12 Best Yogyakarta Tours: Borobudur, Merapi, Jomblang & More

Looking for the best tours in Yogyakarta?

Whether you want to watch sunrise at Borobudur, explore Prambanan, descend into Jomblang Cave, ride a jeep around Mount Merapi, or visit Dieng Plateau, Yogyakarta offers some of the most memorable day trips in Indonesia.

After spending several months in Jogja, these are the tours and experiences I believe are genuinely worth your money.

Volcanoes, caves, temples… Adventures or a slow day of cultural immersion… Your thing is here, no matter who you are!

Quick Comparison: Which Yogyakarta Tour Is Right for You?

Tour	Time	For	My Rating
Borobudur Sunrise	Half Day	First-time visitors	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Prambanan Sunset	Half Day	Temple lovers	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ramayana Ballet	Evening	Culture & performance	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Merapi Jeep Tour	Half Day	Adventure seekers	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jomblang Cave	Full Day	Unique experiences	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Batik Workshop	Half Day	Culture & creativity	⭐⭐⭐
Yogyakarta Food Tour	Evening	Foodies	⭐⭐⭐
Mount Merbabu Trek	2 Days	Hikers & photographers	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Selogriyo Rice Terrace Trek	Half Day	Nature lovers	⭐⭐⭐
Countryside Cycling Tour	Half Day	Active travelers	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Timang Beach	Full Day	Adventure seekers	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dieng Plateau Sunrise	Full Day	Landscapes & photography	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Short on time? Book Borobudur sunrise, Prambanan sunset, and a Merapi Jeep Tour. These are the three tours I recommend most often to first-time visitors.

Want something unique? Jomblang Cave and Timang Beach are unlike anything else in Indonesia.

Prefer culture over adventure? The Ramayana Ballet and a Batik Workshop are excellent choices.

1. Sunrise at Borobudur

That’s the mandatory Yogyakarta experience, isn’t it?

Who hasn’t heard of Borobudur, the biggest Buddhist temple in the world? I kid you not, some people get off the plane at Yogyakarta, go to visit Borobudur, then promptly return to the airport the same day and continue elsewhere.

Yes, it’s that famous.

So what better setting for a wonderful sunrise than its 73 stupas?

The main choice you have to make is whether to watch the sunrise on top of Borobudur or from a nearby hill with the sun rising behind Borobudur. Check out the difference and practical details in this Borobudur guide.

This half-day Borobudur tour allows you to customize your experience. It also includes pick-up, transport, and a local guide.

2. Sunset at Prambanan

If the morning appearance of the sun is reserved for Borobudur, then its late afternoon disappearance is best experienced at Prambanan – the second-largest Hindu temple complex in the world.

I like Prambanan more than Borobudur, to be honest:

• It’s a collection of temples (around 100, both big and small!).
• There are three smaller, but equally impressive Buddhist temples included in the price (Candi Sewu, Lumbung, and Bubrah).
• All in all, Prambanan has a more mystical feel to it. Something about Hinduism just makes its temples cool!

This Prambanan Sunset tour has been booked more than 2000 times and is fully customizable!

Alternatively, you can stay after sunset and watch the Ramayana Ballet which takes place on the stage near Prambanan. This combo tour is the perfect choice.

3. Watch the Ramayana Ballet at Prambanan

The Ramayana Ballet takes place next to Prambanan Temple and has been regularly performed since 1961. It is the biggest traditional dance performance in all of Indonesia (bigger than the ones in Bali)!

The Ramayana Ballet takes place after sunset and is very easily combined with a visit to Prambanan. Check out my full guide with useful information about watching the Ramayana Ballet.

You can book the experience here:

• Just a ticket (choose class): BOOK THIS ONE
• Prambanan Sunset + Ramayana Ballet: BOOK THIS ONE
• Ramayana Ballet + Dinner: BOOK THIS ONE

4. Watch Real Lava at the Merapi Volcano

Yogyakarta is very near one extremely active volcano: Gunung Merapi.

Merapi is one of the decade volcanoes, a set of 16 volcanoes considered worthy of extensive study due to their destructive eruptions and proximity to population centers.

And yes! Merapi is extremely active! Not a year goes by without a sizable eruption, and in recent history, 3 devastating ones.

Considering that, it’s no surprise that the area surrounding the volcano is off-limits for visitors.

However!

After dark and at the appropriate place, you can see lava flowing out of Merapi’s crater while being a safe distance away yourself.

Merapi tours will take you on a jeep around the volcano, and the guides know the best places to see the lava.

5. Rappel Down Jomblang Cave

Jomblang Cave is unique in that it formed not due to ages of water slowly grinding away at rock (as in most caves), but in a sudden collapse that formed a vertical sinkhole.

That’s right, Goa Jomblang (Goa is the Indonesian word for cave) is a vertical 90-meter deep hole that the Javanese call a “luweng“.

Jomblang Cave is also an ancient plant conservation site because the vegetation growing inside is unique.

Another awesome thing is the beautiful ray of light that you can only watch between 11:00 and 12:00 due to the small area of the mouth of the cave.

You will get rappelled down the 90-meter hole just before this small window of time and do what locals call “the muddy walk” for 20-30 minutes.

Then, when you turn around, you will be able to watch the sunray go straight inside the cave with you below. Simply marvelous.

6. Join a Batik Class

Yogyakarta is not only about temples, adventures, and adrenaline.

Jogja is also a city associated with culture, crafts, and arts.

And no crafty art is more Indonesian than the mighty batik: the UNESCO-recognized method of illustrating cloth by applying wax.

In a batik class, you will go through all the steps of batik creation:

• Sketch your unique design on the cloth.
• Heat some wax on a stove.
• Fill the canting with wax.
• Trace the pattern on the cloth.
• Select vibrant colors and paint the cloth.
• Remove the wax from the cloth by repeatedly dipping it in boiling water.
• Allow the fabric to dry.

The whole process takes 4-5 hours, during which you will have helpful and experienced batik masters navigating you.

Best of all, you will get to take your new batik creation with you!

7. Sample Local Food

Indonesia has some truly delicious (and sometimes overwhelmingly spicy) food!

Moreover, Yogyakarta has some unique foods that originate from the city. These include:

• Bakpia: a flaky pastry filled with mung bean paste, chocolate, or something else.
• Wedang Ronde: a hot, sweet soup of rice dough balls and gingery, sugary syrup.
• Kopi Joss: A local variant of coffee where burning charcoal is dipped in it for a little.
• Gudek: a stew of unripe jackfruit chunks in coconut milk.

Of course, there are also your usual Indonesian snacks and desserts.

A guided food tour helps you discover dishes you would probably walk past without realizing their cultural significance.

I suggest you book this night walking and food tour, especially if you want more information about the foods, how they are prepared, and other interesting facts.

8. Soar Above the Clouds at Mount Merbabu

While Mount Merapi is closer to Yogyakarta and very violent and unpredictable, right behind it is Mount Merbabu: a taller and more peaceful (its last eruption was in 1797) volcano that those in shape can conquer.

Rising 3145 meters above sea level, the sunrise there is always impressive!

Hiking to the summit is arduous!

Most ascents start in the evening at the village of Selo and hike up to base camp 2 or 3. It’s no Everest, but there are indeed base camps on the way.

There, hikers rest for a few hours before waking up in the middle of the night to get to the peak. If you want the sunrise, you have to work for it!

Oh my, you’d think hiking would be simple, but not Merbabu! You have to book a ticket, carefully pack the required materials and the necessary amount of water, monitor your waste, and other minor things. And you must have a local guide accompany you.

An organized tour will take care of everything and allow you to focus on what matters most – enjoying the experience.

9. Trek Through Rice Terraces at Selogriyo

When most people hear rice terraces, they immediately think of Bali. Bali indeed has some seriously beautiful rice terrace scenery, but Java hides some in its countryside too!

You have to remember that Java is 22 times larger and 33 times more populous than Bali! These people need to eat, and there’s much more space to grow crops!

If you want to visit some of these spectacular spots in Java, the area around Candi Selogriyo (a beautiful Hindu temple) is not so far from Yogyakarta – only around 2 hours by car or motorcycle.

The tour I recommend will take you to the temples, the rice terraces, and also Borobudur, which is on the way there.

10. Cycle Through Small Rural Villages

A cycling tour is one of the best ways to experience rural life around Yogyakarta.

Yogyakarta is quite small, and once you leave the city bounds (no more than 5-6 km in any direction from Malioboro), it becomes very rural, very quickly.

My favorite places to cycle through small villages are:

• The area around Goa Selarong.
• The area around Imogiri, where you can also go to the Javanese Royal Cemetery.
• The area around this bizarre root bridge.

If you want someone knowledgeable to bring you to the cool spots, then book this cycling tour.

11. Ride the Gondola at Timang Beach

You may have noticed that Yogyakarta (the region) has a rather long coastline – a whole 113 km.

Along it, you will find many cool beaches (some with special cultural significance) like Parangtritis and Goa Cemara.

Unfortunately, the waters on the south side of Java are not quite suitable for swimming – the ocean is too turbulent. Even fishermen don’t have it easy, and there is little fishing activity.

One beach has something unique going for it. At Timang Beach, a gondola connects the coast with the nearby isle.

Historically, lobster fishermen used it to more easily travel to and from that rocky outcrop.

The gondola is wooden with metal pulleys and does not look sturdy at all. It’s as if Robinson Crusoe built it.

But it works and is a popular tourist attraction (very picture-worthy too!)

Since Goa Jomblang is on the way, tours usually combine the two into a day tour.

I can recommend this COMBO tour of Timang Beach and Jomblang Cave.

12. Watch the Sunrise at Java’s Highest City – Dieng Plateau

Dieng Plateau is the only place in Indonesia (outside of Papua) where snow is possible at all.

It’s still quite rare – every 2-3 years, for a day or two in July or August, the conditions are just right for a thin layer of snow to form on Java’s highest plateau.

That’s not the only thing Dieng Plateau has going for itself, though.

It’s home to Java’s oldest Hindu Temples, two colorful lakes that change colors as if on a whim, and an active volcanic crater you can almost touch.

If that’s not enough, the sunrise will surely leave you speechless – the combination of height and the surrounding volcanoes makes for stunning scenery.

You can learn more about all those places in my Dieng Plateau Guide.

Dieng is about 4 hours from Yogyakarta, which is close enough for a day trip.

My Top 5 Yogyakarta Tours

If you’re overwhelmed by the choices, these are the five tours I would personally prioritize:

1. Borobudur Sunrise Tour
2. Merapi Jeep Lava Safari
3. Prambanan Sunset & Ramayana Ballet
4. Jomblang Cave Adventure
5. Dieng Plateau Day Trip

Together, they showcase the very best of Yogyakarta and Central Java: ancient temples, active volcanoes, underground caves, traditional culture, and spectacular landscapes.

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Where to go next? How about I interest you in this quite in-depth guide to Java? I’m pretty confident that it will answer all your questions about things to do in Java!