.
From here, one really needs a high clearance 4WD. There is road construction activity (2023),
so this situation may change. Proceed to the small village located at
S8.628350, E126.654987. This is the last place where one my buy soft drinks etc. From here, the road
gets noticeably worse. A suitable 4WD vehicle is definitely needed.
Continue to location S8.65461, E126.62585, turn right here. Next, at location S8.65372, E126.61268, turn
right again. Drive up the curved road to a small church, this is the trailhead at location
S8.643768, E126.615676, elevation about 1225 meter.
Route description:
From the trailhead, take the trail that ascends immediately to the right of this
big boulder, or follow the road as it continues uphill. Pay attention to the fork
near the top of the road. Take the right fork here, then very quickly turn left up a small
trail, well before you reach the buildings.
follow this trail as it runs gently uphill near a fence, then crosses to a steeper hill
that is climbed with a zig-zag trail. The trail continues to climb, then traverses towards the
next ridgeline. You leave the area that has been (partially) cultivated and cross a small section
with trees. The slope is somewhat steeper after this and the trail is less distinct. The route
ascends this slope, the trail is often obscured by (low) bushes.
Higher up, the route tends right as it turns another ridgeline, staying well below the
steeper slopes on your right.
Turning up towards the main crest, you arrive at an old
shelter (roof completely destroyed). From here, the trail climbs more steeply up the wide
gully, then towards the main summit. A short steeper section requires a bit use of
hands, however, the overall difficulty remains (YDS) class 2. After reaching a small plateau,
turn right up a short, easy grass slope to arrive just below the summit. The summit itself
is now reached by only a few easy steps on rock.
Comments:
We had returned to Dili after climbing the island highpoint, Ramelau, on July 8th.
We left Dili in the morning of July 9th., the plan was to camp at/near the trailhead,
then climb Matebean in the morning of July 10th. and return to Dili in the afternoon.
We first drove to a beach near
Baucau where a lunch box had been prepared for each of us.
The drive from Dili to the trailhead took about 8 hours, not without some excitement.
We first stopped in the last village (of some size) where we had an option to sleep
in a posada.
We quickly concluded that camping would be preferable as we did not how
mjuch driving time would still remain.
This was likely a wise decision. The road got appreciable worse shortly after this village.
We got to a river crossing where our Hilux got stuck.
A quick inspection revealed a pretty
big rock blocking the left rear wheel. Moving a bit back, then turning to avoid the rock
got us up back on the road. However, around the next
bend a truck was stuck in a muddy uphill.
This looked like a big problem, fortunately, the truck driver had not completely given up.
He was able to go back far enough that we could negotiate the hill before him. Driving far right
worked and another obstacle behind us. The road remained rough, but our Hilux could make it.
Strong smell of burnt clutch indicated that our driver also had room for improvement.
We arrived in a very nice, small village.
I pitched my tent under a roof that was part
of a church. Evening came and we agreed to start walking at first daylight.
The first part of the trail was very nice indeed. Higher up, the trail got more
slippery (mud) and less visible (low bush). Not my favorite conditions as I like to see
where I place my foot. It was a nice day and higher up the slopes were scattered by
fascinating limestone spikes and formations.
Arriving at the summit at 0900,
it was windy at the very top,
but good shelter already
on the small grass area just below.
We relaxed in the good weather,
but knew we had a long drive back later in the day.
Leaving after about 20 minutes, we descended back down in
2:30, about the same as the time of ascent. It is a bit difficult to walk downslope when
you do not know if you place your foot where it immediately will slide.
Our drive back to Dili went without any incidents, arriving there before 2000.
This concluded the 5 peak "of high prominence" that I had planned with David.
Aris and Dave now went to Java whileAdam and I went to Bima on the island of Sumbawa.
