Karimunjawa Islands or Karimunjawa National Park is a paradise for
divers. You can do many water activities, such as swimming, diving, snorkeling,
kayaking, hoping, and sunbathing happily. The beauty of coral reefs and
colorful fish become the main attraction for you who love to play in the water.
The water in Karimunjawa is very clean so that you can see the seabed clearly. For
you who like to fish, you can do that in many islands in Karimunjawa.
To visit the islands, you can take a boat which doesn't
take much time because the location is adjacent. There is also a boat that has
glass at the bottom. This is a perfect choice if you don’t want to dive but
still curious to see coral reefs and fish. Karimunjawa National Park consists
of 27 groups of small islands and 5 islands among them are populated, i.e.
Parang Island, Nyamuk Island, Karimunjawa Island, Kemujan Island and Genting
Island. Those islands have white sand and look so clear and natural.
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| Picture Danarif |
Actually, there are many favorite islands that
become the main attraction for tourists here, i.e. Menjangan Besar Island, Tajung
Gelam Island, Cemara Kecil Island, Cemara Besar Island and Menjangan Kecil
Island. And now, let's visit those islands one by one.
·
Menjangan Besar Island
On this island, you can find
shark breeding. You can challenge yourself to stand or swim together with the
sharks. Don’t be afraid because they are tame and friendly to human being.
·
Menjangan Kecil Island
On this island, you can find
colorful fish and they look so beautiful. Besides that, the seabed is clear. Thus,
if you like snorkeling, Menjangan Kecil Island is the right place for you.
·
Cemara Kecil Island and Cemara Besar Island
Both islands have pine trees, and
perhaps the name of the islands comes from the tree. In Bahasa Indonesia,
Cemara means pine. The other uniqueness in these islands is the coastline has
white sand and jutting into the sea.
·
Tanjung Gelam Island
This is a beautiful island with a
stretch of white sand and clear water with turquoise color. Everyone will love
to come and relax here.
Location
Karimunjawa Island lies at Jave Sea, north of
Jepara, Central Java, Indonesia. To reach the island, there are many options,
i.e.
·
By speedboat from Semarang City.
From Semarang, you can go to
Karimunjawa Islands through Tanjung Emas Port by speed boat. It takes around 4 –
6 hours depend on the weather.
·
By boat from Jepara
From Jepara, you can go to
Karimunjawa through Kartini Port. You can choose speedboat or a ferry that is
slower and cheaper that takes around 2.5 – 3 hours.
·
By plane
If you have enough budget,
traveling by a plane is the easiest choice. By small plane from Ahmad Yani
Airport in Semarang, you can go to Dewa Daru Airport in Kemujan Island. This is
one of the islands in Karimunjawa. From the height, you can see the beauty of
Karimunjawa Island before you landing. It will take around 30 minutes.
The ticket is quite cheap because you only need to
pay IDR65,000 or US$6 for executive class, and IDR80,000 or US$8 for VIP class.
The facilities are also adequate because it has comfortable chairs, AC room, and
snack box. The capacity of the ship is around 190 passengers. Thus, you have to
reserve it before you go. On Friday, the ship will depart only once at 14.00
p.m.
Beside enjoying the beauty of the sea and beaches,
you also can visit traditional market or visiting fishermen that fish in the
sea to get fish. If you want to spend the night in Karimunjawa Islands, there
are many lodges, luxurious resorts and affordable hotels in the small islands. Even,
local residents provide Homestays for tourists who want to enjoy the natural
atmosphere with cheaper rates.
But, if you like to enjoy something different, you
can stay in Wisma Apung. This is a floating lodge and the distance is not too
far from the coastline. The rate to stay in in the Homestay is around IDR65,000
– IDR125,000 or US$6.5 – US$12.5 per night. In the hotel, the rate is around
IDR200,000 – IDR2,500,000 or US$20 – US$250 per night.
Activities
Strolling in the island is the first activity you
can do to explore Karimunjawa. You only need to pay around IDR350, 000 – IDR450,000
or US$35 – US$45 by hiring a boat from fishermen to go to many snorkeling
spots. If you don’t bring snorkeling equipment, you can rent from them by
paying IDR35,000 – IDR50,000 or US$3.5 – US$5. By snorkeling, you can see
wonderful underwater life, such as coral reefs, colorful fish, and crystal
water.
After snorkeling, you can visit Gosongan Seloka. The
island can be visited only when the tide is low. Local resident calls the
island as Gosongan because the island is fulfilled by sand and there is no
vegetation. Gosongan is located at Tanjung Seloka. That is why the island is
known as Gosongan Seloka. The best time to visit the island is from 13.00 pm or
15.00 pm. To reach Gosongan Seloka, you have to walk or swim. Don’t forget to
wear your shoes to avoid you from the poison of stone fish.
After enjoying Gosongan Seloka, you can go to Cilik
Island. But, if you want to enjoy complete adventure, you have to bring an
underwater camera. The beauty of underwater life is so stunning. By walking for
about 15 minutes from Cilik Island, you can visit one of the favorite
snorkeling spot, i.e. Tengah Island. The island has sea anemones and hard
coral. You also can see cute fish and other marine life.
When you visit Karimunjawa, you have to get up early
to enjoy sunrise in Palem Beach. Bring your camera to capture the exotic
scenery in the morning. When the day starts to hot, you can continue visiting the
Menjangan Besar Island. By paying IDR5,000 or US$0.5, you swim together with
baby sharks. The shark breeding lies around 15 minutes by walking from
Karimunjawa Pier. This is kind of floating house in the middle of the sea. If you
come inside, you will see if this building is made from wood. Around the
building, there are two big ponds that are full of sharks. You can swim together
with the sharks and other fish freely.
The next destination is the Menjangan Kecil Island.
It takes around 20 minutes from the Menjangan Besar Island. The panorama in
this island is so amazing. You can snorkeling, kayaking and playing banana boat
to challenge your adrenaline. When you visit this island, don’t forget to bring
the white bread because you can feed the fish here.
The best time to visit Karimunjawa Island is from
March to October because the weather more friendly to you and you can explore
many islands there.
