Turquoise Waters, Coral Reefs, and Local Charm in Karimunjawa, Indonesia
Written by Kaelie Piscitello
Up and down, over and then under. The small boat to Karimunjawa bobbed along the waves more and more as the journey went on. The booking site said the entire trip would take around 2 hours to make it from Java to the small Karimunjawa islands. Unfortunately, the ride took closer to three hours, and everyone aboard the vessel was seasick.
After what seemed the longest additional hour of my life, I finally disembarked at the pier and began to search for my driver. I booked forty-eight hours in Karimunjawa a few months ago, and already wondered if I should not have booked my stay for a few more days.
Corals in Karimunjawa
My boyfriend and I chose to vacation in Karimunjawa, a UNESCO site in central-Java, because of the pictures we saw online of gorgeous coral reefs with lots of sea life and beautiful scenery.
While Karimunjawa has retained its stunning blue waters and pristine beaches, much of the coral has experienced bleaching since the COVID-19 pandemic, and much of the coral I saw at the beach died recently. I hope Indonesia will work harder to protect these spaces so the wildlife native to these islands can flourish in the future.
Luckily, locals keep their beaches in excellent condition, and anyone can get to them with the help of a rental scooter. My boyfriend and I spent most of our first day motoring around the island and lounging around on the sand, tasting radlers.
No Need to Go Anywhere Else
My boyfriend booked a small, private hut on the beach with access to a dock and some of the bluest water I have ever seen. The staff knew us by name and had waited for us all day. The hosts showed us around our hut, which included a beautiful bed and a private outdoor shower, something I’d never experienced before but enjoyed. They gave us time to unpack, took our laundry, and showed us to the spot where we could eat lunch.
We enjoyed a delicious Indonesian meal with vegetables, rice, and two meat options. While they included breakfast in our original price, we paid a little extra for each additional meal, but it was worth the money. The chef made fantastic dishes!
During lunch, we met some of the other guests, and they acted with warmth and kindness. I noticed some of the other Western tourists at the resort thought they were better than everyone else because they chose to venture so far off the beaten path. While I recommend visiting a road less traveled, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes when people expressed that this place is “EXTREMELY DIFFERENT and for a much different kind of person than Bali.”
In addition to this, they told us all about the best places to go snorkeling and pointed us in the direction of a place to eat fresh fish in the evening. We set off for the beach, excited to see what lay before us.
A Local Night Market
After a long day at the beach, my boyfriend and I headed to the small town centre for the Karimunjawa Night Market, where everyone in town gathers on picnic blankets and orders fresh fish and corn on the cob from women who grill these meals each day. At this point in my trip, I had a case of Bali belly, so I steered clear of the seafood, but loved the corn on the cob!
I also loved meeting the clever felines wandering around the picnic blankets, looking for food. I made friends with a three-legged kitten, and I wish I could have taken him home with me.
The Most Magical Boating Day
The next day, I woke up early for a boat trip my hostess arranged for me and four other guests so we could snorkel in spaces with more sea life and see other islands nearby. Our captain took us all to a beautiful reef where we could swim and look at the coral below. I have never seen more transparent waters in all my life. This trip made up one hundred times over for my boat journey the day before.
During the highlight of the snorkeling trip, the captain parked the boat on a deserted island and unboxed fresh fish and grilled it up for everyone to eat. We spent two hours swimming, reading by the sea, and tasting some of the most delicious seafood I have tried in my entire life. I cannot say enough about the trip to this tiny island in the middle of nowhere. It was a highlight of my journey and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
