KARIMUN JAWA ,The Second Honeymoon

Eight months worked in a cruise ship, seven days a week, tired and boring. It’s time for vacation. Time to back home. I got vacation for 3 months this year, how lucky I am. This time I decided to visit Karimun Jawa Island. Karimun Jawa is an Island in Central Java Province, Indonesia. This is the second honeymoon for me and my wife.

Saturday morning 09.00 ‘Kapal Motor Cepat Kartini I’ departed from Tanjung Mas Semarang Harbour to Karimun Jawa Island. This speed boat is 3 times faster than ferry. By purchase ticket Rp.111.000/pax one way, we can sit and enjoy the trip efficiently.
12.20 noon we arrived at Karimun Jawa Harbour. We had the good fortune to meet Miss.Andien, my wife’s friend. She and Mr.Pri drove us to the warung makan (village restaurant) for lunch. Actually it wasn’t my first time to visit Karimun Jawa. I’ve been there in the year of 2002. After had lunch we continued to get a hotel. Hotel is not something hard to be find because there are plenty kind of hotels available in a various types and prices. For example a home stay with Rp.50.000 price / night offering cheapest rooms without meals and outside bath room, or a resort hotel with Rp.1.000.000 price / night, offering luxurious rooms with meals and beach view just in front of your door step. Mr.Pri suggested us to stay in home stay because cheaper than stay in hotel. Dafista Home Stay was the place we decided to stay. Yeah man, it’s cheap, room average from Rp.50.000/ night (bathroom outside) to rooms with price Rp.70.000 / night (inside bath room), all price not including meals. No problem, because meals are available in many places.

Snorkeling at Cemara Kecil and Cemara Besar Island
Sunday morning, 07.00. It was raining, it was cloudy but we had an appointment with Mr.Wono. He is the man who provided boat and snorkeling kit for Rp.350.000/ day from 08.00 am to 16.00 pm, lunch not included.
First destination was ‘Cemara Kecil Island’. It took 1 hour to get there. We were lucky that day because the rain stopped, the sky was great and the sun was shinning so bright. It is the real paradise, the water so clear, green and blue under the water and the fishes were so colorful. I’m telling you one secret, you know what? It was my first time snorkeling experience, can’t you believe that? Ha..ha..ha.
Finally, 30 minutes felt so soon, not enough. We wanted to keep snorkeling but we still have 3 more islands to visit. So we went to the next place ‘Cemara Besar Island’ just a few minutes from ‘Cemara Kecil’. Unbelievable , I just realize that ‘ Cemara Besar’ has beautiful underwater view more than ‘Cemara Kecil’. What a beautiful view underwater.

Photo Session at Menjangan Kecil Island
Still in the same day, 12.00 noon we arrived at Menjangan Kecil Island, very hot man! The sun burnt out our skin. We decided not to snorkeling because we had exhausted with the last 2 islands. Yeah, it’s time to get lunch. Menjangan Kecil Island is the great lace for take a picture, so many spots we could take for pictures. We have spent 1 hour in this island, tired and deep tan skin, but we still have 1 more island to visit, which is Menjangan Besar.

Swim With Sharks at Menjangan Besar
We arrived in Menjangan Besar at 13.20 pm, and walked directly to the pool of sharks. Wow, there are 2 pools of sharks and more than 50 sharks living there. Scary but I was wondering to try because it was my first experience to swim with sharks surrounding me. Hhrrrrrrrrgggg…, I got my self into the pool slowly. A few minutes on the water and nothing happened, I’m ok, the sharks didn’t bite me. Yeah man, those sharks are really tamed. The pool keeper feeds the sharks everyday. We took some pictures with the sharks but too bad, the sky was cloudy. No problem man. We had a wonderful experience in this vacation.
Time is over and so this vacation. We’ve been in Karimun Jawa for 4 days, and a lot of things we have done together. The time never to be wasted for us.

For you guys whose have desire to visit Karimun Jawa Island, I give you some info:

1. Kapal Cepat Kartini I (speed boat) depart from Semarang Harbour to Karimun Jawa Harbour at 09.00 am, time to destination 3 hours 20 minutes, cost Rp.111.000/pax one way. This boat is 3 times faster than ferry.
2. Kapal Cepat Kartini I (speed boat) depart from Karimun Jawa harbour to Jepara Harbour at 11.00 am, time to destination 2 hours, cost Rp.64.000/pax one way.
3. Ferry only depart from Jepara harbour (Saturday & Thursday) to Karimun Jawa harbour and back to Jepara Harbour again (Monday & Friday ), time to destination 6 hours, cost Rp.28.500/pax one way.
4. If you ride your vehicle, you better choose ferry for your transportation from Jepara to Karimun Jawa, because Kapal Cepat Kartini I is for passenger only.
5. Use sun block on your skin, Karimun Jawa Island is very hot.
6. If you bring your own diving or snorkeling kits, you better make a deal directly to the fisherman, they could give their boat for you to rent (including driver & 1 crew), cheaper than trough third party.
7. You better bring enough cash money because there is no ATM and no internet access available.

For further information please call BTN KARIMUN JAWA (Balai Taman Nasional Karimun Jawa) Indonesia. Phone: +62 24 767 38248

Our thank’s to:
Miss.Andien & Mr.Pri from Dinas Perhubungan for the ride
Mrs.Pri (Mr.Pri’s wife) for the motorbike
Dafista Home stay
Mr.Kusno for the nice boat trip
Mr.Wono for the snorkel package
All the Karimun Jawa’s citizens