Thousand Island lies in the waters of Jakarta Bay which has 100 miles length and 108,000 ha width. There’re about 110 islands, in some large and small group of islands in the Thousand Island. Those islands divided into tourism islands, conservation, historical island, and island for community empowerment in accordance with the characteristics differences between each island.
Thousand Island is a district under the government of DKI Jakarta Province and is headed by a regent which office is on Pramuka Island. As the capital district, Pramuka Island has a complete infrastructure such as school buildings, sports facilities, an integrated security system to health facility and hospital units with some speed boat ambulance.
There’re 45 islands that are meant for tourism destination which are classified into general tourism and special tourism. Among the islands that are included in Thousand Island, six of them have been made as the tourism islands. Those six islands are Ayer Island, Bidadari Island, Kotok Island, Putri Island, Pantara Island, and Sepa Island. Those tourism islands equipped with adequate and even complete facilities and infrastructure.
Tourism Islands in the Thousand Island have a good quality of accommodations with unique architecture and interesting interior. Some of the lodging has a room with a standard suite and executive room. Other supporting facilities on the tourism islands of Thousand Islands\ are such as meeting/convention room, bar, restaurant, karaoke, discotheque, swimming pool, tennis field, beach volley and souvenir shops.
Some tourism islands provide a package called "inter island tours" that allow tourists to visit the islands around with all the charm various natural beauties they have. Islands that do not provide resort equipped with home stay accommodation that are provided among the residence of local people who lives there. Among the islands that provide such accommodation are Pramuka Island and Untung Java Island.
Transportation
It will require about 20 minutes to reach the nearest island and three hours to reach the farthest island by riding speedboat from the port of Marina Ancol.
Some management of the tourism islands has its own transportation facility. Likewise to the government of Thousand Island district. The ships are operated every day to facilitate the needs of tourists and local residents to visit tourism islands or other island with local people settled there. The ships depart from the Marina Ancol at 08.00 or at 09.00 and return from the island at13:30 or at 14.00 Western Indonesian Time (WIB)
In addition to the speedboat, other transportations used are timber ships (some kind of traditional boat) with capacity of 50 - 60 passengers. Those raditional and motorized boats that is equipped with life jackets for passengers are departing every day from Muara Angke Port to Pramuka Island and Panggang Island with transit time about 2.5 to 3 hours.
Sports and Recreations
Thousand Island waters with its diversity of marine’s flora and fauna makes this place become comfortable place for nautical sports and recreation. You can experience various kind of sports and recreational facilities with marine nuances at Thousand Island such as Jet Ski, Canoe, fishing, wind surfing, snorkeling, and scuba diving. Other sports that tourists usually like to do there are jogging, tennis, beach volley, billiard, and golf are also available at Thousand Islands.
Travelers can also use having fun with glass bottom boat at Putri Island to see the diversity of underwater wealth there or playing with banana boat with family or friends.
Resort Islands in Thousand Island
There’re few islands at Thousand Island managed to be resort island or tourism island that are equipped with complete facilities.
Conservation and Historical Island
In the area of Thousand Island you can find a National Park which is named Thousand Island National Park which includes 44 islands in the Thousand Island area. The width of Thousand Island National Park is approximately 110ha. National park area has a high conservation value because of the type and diversity of the ecosystem there.
Other Side of Thousand Island
The attraction of Thousand Island is not only on the natural panorama. Other attractions are witnessed local people routine activities like doing culture seaweed business, grouper fish, making boat/ship and the conservation of turtle shell.
Many of Thousand Island communities, particularly those residing on Pramuka Island lives from making many kinds snacks that many local residents and visitors of Pramuka Island fond of.
Parts of Thousand Island that become residential for local people and interesting to visit are Pramuka Island, Untung Jawa Island, Harapan Island, Kelapa Island, Panggang Island, and Tidung Island with local people's daily activity as fishermen, businessmen, traders and employees.
Tips for Thousand Island
•Foreign tourists are generally visiting the island that already have full facilities and infrastructure such as Ayer Island, Bidadari Island, Kotok Island, Putri Island, Pantara Island, and Sepa Island. Some of the management of tourism island (resort island) in the Thousand Island are offering a day visit to the island. Travelers depart from Marina Ancol Jakarta in the morning toward one of the tourism island and return to Jakarta in the afternoon.
•Local tourists are generally like to visit Pramuka Island besides tourism island (Resort Island) in the Thousand Island. The reasons for local tourists visited Pramuka Island is the price that is cheaper than tourism islands. However, it should be noted that the existing facilities at Pramuka Island is not as complete as at tourism islands.
•If you do not really depend on complete facilities and interested in visiting the Pramuka Island then what you should know are that you can reach Pramuka Island by wooden ship that depart from Muara Angke port, Jakarta, every day on around 6 to 7:30 am. Return schedule from Pramuka Island to Muara Angke is every day at 1 pm. Transit time from Muara Angke to Pramuka Island or vise versa is about 2.5 - 3 hours. There’s no automatic transfer machine (ATM) at the Pramuka Island or at other islands in the Thousand Islands.
•Pramuka Island has limited the source of electricity of which will be turned off several hours in the afternoon. It’s suggested not to turn on air conditioner until 21:00pm at night.
•There are several home stay on Pramuka Island and lodging that is located strategically on the Island. Usually the lodging in Pramuka Island would be fully booked on holiday season by groups of traveler.
•Tourists are usually like to swim, snorkel and dive at around Pramuka Island. To make the traveling cost cheaper it’s recommended to travel to Pramuka Island with minimum three people. It’s because the cost to do marine sports activities (like diving and snorkeling) is quite a lot since you have to rent a boat to find good spots on the sea to dive or snorkel. If you visit with a group of people you can share the cost of renting boat.
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