Because Jaco has no permanent settlement, the island has stayed almost completely natural. The beaches are clean and untouched, the forest in the middle is full of birds and fruit bats, and the coral reefs just offshore are some of the most colourful in Southeast Asia. Sea turtles come to the beaches to lay their eggs.
The water around Jaco changes colour as the depth changes — shallow patches glow pale green, then turquoise, then a deep brilliant blue further out. Children who visit say it looks like someone spilled a giant watercolour painting across the sea.
The Fataluku people have protected this island for many generations. Visitors are asked to respect the island by not taking anything away — not shells, not sand, not plants. This tradition of care has helped keep Jaco exactly as it was hundreds of years ago.
Jaco sits inside Nino Konis Santana National Park, Timor-Leste's first and only national park. The park wraps around the eastern tip of the island and protects both the land and the sea around it.