Island hopping around the Karimunjawa Islands

Karimunjawa’s number one activity is spending a leisurely day island hopping around the small archipelago and snorkelling (or alternatively diving) the spectacular underwater marine park.

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Deserted white sand beaches and crystal clear waters offer a rich diversity of marine life, but sadly much coral bleaching and in some areas plastic waste—take a rubbish bag to fill up when you snorkel, and refuse single-use plastic. However there’s an abundance of hard and soft corals in good condition, a kaleidoscope of fish and even a shipwreck (The Indonor, a 30m long ship which sank in 1960), and you may be lucky to see turtles or dolphins too.

Taxi! Photo taken in or around Island hopping, Karimunjawa Islands, Indonesia by Sally Arnold.

Taxi! Photo: Sally Arnold

Organised daytrips on local fishing boats head out to islands either to the western or eastern sides of Kurimunjawa Island, which side is usually dependent on weather conditions. The trips include snorkelling from the boat at three or four positions with a guide (not always English speaking) pointing out things you may miss (and keeping you safe) and stopping at two or three islands (we visited Pulau Cemara Kecil and Pulau Geleang on the western side); a barbecue fish lunch (with vegetarian options), fruit, drinking water and snorkelling equipment, including lifejackets are all part of the deal.

The day concludes watching the sun set over the ocean from one of the islands before returning to Kurimunjawa after dark. These trips are excellent value at 200,000 rupiah per person, with boats restricted to a maximum of twenty punters. Book through your accommodation or one of the tour operators on the island.

BBQ fish: Great. Single dose plastic cups: Never ok! Photo taken in or around Island hopping, Karimunjawa Islands, Indonesia by Sally Arnold.

BBQ fish: Great. Single dose plastic cups: Never ok! Photo: Sally Arnold

For a more comfortable trip, Go Green Tours provide a catamaran with padded seats. They offer similar half day trips for 175,000 rupiah per person or full day trips for 225,000 rupiah per person. Alternatively you can charter your own boat for the day with guide, equipment and lunch included: fishing boats start at 600,000 rupiah per person with a minimum of two (cheaper per person with more), or Go Green Tours boat is 2,000,000 rupiah for the day ... please log in to read the rest of this story.