My husband and I are headed to Naha next week, and are planning to do a day trip to one of the Kerama Islands. We were originally set on Zamami but did not realize how popular the ferries are and the 9am high speed ferries are all sold out (similarly for the last return ferry). We also called to confirm phone tickets are also sold out. So now we are rethinking which island to visit as our only option is the slow ferry, with the following schedules:
Zamami (2h ferry ride, 4h stay)
– Departure ferry at 10am, arrive 12pm
– Return ferry at 4pm, arrive 6pm
Aka (1.5h ferry ride, 5h stay)
– Departure ferry at 10am, arrive 11:30am
– Return ferry at 4:30pm, arrive 6pm
Tokashiki (70min ferry ride, ~5h stay)
– Departure ferry at 10am, arrive 11:10am
– Return ferry at 4pm, arrive 5:10pm
We primarily want to hang out at a nice beach and snorkel. We are experienced snorkelers, have our own gear, and do not require facilities. We are choosing between the following:
– Furuzamami Beach at Zamami
– Aharen Beach and Uninhabited Island at Tokashiki
– Hizushi Beach or Nishibama Beach at Aka
We read a lot of highly recommended reviews for Furuzamami Beach and Zamami but are wondering if it’s really worth it considering the long travel time and short stay.
We are now leaning toward Aka Island as it’s supposed to be less crowded and we now realize how busy the islands will be!
Interested to learn what people recommend based on their experience or if they have other recommendations due to this hiccup in our plans!
by SlightWindow6922
1 comment
Furuzamami Beach has very large closed sections for swimming and snorkeling as they are trying to limit damage to the coral . You can only swim in designated sections. It is still a very beautiful beach, but not ideal for free snorkeling. Aka Island was wonderful for snorkeling. Stay away from the enclosed beach next to the camp grounds and walk over to any of the other beaches. We swam with sea turtles and I had to tell my kid to stop trying to touch them (there are signs saying not to). We also saw quite a few deer running around, which we didn’t see on Zamami. We stayed a few days on Zamami, and were pleasantly surprised how nice Aka was on our last day of our stay. When I do it again, I’m going to sign up for a snorkeling or diving tour, the boats seemed to be in places it would be difficult to access from shore. We did a 2 hour fishing trip around the islands, and caught so many fish we had to have them frozen and mailed back to the main island to share with friends and family.