Relax and Chill on the beautiful paradise island of Karimunjava, Indonesia

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Karimunjava, Indonesia

Who said tropical paradise? Bounty beaches, beautiful sunsets, and front row location where the sand from the bed gets into your bed because you are literary staying on the beach. Karimunjava is a precious little pearl of an island located a couple of hour’s boat ride from Jepara in Java, Indonesia. Karimunjava is an archipelago of 27 islands and while visiting, do yourself the favor and go visit a few.


One of my favorite memories of this place was one night at our homestay when a thunderstorm hit the horizon. I and my travel companion were sitting in the oceans lovely warm water and watching as many as five lightings strike the surface of the ocean on the horizon. We spent a few hours sitting in the shallow water drinking tea and being entertained. It was amazing.

The Island.
This area is a national marine park. The main island(s) are of two small islands tugged together only separated by a small bridge. Karimunjava and Kemujan Islands. The smaller ones I can mention are the smaller ones being Menjangan Besar Island and Menjangan Kecil Island, but with 27 islands you can take your pick.


The people who live here are kind and friendly people. They can and will help you with everything as long as you ask. Everything you need to get or organize you will find at least 5 people to help you with on Karimunjava.
Karimunjava is the biggest one and where the ferry docks. The main, (read) the only, village is located on a point on the south-west coast. Once you set your foot here you can discover many beautiful beaches rent a scooter and go explore clear water and empty beaches all over the island. Into snorkeling, even better, much of the island has fringing reefs.


The nights can be spent watching the local boys playing guitar and singing along to popular songs under an open sky. There are quite a few friendly hostels where you can buy a beer and participate in the fun and live performances. In the mood for solitude? Take your scooter and enjoy the stars at an empty beach. Pick the right beach though, because the locals often arrange beach and bonfire parties on the beaches. Here you can join and drink a few beers and hear some of the local bands play. The bands can also be found in the market square almost every evening performing just for you to get in the right vibe.

Kemujan Island is a place to scooter over if you want to explore some mangrove forests and has a less touristy feel to it. It is definitely worth the scooter ride to go there.

Surrounding islands
The smaller, outer islands have pristine, white sandy beaches and coral reefs located just off the shore. These are perfect places for snorkeling and spotting turtles and everything else the heart desires. Most of the locals offer tours out visiting these islands. Make sure the boat carries proper equipment. You will have a better snorkeling experience. Remember sun lotion or keep your clothes on, the sun is strong.



The entire area is a national marine park and most of the activities involve visiting different islands and snorkeling on the reefs. Depending on the wind and weather, you can pick the islands you want to visit but weather changes fast in the tropics so even though you start out with a scorching sun it can change to a tropical storm fairly fast. That being said I went on several snorkeling trips to different locations during my stay and even though the weather changed and rain fell I had some amazing trips.


Dining
Because this little gemstone of a place is surrounded by seas, Karimunjawa provides lots of sea food. Fresh fish in every color of the scale can be consumed every day. Restaurants are located in hotels but I would recommend going to the local market and eat. The town square provides decent cheap food like fried or grilled fish or an assortment of veggies. This is a perfect option for you to try 15 different kinds of fish completely fresh. You sit at community tables on the ground so sharing is literally on the table :).
Personally, I loved Karimunjava. It was quaint and the people were kind. After backpacking around Asia for a few months I had the best week just spend relaxing, snorkeling and chilling on this beautiful little pearl.
On a personal note, I spent a lot of time collecting plastic and there was a lot of trash, plastic, and waste in the ocean. It made me very sad that the ocean was being treated like a waste bin. The locals claimed that it was all brought there by the tide and ocean current but I did see with my own eyes how tourists and some locals alike sometimes threw trash and plastic around. I think that something should be done to preserve this beautiful marine park.










*All photos are private and taken by me.
Location: Karimun Java, Indonesien

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