Kecapi Village is a large, spread-out durian zone filled with durian trees and durian sellers. It’s an excellent destination for a Jepara Durian Hop, which is exactly what we did one dusty afternoon.
Here are 5 Kecapi Durian Sellers we visited and the best durians we’ve eaten in Kecapi from each of them.
About Kecapi Village
Kecapi is actually a fruit sometimes known as Santol (Sandoricum koetjape), which is a bit strange because Kecapi Village is famous for durians and furniture. I am not sure you can even find any Kecapi fruits there today. We didn’t see any, and asking local friends confirmed that Kecapi does not grow kecapi.
The story of how Kecapi got its name goes back to an ancient story about Queen Shima, the powerful fem ruler of the Kalingga Kingdom from 648-695 AD.
Her capital was in nearby Keling District, Jepara. According to the story, when she was pregnant she got strong cravings for the Kecapi fruit, and walked with her handmaidens searching the local villages until she found the site of her desires. She named the village Kecapi.
So Kecapi has been a Fruit Pilgrimage site since the ancients!
But today, you don’t have to be pregnant to sate your strong fruit cravings in Kecapi.
Like many people, we visited Kecapi to hunt durians because the area is only a 15-minute drive from Jepara City, and of course we want the freshest, most delicous, straight-from-the-farm durian experience.
Kecapi Village is actually spread out over a big area of mixed urban-agricultural zone, and comprises around 10-13 smaller villages inside of it.
There are many, many durian farms to visit in this area, but we focused only on Kecapi Telahap, where there are 4 Durian Farms within walking distance.
8 Tips for a Successful Kecapi Telahap Durian Hop:
- Take off your shoes on the front porch
- Go with a local friend
- Go around 9 or 10 am
- Drink plenty of water beforehand!
- Try 2-3 durians per farm to get a range of flavors
- Book ahead to get the recommended variety from each farm
- Walk from farm to farm to gear up your appetite. They’re only around 500 meters distant from each other.
- Bring plenty of Rupiah. A small 1-1.5kg durian costs around 80,000 IDR each ($5.70 USD each, or like MYR 20 per kg for good quality kampung).
1. Durian Bu Lastri
Our first stop on our epic Jepara Durian Hop was Bu Lastri’s Durian House (Rumah Durian Bu Lastri).
Bu Lastri is the matriarch of a large Durian-obsessed family. She has 7 children, all of whom grow durian, as well as many grandchildren. Most of the durians on her farm bear the names of the family-member who has selected it as their personal favorite.
The family lives together in 3 or 4 houses clustered around their woodshop. Durian trees are interspersed around the compound, dropping onto the dusty ground in clouds of red dust.
The eating area is on a beautiful blanket spread across Bu Lastri’s front porch.
It’s a homey, cozy space filled with many people and many durians.
Bu Lastri says that the tradition started with her parents, who would often have neighbors hanging around to eat durian.
As the quality of their durians became more well-known, Jepara durian-lovers began to seek them out.
Then a few years ago her son Zainal took a particular interest in durians. Zainal is a member of several durian-hunting groups online, and his friendship with Isnul’s Specialty Durian increased his own interest in finding and naming their family’s best durians.
Here are some the best durians we ate at Bu Lastri’s:
Sukun
Zainal’s personal favorite is a perfectly ball-shaped durian he calls Sukun, which means “breadfruit.”
He says he likes Sukun because it has a fluffy texture, very soft and smooth, and also the color is pretty.
We loved it’s butterscotch sweetness, caramelized and buttery with a pleasant sugary aftertaste that lingers like a pastry.
Durian Kempling
This one has a lovely mellow bitterness that gives it a bit more “oomph” than many of the durians in Jepara. It still has notes of honey and a delicacy you won’t find from other places, but I really appreciated a touch intensity and aroma.
2. Kebun Durian Suharto
Pak Suharto is actually the brother of Bu Lastri. He works at the furniture-making shop just across the driveway from her house, so you might see him around if you visit.
He and his wife Ibu Nyarmi have 16 durian trees on their farm just a short walk away, across the street, towards the river.
There are no shelters on the farm, so eating durians under the trees is definitely an experience to book ahead of time.
Durian Kholil
His most famous durian is a super light-textured, copper-colored durian he has named after his son, Kholil.
This durian reminded me a lot of Little Red from Penang. It was sweet and had a mild coffee after-taste, while maintaining that sweet, honeyed after-taste that I’m coming to love from Jepara durians.
3. Durian Bu Haji Gipah
Bu Haji Gipah’s is a classic in Kecapi Telahap and was the first house to get famous as a durian center around 30 years ago.
Bu Haji Gipah herself is rarely around these days. She’s a tiny old lady in her 80’s with bad arthritis.
Mostly, you’ll find her daughter Kathi sitting on a low stool amongst the durian piles.
The family’s house is now a Jepara durian wholesaler and distribution center who supplies durians for people selling at other markets.
You will find the biggest piles of durian here of anywhere in Kecapi Telahap.
You’ll also find the most people sitting on benches along the front of the house, snacking durian.
There are so many durians you are guaranteed to find something delicious – but it may take some sorting.
We noticed a lot of less than ideal durians floating around those piles – things that were old, splitting, yellowed, or with obvious disease marks.
So when we ate our durian here, we took care to chose it ourselves.
4. Warung Durian Mas Yongki & Mbak Nur
Mbak Nur may win the award as the sweetest durian seller in Kecapi Telahap.
She and her husband, Mas Yongki, have a small durian stall set up in front of their red-brick house, just about 500 meters from Bu Haji Gipah.
It’s a quieter, more personal experience. Just one wooden table in the shade of an overhang, with chickens running about the yard.
Some of them love durian, and can be aggressive about trying to share with you!
There are fewer durians to choose from than at any of the other stalls, but in our experience they were good.
She hasn’t named her durians (yet) but we hope she will.
This larger-size fruit was especially nice. We ate it at around 9:30AM, when it was still so fresh it was numbing! It was light and nutty, like a cashew cream mixed honey and then dipped in something cold.
It’s not the fleshiest durian in the world, but in terms of pleasantness it was top-notch.
Where to Stay in Kecapi
Most people will end up staying in Jepara City because the drive to Kecapi is so short; however if you like the quieter village life and your durians within walking distance, you may choose to stay for a few relaxed days durian hopping in Kecapi.
You have 2 options:
Hotel Shilla Cafe & Resto
A brand new option, Hotel Shilla opened in August, 2020 and is only 500 meters from Durian Bu Gipah’s and 850 meters from Bu Lastri’s. In terms of making this your durian-home-away-from-home, this is a prime location.
We haven’t stayed here yet ourselves, having only just noticed it on our last trip to see Bu Haji Gipah, but it looks very nice. According to the receptionist, a room costs 590,000 IDR ($42 USD) per night and can be booked online through Facebook.
The Country Gecho Inn
This is directly other side of the river from Kecapi Telahap, in Kecapi Ngesong.
Because there isn’t any way to cross the river, you have to go around to the nearest bridge, which is about 3km distant from the Durian Stops in Kecapi Telahap, or around 5 minutes driving.
It is a beautiful hotel with a peaceful garden and large, spacious rooms. The price seems to average around only 350,000 IDR ($) on Agoda, so that’s a pretty good value hotel find!
Finding Kecapi Telahap
You can find all of the farms mentioned on this post on the map below.
Use Google Maps to navigate, as there are few if any street signs.
And let us know if you need any help in your Epic Jepara Durian Hop!
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