Karimunjawa Islands: North Java, Indonesia

Finding new places in Indonesia that I have yet to visit is a real buzz. For instance, in yesterday's JP I read about the Karimunjawa islands and although I had spent some time in Semarang, I had never heard of them!.

From what I have read it seems to be a delightful place to visit albeit expensive. I would be more interested in sleeping on the beach, snorkelling all day and fishing. At night, light a small fire on the beach and cook the fish!!. Evi Mariani visited there and she seemed to like it. But as I said, I would not stay in the hotel and not because of the hotel costs. Heck, you have a stretch of golden beach to kip out on:

Karimunjawa Ocean Park, the home of shipwrecks, a diverse range of sea life and scenic uninhabited islands, is just three hours from Semarang, Central Java.

But not many people visit the park's islands because of the slow pace of development in the area although for some this is just the sort of thing that attracts them.

"Some divers come here to go treasure hunting. There was a time when locals often found Chinese antiques at the bottom of the sea here" Joice V.E., owner of a small dive shop on the main island Karimunjawa said.

These days she says, it is much harder to find Chinese plates and bowls in the ocean although that doesn't stop people from looking.

The Karimunjawa Islands are located on the busy trade route that runs from the Malacca Strait to the sea ports along the northern coast of Java. Local legend has it that a number of fully loaded Chinese trading ships sunk in the waters many years ago.
Besides these old wooden sailing ships, more recent vessels have also met their ends in the Java Sea. The most well-known wreck is that of the Indonor, an iron Dutch ship.

"For sea life, I usually take divers to nearby Geleang Island where they can see coral, clown fish and parrot fish" said Joice who runs the business with her husband, Iwan Sulaeman.

"But for the most diverse sea life I take them to Seruni Island which is two and a half hours away from the main island. There you can see many kinds of molluscs and even manta rays" she said.

Of the 27 islands that form the Karimunjawa Islands only five are inhabited.

Karimunjawa Island itself is a relatively new area. The first people to arrive on the island were Buton people who came from Southeast Sulawesi in the 1950s. They were followed by Bugis people from South Sulawesi and were later joined by Madurese from East Java. People from Central Java were the last to find the island.

In 1988 the area was declared a National Marine Park all fishing using dynamite and poison was prohibited, a measure that helped rehabilitate the damaged coral reefs.

Most of Kariminjawa's residents earn their livings from fishing and subsistence farming. With the development of the tourism industry, given a boost when a Swedish investor built the up-market Kura Kura Resort on nearby Pulau Meyawaka in 1995, some residents have entered the tourism sector. Guest houses and hostels have opened in the area along with a few souvenir shops.

Overall however the growth of the industry has proven to be slow. Besides diving and snorkelling there are few other things for visitors to do, good food is difficult to find - even simple grilled fish with sambal is rare. The nightlife consists of sitting on the beach with a beer which some people might regard as infinitely preferable to standing in a loud, crowded nightclub swilling overpriced cocktails but is not to everyone's taste.

But for those who simply love the ocean and prize serenity the islands are an ideal hideaway. Boats complete with weathered boatmen are available for hire to ferry you around.

Prices for boat hire, accommodation and meals are in the moderate price range although are slightly more expensive than one might expect. A room with bathroom and air-con which runs only at night because there is no electricity during the day costs around Rp 150,000, while a similar room in Yogyakarta would set you back about Rp 100,000. Divers are advised to bring their own equipment although several dive shops including Joice's lease diving equipment.

It's also important to bring sufficient cash as there are no ATMs or banks on the islands.

"Many travellers run out of money here so I sometimes I have to go with to Semarang or Jepara where they withdraw the money to pay their bills" Joice said.

Transportation to and from Java is sometimes problematic too although there have been some improvements made since the Kura Kura Resort opened in 1999.

Kura Kura Resort, located on Menyawakan Island, which is a one hour boat ride form Karimunjawa Island, is the most up-market facility in the area. It is owned by Swede Soren Lax and his Indonesian wife and covers half of the island.

Boasting vast white sand beaches, turquoise water and swaying coconut trees the resort is the perfect getaway for romantic couples, bookish singles and water sports loving groups of friends.

The resort has about 20 bungalows, deluxe and VIP, all facing west and overlooking a white sandy beach and crimson sunsets over the vast blue sky. In addition to the bungalows the management has built five luxury villas with private plunge pools.
The deluxe room rate is US$55 a night, VIP $66, while a villa will set you back $235.

Unless you bring food and kitchenware from home you'll have to eat at the resort's restaurant. A standard menu including appetizer and desert, is offered at $12. The food, Western and Indonesian, is generally delicious and is of a starred-hotel standard.

With water sports its main attraction the resort provides a wide range of equipment. A diving instructor is available, along with a diving shop, snorkelling equipment, speed boats, experienced boatmen, sea kayaks and paddle boats.

Those who are not water people will appreciate the resort's tranquil environment. Communications on the island are rather restricted - as of April 2006 only one cell phone provide was available on the island, Telkomsel, along with a limited number of satellite TV channels.

Visitors are advised to consider the season before they travel to the islands as December through January is the rainy season in Karimunjawa. In general a trip to Karimunjawa and Kura Kura Resort needs to be carefully planned - don't just hop on a plane or train thinking you can get there without any hassle. But it's certainly worth it.