Touring Indonesia’s Amazing Borobudur Temple

When visiting Indonesia most travelers tend to make a beeline to the tourist mecca of Bali.ย  However, since it isย significantly more expensive to fly directly into Bali, I opted to start my trip in Indonesiaโ€™s capital, Jakarta.ย  Not only did this save me a couple hundred bucks, but it gave me the chance to explore the cultural and natural wonders of the island of Java.

If youโ€™re visiting Java, the tourist trail will eventually lead to the city of Yogyakarta, the base for visits to the worldโ€™s largest Buddhist temple, Borobudur.

Touring Indonesia's Amazing Borobudur Temple - Travel Lush

Borobudur was built around 800 CE and with thousands of intricately carved relief panels and hundreds of awe-inspiring Buddha statues, it still stands out asย anย impressiveย architectural and artistic feat of human history. ย A stop-off at this ancient wonder is pretty much obligatory and will likely be one of the most memorable experiencesย of your trip.

Taking the Borobudur Tour from Yogyakarta - Travel Lush

Taking the Borobudur Tour from Yogyakarta - Travel Lush

The temple appears to have been abandoned sometime in the 14th century, coinciding with the decline of Hindu power and the rise of Islam on Java.ย  Borobudur was lost for hundreds of years, buried under thick jungle and volcanic ash until it was finally rediscovered in 1814.ย  After a series of restorations, the temple was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 and is now the most visited tourist site in Indonesia.

And, from my experience, itโ€™s well worth a visit.

Taking the Borobudur Tour from Yogyakarta - Travel Lush

Taking the Borobudur Tour from Yogyakarta - Travel Lush

Taking the Borobudur tour from Yogyakarta

As some of you already know, Iโ€™m not really a big fan of package tours so I planned on visiting the temple independently from Yogyakarta.ย  However, Iโ€™d also heard rave reviews from fellow travelers about the Borobudur sunrise tour.

Unfortunately, taking public transport at such an early hour was not really an option, since I wouldnโ€™t have arrived until well after sunrise.ย  The only other affordable choiceย would have been to rent a motorbike, but since Yogyakarta is located 25 miles (40 km) from the temple, I didnโ€™t really trust myself to navigate a foreign cityโ€™s streets at 3:30 in the morning.ย  So I opted to buy a ticket on the Borobudur sunrise tour.

If youโ€™re based in Yogyakarta, most tour agencies offer two tours to Borobudur.ย  The “Borobudur sunrise tour” (400,000 rupiah) leaves at 3:30am and buys you access to the park before it actually opens so you can witness the sun come up from on top of the temple.

The second option (280,000 rupiah) departs around 5am and gets you to the park atย 6am when the park opens, just after sunrise.ย  I opted for the latter, since it was cheaper.ย  This option includes minivan transport and admission to the park โ€“ it does not include a guide.

By the time we got to the temple there were dozens of other minivans scattered around the parking lot.ย  Thankfully, I was traveling during the low season, so there werenโ€™t too many tourists that morning.ย  There was something quiet and peaceful about the grounds and as I walked around Borobudurย I was in awe.ย  Itโ€™s beautiful and itโ€™s astonishing that this cultural relic survived for over aย millennium. ย The pyramid-shaped structure is made up of nine platforms.ย ย I spent over two hours walking slowly around each layer of the temple, taking in the 2,672 relief panels and 504ย Buddha statues. ย Borobudur is absolutely amazing.ย  And trust me when I say it isย truly worth the trip toย Java.

Taking the Borobudur Tour from Yogyakarta - Travel Lush

Tips on Traveling to Borobudur

  • Free coffee: ย There is free coffee inside the ticket office.ย  This was kind of necessary given the early hour.
  • Bring your student ID:ย  I wish I would have known this beforehand, but there is a substantial discount on the admission fee if you have a student ID.ย  The rate for foreigners is 230,000 rupiah versus 110,000 rupiah for foreign students. ย If youโ€™re a student, donโ€™t buy your ticket from the tour agency.ย  Simply pay 75,000 rupiah for a seat in a minivan and buy your ticket at the park.ย  (Note: My student ID is long expired but I use it anyway!)
  • What to wear: ย While visiting cultural sites in Indonesia, I constantly stressed about what to wear.ย  Given the intense heat I always wanted to wear shorts and a tank top, but since this can be culturally insensitive in a Muslim country I always covered up.ย  However, at Borobudur all tourists are wrapped in a sarong, so donโ€™t worry if youโ€™re wearing shorts.ย  You wonโ€™t be turned away.
  • Bring an umbrella: ย Borobudur is entirely outside and there is no protection from the elements.ย  It started pouring as I wasย leaving the park.ย  Better to be safe than sorry.
  • Visit the museum:ย  The museum has really interesting photos and paintings of what the structure looked like when it was discovered and the work that went into restoring it.ย  It also gives a good idea of the meaning and history behind the monumentโ€™s reliefs, statues and design.
  • Think about getting a guide: ย I was too cheap to hire a guide.ย  However, I do regret not getting one as I would have learned a lot more about this amazing relic.

Taking the Borobudur Tour from Yogyakarta - Travel Lush

Taking the Borobudur Tour from Yogyakarta - Travel Lush

Heading to Yogyakarta? Make sure to read my guide on how to get toย Prambanan temple on a budget.

Are you a temple fiend, like me? ย What’s the most amazing temple you’ve visited during your travels?

About Justine

Justine Lopez is a California native who always seems to take the unconventional route in life. She also suffers from a serious case of wanderlust. In 2013, she set out on a yearlong round-the-world journey and never looked back. Since then she's lived the expat life in Jakarta, Phnom Penh, Beijing, and Ho Chi Minh City. She's now living and working as a freelance writer in Dubai. As she meanders her way through Asia she's always seeking out great vegetarian food, pretty beaches, and amazing new travel destinations.

21 thoughts on “Touring Indonesia’s Amazing Borobudur Temple

  1. We’ve missed Borobudur, unfortunately, since airplane tickets were already sold out and we could fly from Bali do Yogya. We’re really sad for not seeing it and your pictures show that we’ve missed a lot.
    Beautiful photos!

    1. It was really amazing! But, hey, I’m seriously jealous of you guys and your trip to Rinca. I guess we both have another reason to visit Indonesia. It’s a seriously amazing country!!

    1. I agree. I trailed behind a few tour groups and heard bits and pieces of the stories. It was very interesting. And it brought about a whole new appreciation of the temple. That’s so cool you spent a semester studying the reliefs!

    1. Totally. The temples of Central Java should definitely not be missed. They are seriously impressive! I absolutely love Angkor Wat in Cambodia. But Borobudur is my second favorite temple in Asia ๐Ÿ™‚ I’m dying to go to Machu Picchu. I’m actually leaving in a couple weeks to go somewhere in Latin America. I haven’t decided yet, but Peru is very high on my list!

  2. We only had 2 weeks in Indonesia. With flights from the states and back, we were down to 11 days. We spent two in Jakarta and then went to Bali (we wanted to dive…). If only we had another week, I would have added Yogyakarta and Borobudur to our itinerary. I tried, but it was too time intensive to do. Ugh! Your pictures are great! Glad it was awesome. Next time I will not make the same mistake! ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. I can totally relate. Indonesia’s such a huge country. I had two months there and I still feel like I barely scratched the surface! It would have been way too much for you to fit in to two weeks. So it’s probably for the best that you skipped it. You should definitely put it on your list for you next trip ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. I have never been there but I definitely want to go! Your pictures are amazing and I would love to learn more about Borobudur and of course, enjoy some free coffee! ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. You should definitely go! It’s just one of those places that needs to be seen in person. It’s absolutely amazing. Haha, I guess I was overly excited about the free coffee. But I was pretty sick and totally exhausted that morning so I was jazzed when I noticed the free coffee ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Thank You very much for all the tips !! I’m not a fan of yours either and your tips have been very useful ๐Ÿ™‚
    I’m heading to Yogyakarta now, and I wil follow all your advise to save some Rupias

  5. I just checked your list of Blog Commenting Sites and found it unique. Iโ€™ll surely return to you for more tips and sites that help me. Thanks….. Interesting blog. Please provide more details about it. Thank you. I am waiting for your next article……..

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