Thousand Island (Pulau Seribu)

As describes by the name, Thousand Island consists of several islands such as Pulau Pramuka, Pulau Ayer, Pulau Bidadari, Pulau Sepa and etc. The islands have white sands, clear water and nice corals, which you may rarely find in other beaches near Jakarta such as Ancol or Anyer.

How to go there?
Thousand Island is located at North Jakarta and can be accessed through Marina Ancol or Muara Angke Pier. To go to Marina Ancol, you must go inside the Taman Impian Jaya Ancol. While for Muara Angke Pier, you must go to Pluit first, then when you found Megamal Pluit on your left, you follow the street and turn right, go straight until you see sign of Muara Karang, then you must turn right, go straight until you found fish market on your left. Enter the fish market and follow the road until you found the gas station. The pier is on the left of the gas station.

For a cheaper holiday, I suggested you took the boat in Muara Angke as the price is only Rp30,000 per person while in Marina Ancol Pier the price is Rp75,000. However, as money talks, the boat from Muara Angke is not speed boat like in Marina Ancol, so if you’re looking for comfort, you better take the boat in Marina. The boat will transfer you to Pramuka Island within 2 up to 3 hours depend on the weather and the boat. Based on information I’ve got, Radja Express is the fastest one to go to Pramuka Island. The boat may also stop at Pulau Untung Jawa and some other islands; you must check them before you depart. There is no ticket seller to enter the boat, you just seat and put your bags near you. During the way, the boat fee will be collected.
Tips:
1. You can sit above or below on the boat. If you afraid of sun heat, you better choose to sit on the below, but beware of sea sick and water splash.
2. Arrive maximum at 7am in the Muara Angke Pier to avoid missing the boat. Regularly, there is two boats depart in the morning, and the next departure is 1pm.

Where to stay?
Pramuka Island has several places to stay and even some local people opens their houses for tourists (homestay). I stayed in Wisma Dermaga on my last holiday and it is recommended for it’s cheap price and cleanliness. Price per room is Rp300,000 and the bed is king size so it can be shared for up to 4 persons. For extra bed, you are charged Rp25,000 each. The room size is quite large it can fit for 2 extra bed. The facilities provided including AC, TV and bathroom inside. Another recommended places are Wisma Taman Laut Nasional and Villa Delima (same price and facilities as Wisma Dermaga).

Tips:
Take more people on your holiday to minimize accomodation cost by sharing the room.

What to do?
Thousand Island is perfect holiday destination for you who loves swimming, snorkeling, diving and playing on the beach. At the island, you can rent a boat for Rp300,000 a day (maximum for 20 persons) and snorkeling equipment (including fin, goggle and life jacket) for Rp30,000 per person.
Best location for snorkeling is Karang Lebar and near Pulau Air. Near Karang Lebar you may find small land with white sand surrounded by the blue sea. The view was amazingly beautiful. You must be careful when snorkeling in Karang Lebar as the coral are not so deep and there are many sea urchins (bulu babi).
After that you may visit Semak Daun Island to have lunch and take a rest. Unfortunately, Semak Daun does not have restaurant or food stall, therefore you must bring your lunch from Jakarta or buy them in Pramuka Island before you go. Semak Daun Island is perfect for playing sand and learning snorkeling. It also has many great spots to take wonderful photos.
Before you go back, don’t forget to go snorkeling near Air Island. The coral is deeper so more various types of fish live there. If you are a good swimmer, go deeper to see lobster and touch the fish.
You may ask the boat driver to take you around the Thousand Island, there is lagoon look alike, Karya Island with its white sand and other amazing islands. During the sunset, you may stop at Nusa Kerambah to enjoy the sunset and have dinner in the Nusa Restaurant. The restaurant is not very expensive, around Rp30,000 per person, subject to your own choices, of course.
The next morning, you may visit Conservation of Sea Turtle and Teripang in Pramuka Island or just playing on the beach before you go home. If you want to buy fresh fish to bring home, you may ask local people to take you by boat to Panggang Island.
Tips:
1. Wearing sunblock to avoid sunburnt.
2. Bring some snacks, you may feel hungry after snorkeling.
3. Bring towel dress for ladies and towel for man, you'll get wet and the wind is hard.

The Budget
Boat transfer from/to Muara Angke – Pramuka Island: Rp30,000/person.
Accomodation: Rp300,000 per room (max 4 persons) + extra bed Rp25,000.
Boat transfer for snorkeling: Rp300,000/day
Snorkeling equipment: Rp30,000 (fin, goggle and life jacket)
Food: at Nusa Kerambah (around Rp30,000 per person), at Pramuka Island around Rp10,000-Rp20,000 per person)

Contact person:
Wisma Dermaga: Hermanto / 021-33095523 / 0818779990
Villa Delima: Untung / 021 54373149 / 0813.19551955

Hot Tips: Feel free to ask them to arrange your accomodation, snorkeling and boat trip on your budget!

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xoxo,

Travelllicious