Most visitors to Jakarta have no idea that there are idyllic tropical islands only a short boat ride away. Thousand Islands Jakarta sit right on the doorstep of the Indonesian Capital, and yet remain one of the city’s most well kept secrets. But how do you get to Thousand Islands, and what is there to do? In this review of a Thousand Islands Jakarta Day Trip, I will step you through exactly what to expect.
This article may contain affiliate links. If you click on those links and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you I will get a small commission. This will go a long way toward keeping this website running. As always, thank you for your support! Click HERE for more information.
Table of Contents
- Where are Thousand Islands?
- The Thousand Islands Jakarta Day Trip
- Where to book a Thousand Islands Jakarta day trip
- Day Trip or Overnight Stay?
- Things to know before you go
- Summary
Where are Thousand Islands?
Thousand Islands lie strung out directly north of Jakarta. There are 342 islands in total, but only 36 islands are able to be used for recreation. Of these, only 11 have resorts or facilities for the public.
The closest islands to Jakarta are only a short 25 minute boat ride, while the furthest islands in the group are 3 hours or more away.
The Thousand Islands Jakarta Day Trip
Heading to Thousand Islands is something that I had wanted to do for a long time. Getting there seemed like it would be a hassle though, so I just never really looked into it. Until recently, and on my latest trip to Jakarta we bit the bullet and made some enquiries.
The truth is that it is actually really easy to get to Thousand Islands! You simply book and pay online, receive the details you need, and turn up at the boat on the morning that you have booked. It’s really as simple as that, and almost everything else is paid for! Later in this article I will drop the details for one of the boat companies (the one we used) that you can contact and make bookings through.
The other way is simply to turn up at Ancol Marina on the day that you want to go to Thousand Islands Jakarta, and book passage at the ticket office. It’s always safer to book ahead, but you CAN do it this way. If you shop around you may even save some money on the day, but if you are pressed for time and want to make sure you don’t miss out, then booking ahead is a lot safer. Especially on weekends and public holidays.
Ancol Marina
Your day will start at Ancol Marina. Pantai Ancol is a large recreational area on the seaside in Jakarta, and you will have to pass through gates when you arrive. You will have to pay for entry here, however if you booked ahead then it will possibly be included in the price. The company will have sent you a QR code, which you present at the gates for scanning before you head into the marina.
Once you arrive at the marina, locate the dock that you were told to meet up at. They are clearly numbered, and if you catch GRAB, they should drop you at the right spot anyway.
Let the staff know that you have arrived, and then take a seat in the seated area and await for your name to be called. If you need drinks or snacks, there’s a small corner store right there to pick anything up last minute.
Once your name is called, follow directions of staff to your boat. Simple as that.
The Boat to Thousand Islands
On the boat, you will probably be directed into the nicely air conditioned main cabin. On a busy day, this will get quite full, but here’s a tip.
If you suffer seasickness, want fresh air or even just to enjoy more of the views during the passage, head upstairs! Like most boats around Indonesia, these ones have the driver up top, and extra seating right behind him. The breeze blows through, and even though it’s not A/C it’s quite comfortable and the views are a lot better.
Once you get going, you will chug slowly out of the harbor before the driver opens it up. After about 25 minutes you will begin passing a couple of island to the right and left, notably Pulau Onrust and Pulau Bidadari. These are the first of the Thousand Islands Jakarta group, and are very popular for short daytrips, especially for families.
The water this close to Jakarta is still very polluted though, and swimming actually isn’t possible except in resort pools. The air is also still full of smog, so you will be happy to continue past these islands and further out into the ocean.
After about 1 hour you will notice the water clearing up. The trash slowly disappears and the sea takes on the beautiful tropical blue you would expect from an island getaway. This is when more islands begin appearing thick and fast, one after another.
Most of the time on your Thousand Islands Jakarta day trip, your boat will be required to stop at several other islands for drop offs. This gives you a look at some other ports of call, just in case you return one day and want to try something new.
Pulau Pelangi
One of the things that you will have to decide on when you book your Thousand Islands Jakarta day trip is which island you want to go to. This might be decided on price, or on what you want to do when you are on the island. For us, we just wanted a quiet island where we could enjoy relaxing and doing some snorkeling.
We chose Pulau Pelangi, for no reason other than it seemed like it would be nice and quiet. It certainly was! So in that regard it was the perfect choice.
The boat pulled into the dock where we were greeted by the island staff, in particular the resort manager who came out to meet and welcome us. It felt a lot of Fantasy Island (for those that remember that TV show). He introduced himself and immediately guided us to the office where we had a welcome drink, and he gave us a full rundown of the resort, the island and the facilities available to us.
Because we were on a booked day trip, nearly everything was available for us to use for free. This included the bicycles, snorkeling gear, canoes, SUP and Kayaks. There were also ATV’s and Scuba Gear but this all came at an additional price.
Lunch would be served at a set time in the restaurant and was also included.
The time on the island was basically about 4 hours, which didn’t seem like much, but as we found out, it was a very small island. We rode pushbikes around the island, finding some beautiful little beaches with idyllic views, and even a shipwreck which was great for photos. There were places to lay back on beach chairs and just fall asleep listening to the lapping water, and jungle to explore through the middle of the island.
By the dock area there is plenty of nice places to snorkel, and if you like you can just take the gear to the other side of the island and snorkel around there as well. It’s only a short ride away. The time on the island was able to be used any way that we wanted, and we seemed like we had it totally to ourselves. We only saw one other couple, and they had stayed the night at the resort and we didn’t see them until we were about to leave.
Lunch was served in the restaurant which is built out over the water, has incredible views of the other islands, and a circular opening in the middle that you can watch the fish through. The food was buffet style, and had stir fry (cap cay), a chicken dish and prawn dish, along with rice and fresh juice.
The boat returned to pick us up at 2pm, and we had done so much in our few hours on the island we were actually ready for a rest, so relaxed on our trip back to the marina.
Where to book a Thousand Islands Jakarta day trip
There are a lot of places that might offer a trip, but we found that if you want to book online ahead of time, then THIS IG is a really popular and reputable place to do it.
Pulau Seribu is one of the most popular islands in the Thousand Islands group, and this company will take you there, as well as to several other islands nearby, depending upon which package you book. I am not in any way affiliated with this company, and only recommend them as I booked my own tour with them and they were professional, courteous, and we had a great time!
Day Trip or Overnight Stay?
If you are pressed for time, then a Thousand Islands Jakarta Day Trip is definitely worth it! The boat ride was a couple of hours each way, but a very enjoyable trip. The 4 or so hours on the island was plenty, with it being only a small island, and relaxing on the beach felt just so far away from the smog and pollution of Jakarta, which in reality is so close.
Most people from Jakarta will opt for an overnight stay though. This is good for a slightly extended break, and means you don’t have to jump right back onto the boat again that same day. Just be aware that some of the island facilities and accommodation is old and run down. Covid really took its toll on some of the resorts, and even though it is several years later now, they are still really getting back on their feet.
For an island getaway though, it’s still a LOT cheaper, and faster, than booking a flight to Bali.
Things to know before you go
Here is a list of some of the top tips and info that will help you out before you head to Thousand Islands Jakarta.
- Take GRAB car to Ancol Marina as they have a collaboration with Ancol and you won’t have to pay extra for the car to enter.
- Book ahead if you can. This will save your seat and have the entire day paid for so there are no unexpected surprises. It’s nice to arrive on the island and be able to use everything for free.
- Avoid weekends and public holidays. We actually went on a Sunday, and even though we had the island to ourselves, the boat was really full. If we went on a weekday, there would be a lot less stops at other islands and more time on OUR island.
- A lot of time is spend on the boat. No matter what time you go, on a day trip you will still spend a couple of hours on the boat in both directions. Unless of course you go to a closer island, but the closer you go, the more polluted it will be. At least an hour out from the Marina is best.
- Take sunscreen, drinks, hat and change of clothes with you.
- Check out THIS COMPANY if you want to book your day trip ahead of time.
- Your day will start around 7am and finish between 4pm and 5pm, depending on how many stops the boat has to take.
Summary
A Thousand Islands Day Trip is well worth checking out if you are in Jakarta. It’s a great break from the big city, and a few hours on a tropical island is just an idyllic way to spend a day and relax.
Leave a reply