We recently took a day trip to one of the Thousand Islands near Jakarta. Bidadari island is the closest island to Jakarta and once you get to Ancol Marina it is a 30 minute speedboat ride to get to the island. We phoned the booking office a day ahead to confirm the departure time and availability.
We reached Ancol just after 10.30 on a Sunday morning, went to the ticket office and purchased our tickets for the trip. The boat left the Marina at Pier #17 at 11 am, with a few day trippers and over-nighters onboard. The boat was safe with plenty of life vests and seats on board. We arrived on the island at 11.30 and were welcomed with a refreshing drink. We took a walk around the island along the sandy beach and past some cottages where you can stay overnight. We found ourselves a shady spot, lazed by the beach and the kids enjoyed playing in the water. The beach is clean but in the water you see the odd rubbish floating around being so close to Jakarta.
From the main beach you look back on the skyline of Jakarta which makes for a different view. There a few activities on offer. You can hire bicycles for the kids, banana boat or jet ski. There is a small kids pool next to the restaurant. With our package price came a basic Indonesian buffet lunch and a soft drink, though you could take your own picnic to the island if you preferred.
We stayed on the island until 6pm. The sun was just setting and it was a beautiful view to watch the sunset before we boarded the speed boat and returned to Jakarta 30 minutes later.
If you would like to go to Bidadari Island you can phone their booking office the day before to confirm your arrival. One day tour includes boat transfer, welcome drink, soft drink, lunch & tax and service for Rp. 265,000 per person. Children 2 years old are same price as Adult. You can also stay overnight on the island.
For more information check out their website: http://www.bidadariisland.com/
Phone: 021-6411764
Words & photos by Simone Osborne.