Marine Paradise of Java Sea
The Karimunjawa archipelago, located inthe Java Sea, north of the capital city of Semarang,has everything to offer divers and backpackers who enjoy trekking andsnorkeling along a pristine beach. The Karimunjawa National Park (not to beconfused with the Karimun Islands in Bintan, Riau) is one amongst sevenmarine national parks in Indonesia. Taking only a four to five-hour trip fromSemarang, you will be surrounded by natural beauty, so that you wish that youcould stay there forever.
The pristine beaches and seas are home tohealthy coral reefs that scatter in an 80 km wide area all the way to the coastof Jepara. Two protected biota species here are the black coral (Antiphates sp)and organ pipe coral (Tubipora musica). Others include the triton trumpet, thehornet helmet, and the pearly-chambered nautilus. Here are also hawksbillturtles, common green turtles, and on land are the red-breasted parakeet andother tropical bird species.
Get There
Flights to Semarang are availablefrom Jakarta, Denpasar,and also from other cities. Karimunjawa itself has an airport in KemujanIsland, called the Dewadaru Airport. Small aircrafts land here although theflight schedule is still dominated by chartered flights from Semarang,Yogyakarta, or Bali.
Ferries serve the islands three times aweek, either from Jepara or also Semarang, and speed boats are plenty andavailable on special request.
Well, I just love Bali so much, and we fell in love with the culture, people, the food. Everything was just amazing. I feel like in Bali, you can find serenity anywhere, literally. It's our favorite place that we've been to on our entire trip.
