Komodo National Park is understandably popular for its iconic Komodo Dragon, but this park is so much more than that. The Komodo Islands consist of several amazing islands like Padar, Rinca, Morang, and many more. There is, however, a curious small island called Karang Sembilan.
This small coral curious island pack a great surprise for whoever visit it unplanned. Even though it is basically a speck in Indonesian scale, this island can be the loveliest place that will leave a lasting impression on you.
Location and how to get there
Karang Sembilan Island, and indeed the whole Komodo Islands, is not the easiest place to reach. This island is located near Komodo Island, you will need a three hours’ ride with a speed boat from the biggest city nearby; Labuhan Bajo. You can get to Labuhan Bajo via plane from most big cities in Indonesia. You can also come to this town on a ship.
Unique Formation
From a glance, you can see that this small island is very unusual. The first clue is the ‘soil’ of this island. This white island is actually not sand or dirt. It’s a heap of dead coral! It is very pretty to see but it is a pain in the feet to walk there barefooted. The dead corals are sharp and will hurt the palm of your feet. It’s probably comparable to stepping on lego bricks.
The second giveaway is the shape of the island itself. From above, this one looks like the letter 9. That is why locals call it Karang Sembilan, meaning coral nine.
The lagoon and the stingless jellyfish
The upper part of the 9 letters of this island is a somewhat square lagoon. As if that isn’t awespome enough, you can also find an endemic animal you can only find here.
This lagoon is a habitat of a stingless jellyfish. Now, there are many lakes with stingless jellyfish but here, the jellyfish is special with blue tentacles. You can, of course, swim with them. But you have to be really careful not to hurt them in any way.
Other Activities
Due to its size, there are not many things you can do on Karang Sembilan. However, you can do lots of fun activities in its waters. Many people paddle boarding, snorkeling, canoeing, or just swimming in the calm waters of this island. Since this island is rather far from any establishment, you need to bring your own equipment.
Karang Sembilan is just a small dot in the Komodo National Park, but it is every bit as unique as every other place. The best thing is that this place is also very instagramable, you will go home from this small wonder with a lot of happiness and photos.
