Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands)

If you are in Jakarta over a weekend and don't want to spend it trailing around shopping malls, why not consider a short dive or snorkeling trip to the Thousand Islands (Pulau Seribu).

There are several tour operators who can arrange this trip. Prices will include the boat transfer from Ancol marina (fixed schedule) to one of the islands which has a hotel on it (e.g. Putri, Tiger). Food and accommodation are also included in the package. If you wish to dive or snorkelling, that would also be included.

Boats run on fixed schedule, few morning departures from the marina. The return trip will be either in the afternoon (around 2PM)or in the late afternoon (ie. 5PM)

Where to Go in Jakarta During the Holidays

As Christmas and New Year’s celebrations are only a few days away, it’s about time to make a list of places where you and your loved ones can spend quality time together during the holidays. Why not try to avoid Jakarta’s shopping centers and malls for a change? After all, you’re there all the time. Instead, you should consider attending some of the cultural attractions which, surprisingly, are scattered all over town. 

The Jakarta Globe has made its own list of five events and cultural sites that might help spread a little cheer, or at the very least some adventure, on your holiday.

Pulau Bidadari

Pulau Bidadari or Angel Island is a part of Kepulauan Seribu National Park, its 15 km away from Ancol Marina, North Jakarta and can be reached with 30-minute ride by speed boat. Pulau Bidadari was originally a vacant island of shrub forest with no inhabitants but it is gradually developed into a resort island that blends nature conservation, historical sites and recreational marine.

Ancol’s New Attraction

With one kilometer of bamboo scaffolding poking up from the cloudy water in the middle of Jakarta Bay, visitors to the Ancol amusement park can be forgiven for wondering just what is being built several hundred meters offshore.

The answer? A giant, rock-lined pit to hold millions of cubic meters of ooze and sludge dredged from the capital’s clogged rivers and reservoirs — and that should within a decade be firm enough to be used as reclaimed land.

Tugu Monas

National Monument or Monas is popularly called the Jakarta City icon. Not complete it if you visit Singapore, but not menyambangi 115-meter high monument. However, not all parts of the monument of interest. Only certain parts of the center of the visit.

"Monas peak height is still an object of the most popular visitors than other objects," said manager Monas monument, Ageng Darminto, in Jakarta, this weekend.