Two-Day Tour on Pulau Harapan

KOMPAS/JOHANES GALUH BIMANTARA

Holidaymakers enjoy snorkeling at Pulau Genteng Besar, Kepulauan Seribu, on Tuesday (19/6/2018).

A number of small islands, located not far from Jakarta, offer beautiful beaches and natural attractions. For those who don’t like swimming or snorkeling, they can try camping.

Long holidays, such as Idul Fitri, are the peak time for tourism on Pulau Harapan, which translates to Hope Island.

Tourists can enjoy the beaches and the natural beauty of the island, a part of Kepulauan Seribu, known as Thousand Islands, stretching about 45 kilometers north of Jakarta. However, tourists only use Pulau Harapan as a place to stay overnight, and they usually enjoy diving, snorkeling and natural sights on the neighboring islands.

On Tuesday, hundreds of tourists disembarked from wooden boats in a small port on Pulau Harapan to enjoy the beauty of the islands. Meanwhile, hundreds of other travelers embarked on their Jakarta-bound boats. Those who just arrived tried to find tour guides or entered residential areas to find places to stay overnight.

A Kompas reporter was part of the group of the exciting travelers. Unlike other travelers who took wooden boats from the Kali Adem port, Muara Angke, the Kompas reporter took a speedboat from the Marine Ancol port, from where it takes only about 1.5 hours to reach the island. It costs Rp 180,000 (US$12.80) per person to take a speedboat to the island. During the weekend or public holidays, the fee is Rp 225,000 per person. In fact, during the Idul Fitri holidays from June 13 to 18, the fee reaches Rp 270,000 per person. This is far higher than the entrance fee of Ancol Taman Impian (Ancol Dreamland), which is only Rp 25,000 per person.

Taking a wooden boat is less costly as the fee is only about Rp 60,000 per person. The boat departs from Kali Adem Port, Muara Angke, North Jakarta, at 8 a.m., and arrives three hours later. The trip is not only longer but also dangerous, especially if there are high waves. The boat is also crowded.

The lure of the island

Actually, Pulau Harapan does not have many tourist attractions. As one of the islands in the Kupulauan Harapan subdistrict in the northern part of the North Kepulauan Seribu district, the island no longer has a beach area. Surrounded by a concrete embankment, the island is a residential area with about 2,000 people. The access road on the island is only 1.5 meters wide. Motorbike horns unrelentingly blare along the small road.

However, just take it easy. The main part of the tour has not yet begun. Jupli Ali, the tour guide, explained that Pulau Harapan is used only to stay overnight, with lodging scattered across the island. If we want to enjoy the natural beauty, we can go to other smaller islands around Kepulauan Harpan.

The condition of Pulau Harapan is different from Pulau Pari and Pulau Tidung in the South Seribu Islands subdistrict, which not only provides places to stay but also offers beautiful panoramic views. Pari, for example, is famous thanks to the beauty of its Pantai Pasir Perawan (Virgin Sand Beach). Around the island there are also snorkeling locations.

Fortunately, the beautiful islands around Pulau Harapan are not too far and can be reached by boat. In a day, tourists can reach three islands to enjoy snorkeling and see the beauty of the fish and coral reefs. In fact, the allure of Pulau Harapan is its neighboring islands, where tourists can enjoy snorkeling all year round.

"During the east wind season, snorkeling is safer in the western area. In the west wind season, it is in the opposing area," said Jupli.

KOMPAS/JOHANES GALUH BIMANTARA

A traditional ship carrying passengers arrives at Pulau Kelapa Port in Kepulauan Seribu on Tuesday (19/6/2018). The ship was also carrying tourists from Kali Adem Port in Muara Angke, North Jakarta, who could not catch the vessels designated for holidaymakers.

During the east wind season, in June, snorkeling is safer in the waters of Pulau Mancan, Pulau Genteng and Pulau Melintang. Meanwhile, during the west wind season, it is time to enjoy the beauty of the waters of Pulau Putri Barat, Gusung Pulau Perak, Putri Timur and Pulau Sepa. As for Pulau Tidung, it is a popular residential island, which comprises two smaller islands, Pulau Tidung Besar and Tidung Kecil. "Even though there are waves, snorkeling is safe, but it is not comfortable," said Jupli.

It was time to test Jupli\'s words. On Tuesday afternoon, before exploring the islands and snorkeling, we had our lunch. The menu consisted of grilled fish, and fried chicken with chili. Usually, tourists are invited to have lunch together, and preparation can take one to two hours.

On that afternoon, from Pulau Harapan, we embarked on a boat owned by Jupli’s family. While crossing the small islands, he mentioned the names of the islands, including their new names. He also mentioned the names of the owners of about 20 private islands. The blue ocean panorama blended with the green waters. This was a refreshing view for eyes accustomed to the concrete jungle of Jakarta.

After 30 minutes sailing, it was time to jump into the waters of Pulau Genteng Besar. Large waves make it difficult to snorkel at the location, which is crowded by the fish. However, the view of beautiful fish swimming among coral reefs is a refreshing view.

For this reason, hiring a tour guide who is familiar with the locations is a must. "For a group of 10 to 15 people, two guides are enough. They can also help to take photos under the sea," said Jupli.

Besides snorkeling, tourists can also enjoy the beautiful beaches in the islands. Jupli took Kompas to Pulau Dolphin. Tourists can enjoy the white sandy beaches by playing in the sand or sitting on mats to comfortably enjoy the beautiful sea, or they can even play soccer. Other islands are usually used as stopovers, such as Pulau Cina, Pulau Perak, Pulau Bintang and Pulau Bula.

Jupli arranged Pulau Bula as the last destination of the tourists in the tour package because it is closer to Pulau Harapan. There, they enjoy the night panorama until 6 p.m. and then return.

The islands the tourists visit or pass by are part of two administrative areas: Pulau Harapan (such as Pulau Perak, Putri Barat and Timur, Pulau Bira Besar and Pulau Bula) and Pulau Kelapa subdistrict (including Pulau Genteng Besar and Kecil, Pulau Dolphin, Pulau Melintang and Pulau Macan).

Visitors who are reluctant to make their own travel schedules can buy tour packages. Some guides have social media accounts, including Jupli with Instagram and Facebook.

For example, there is a two-day and one-night tour package. The first day includes snorkeling on a number of small islands. The second day entails visiting the planting of mangroves and turtle breeding in Pulau Kelapa Dua. The packages include return trips from Kali Adem to Pulau Harapan, lodging in Pulau Harapan, three buffet meals and a barbecue with grilled fish and squid as its main dishes. The larger the group, the cheaper the price, which starts from Rp 300,000 per person for a group of 41 to 100 people, and up to Rp 900,000 per person for a group of two people.

Camping

For those who like camping, Pulau Dolphin and Pulau Cina are popular destinations. There are bathroom facilities and stalls. For overnight stays, each visitor pays Rp 25,000 per night to the island manager. Bring your own tent because they don’t rent out the tents.

Riko Sanjaya, 24, with his 12 friends was among those who camped at Pulau Dolphin. The young man from Cikarang, Bekasi, had just arrived there. "Last year, we went to Pulau Semut. Pulau Dolphin is also good too. So, we\'ll try it," he said.

They had also brought fishing rods with them. Pulau Dolphin can be accessed by boat from Pulau Harapan. It costs Rp 600,000. Aldri Rizky, 24, and 12 friends from Depok also tried the camping experiences. They arrived on Pulau Cina on Sunday and went home on Wednesday. "Every year, two days after Idul Fitri, we go to the island," he said. Previously, they had camped at Pulau Sepa, Pulau Semut, Pulau Semak Daun, and Pulau Melinjo. Camping has become their annual ritual.