Mount Tatamailau

Mount Tatamailau, also called Ramelau, is the highest peak in Timor-Leste and on the island of Timor, at 2,963 m, about 70 km south of Dili in Ainaro^[1]. The name is of Mambai origin and means "Grandfather of All"^[1]. The protected landscape is reported at about 200 km².

BirdLife International designated the mountain an Important Bird Area because it supports several endemic and restricted-range bird species^[1].

In the early 1980s the mountain carried old-growth montane forest, but grazing has left only patches near the crests; lower slopes are grassland and the upper slopes have eucalypt regrowth^[1].

The Ramelau range formed from the collision of the Australian and Eurasian plates; the summit is Permian mafic volcanic rock of the Maubisse Formation, while nearby Hato Builico sits on Triassic limestone^[1].

The summit can freeze in the dry season, and in the wet season it is cold, wet and windy, with a risk of hypothermia^[1].

The mountain is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is sacred to many Timorese; a three-metre statue made in Italy was installed on the summit platform in 1997^[1].

Some 2,000 hectares were gazetted as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1996, and UNTAET recognised the mountain as a Protected Wild Area under Regulation 2000/19 in 2000.

The main route starts at Hato Bulico and takes about four hours for a fit walker; the Aimeta route takes about six hours and needs a local guide^[1]. An annual pilgrimage is held around 25 March^[1].

There is no potable water or habitation beyond the two villages on the routes, and camping on the saddle is possible in the dry season^[1]. Both routes climb about 910 m^[1].

Grazing-related deforestation has left only a few forest patches near the crests^[1]. The mountain is recognised as an Important Bird Area^[1].