[1][2] On its land side, the beach is fringed by shady trees,[1] and overlooked by steep low hills creating a dramatic backdrop.

[7] In the final years of the Portuguese colonial era, the authorities hoped that the Areia Branca Beach would become a tourist destination.

[13] On the morning of 11 February 2008, the then President of East Timor, José Ramos-Horta, was out jogging on the beach when rebel soldiers entered his nearby residential compound.

[15][16] Various hospitality facilities were built on the other side of the access road, Avenida de Areia Branca, including bars, restaurants and coffee shops that now sell national and international foods and drinks,[7][16][17] and guesthouses.

[3] Hospitality customers can even sit at a table at the beach while sampling a cold coconut, drinking a locally produced coffee, or dining on freshly cooked fish or other seafood washed down with a beer.