Borobudur Temple: Climbing, Sunrise, Sunset, or DIY [Full Guide]

Borobudur is the most visited attraction in all of Indonesia (yes, it beats anything in Bali). It’s spectacular and is the biggest Buddhist temple in the entire world!

As we humans have developed a certain fascination with sunrises, it’s only natural that we seek the best spots to observe them. Well, Borobudur is one such very suitable spot.

You can either go among the 72 small stupas that line the three levels of the giant temple and watch the sun peek between them, or climb up one of the nearby hills and enjoy from afar.

I first went to Borobudur in 2019 and have since been back several times. It’s a majestic temple and well worth a stop while in Java.

How to best enjoy the sunrise at Borobudur Temple, details about tickets, limitations, time slots, transport, how to do it yourself, and prices – all of that and more in this complete guide!

Borobudur Temple: Quick answers

• Can you climb up the temple?
  • Yes, it costs 455.000 IDR for foreigners or 150.000 IDR for locals.
• Can you watch the sunrise at the temple?
  • Yes, it costs 1.000.000 IDR for foreigners or 500.000 IDR for locals and includes breakfast.
• Can you watch the sunset at the temple?
  • Yes, it costs 1.000.000 IDR for foreigners or 500.000 IDR for locals and includes dinner.
• Where else to watch the sunrise?
  • Several hills nearby (Dagi, Barede, Setumbu) are suitable places to welcome the sun.

Best tours

Where is Borobudur Temple?

Back when it was built in the 8th century, the local Javanese people couldn’t have predicted where our contemporary major cities would be.

They built Borobudur on a bedrock hill that was sacred to them, but frankly got lost to the jungle until Raffles (the same one who founded Singapore) and his men discovered it, buried in volcanic ash and overgrown vegetation.

Borobudur is nowhere near a major city. It is 40 km northwest of Yogyakarta, perhaps the best-known city in the region. A smaller town, Magelang, is about 17 km away, but Yogyakarta is a much more logical base for its cultural, spiritual, and religious significance.

Borobudur Temple – opening times and slots

Borobudur Temple is open for general admission every day from 8:30 to 17:00.

Ticket booths open at 8:00 and close at 15:30.

If you buy a ticket at 8:00 AM, you have to wait until 8:30 AM to enter. If you buy a ticket at 15:30, you have until 17:00 to explore the temple, and if you arrive after 15:30, the ticket booths will be closed, and you won’t be permitted inside.

The day is divided into 8 time slots: 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 13:30, 14:30, and 15:30. Each slot is 90 minutes, so they overlap by half an hour. You can only enter at those times and will have 90 minutes to explore the temple and the grounds.

Each time slot is limited to 150 people.

Borobudur Tickets

Borobudur tickets are different for locals and foreigners.

• Locals can choose whether to enter just the grounds for 50.000 IDR (65.000 IDR on the weekend) or climb the temple too for 150.000 IDR (any day).
• Foreigners pay a lot more and don’t have that choice – 455.000 IDR (~27 USD) for a ticket that includes access to the temple structure, special upanat shoes (hire only), and a guide.

This is the official website for Borobudur tickets.

During the high season (June to September), it is possible for the tickets to sell out for the next several days, sometimes up to weeks ahead!

Check the availability again after 16:00 – this is when some tickets are made available once more. If you’re still out of luck, try again after 18:00.

If you still see no available tickets but can’t go on any other day, book a tour. Tour operators have their own allocation of tickets, which they pre-book.

This is the best half-day tour of Borobudur with sunrise and climbing included.

Can you climb up Borobudur?

Yes, you can climb up Borobudur!

It was standard up to 2019, and when I first visited Borobudur – everyone was allowed to roam freely around and on the temple.

Then it was forbidden for a while for conservation reasons. Then it became necessary to buy a special ticket, which, if you don’t, you’d be limited to the grounds around it only.

Now, locals still have that choice – a cheaper ticket to just explore the grounds or a more expensive one to climb the temple. Foreigners can only buy a ticket that includes climbing Borobudur with a guide.

Sunrise AT Borobudur

After a long period, it is now once again possible to watch the sunrise while sitting atop Borobudur Temple!

This is a special offer by the temple authorities in conjunction with the Manohara Resort nearby, which also manages the Borobudur Cultural Center.

Sunrise at Borobudur is between 5:25 and 5:53, depending on the month. You want to experience the sky’s changing hues as the sun slowly approaches breaking dawn, hence the early starting time – 4 AM.

The sunrise at Borobudur experience starts at 4:00 AM and is limited to 100 people per day. Given the higher price, 500.000 IDR for locals or 1.000.000 IDR (~60 USD) for foreigners, I can’t imagine it ever sells out, but who knows. You can book a ticket from the official website.

This price includes climbing up the temple, where you will watch the sunrise, a guide, the mandatory upanat shoes and a sarong, as well as a lovely breakfast at the Manohara Restaurant.

You know what it doesn’t include? Transport!

Which is why a tour still makes a lot of sense. You will have transport (in both directions) taken care of and all the logistics. Or if somehow all the sunrise tickets are sold out, tours provide an alternative way to go on that particular day.

This is the best customizable Borobudur Sunrise Tours.

Sunrise NEAR Borobudur

A similar but different experience is to watch the sun rise OVER Borobudur from a nearby hill.

The area is indeed quite hilly, and there are several suitable hills – some quite close, some so far that you will even struggle actually to see Borobudur.

Dagi Hill

Dagi Hill is a private property of the Manohara Resort. It is around 600 meters from Borobudur, offering the most supreme views.

The hotel used to offer sunrise packages, which they have since stopped, in favor of collaborating with the temple for the official Borobudur sunrise tickets.

But Dagi Hill is still there, and guests of the hotel can freely climb up for sunrise (or sunset).

Yes, this means that to watch the sunrise from Dagi Hill, you must stay at the Manohara Resort. Room rates are steep but worth it for the luxury provided and the unbeatable location.

You can book your stay at the Manohara Resort here.

Bukit Barede

Barede Hill is around 2 km from Borobudur and is one of the best public hills to watch the sunrise [map].

Note, however, that at this distance, Borobudur Temple, much as it is big, becomes a small spikey dot in the jungle. Here, the experience is more about watching the sunrise than it is about the temple, although they can be easily combined.

Try to spot Mount Merapi on the left as you’re looking towards Borobudur – it’s one of the most active volcanoes in the world!

The viewpoint opens at 4:00, allowing you ample time to watch the colors of the sky change as the sun comes up.

The entrance fee (charged by locals for conservation and maintenance) for Bukit Barede for foreign tourists is 50.000 IDR (~3$).

Best of all, tours do NOT go to Bukit Barede for sunrise, thus this location is much less crowded in the early morning.

Punthuk Setumbu (Setumbu Hill)

Setumbu Hill is also about 2 km away from Borobudur (as the crow flies), so the views are similar to the ones from Bukit Barede.

Setumbu is where most tours bring visitors for the sunrise, and it gets crowded in the morning.

If you don’t care about the sunrise, you can visit after 8 AM and find it eerily deserted. Yes, people’s fascination with sunrises is fascinating in its own right.

To get to the top, you need to hike for about 15 minutes on a well-constructed pathway. It could be challenging for low-fitness travelers, but the benches on the way up help.

Punthuk Setumbu is the most popular hill for organized tours that offer sunrise over Borobudur. I recommend this Borobudur Sunrise half-day tour.

The entrance fee for Punthuk Setumbu for foreign tourists is 50.000 IDR / 3.35$ (included in the price of the tour).

Bukit Rhema (Chicken Church)

Bukit Rhema is between Barede and Setumbu and roughly the same distance from Borobudur.

It is the site of an equally famous and bizarre Chicken Church. Unfortunately, the site opens at 7 AM (more than an hour after sunrise), so seeing the sunrise from here is not allowed. It’s technically possible but requires some tresspassing and I do not recommend it.

Nevertheless, you can visit the Chicken Church after 7 AM and learn more about its fascinating background story. Oh, trust me, it’s bizarre indeed.

Sunset at Borobudur

For years, the standard has been a sunrise at Borobudur and a sunset at Prambanan.

Nowadays, it’s possible to watch the sunset at Borobudur too! The sunset is between 17:32 and 18:05, depending on the time of year.

The conditions are much the same as for the sunrise:

• Tickets cost 500.000 IDR for locals and 1.000.000 IDR (~60 USD) for foreigners.
• It includes climbing the temple, the appropriate attire, and a dinner at the Manohara Restaurant.
• Limited to 100 people per day.

The Borobudur sunset experience starts at 16:00. You can book a ticket online at the official website.

Borobudur without the sunrise

If the thought of waking up before 3 AM does not excite you and/or you find the sunrise experience too expensive for what it is, then consider visiting Borobudur during the day.

You can book a ticket for any of the 8 time slots (see above) and go independently.

As a matter of fact, the later in the day you go, the fewer people you will have around you. Crowds do lessen after the first 2 slots.

How to get to Borobudur from Yogyakarta

Most visitors go to Borobudur from Yogyakarta. You’re probably staying there yourself at the moment, too!

There are three main ways to get to Borobudur Temple from the city.

DAMRI Bus

An air-conditioned minibus by DAMRI (an Indonesian state-owned tourist transport company) departs from Kilometer Nol, right in front of the old Bank Indonesia. This is the precise location.

The first minibus leaves at 4:30 and reaches Borobudur at 07:00 – too late for sunrise but perfect for an early morning visit before it gets too hot.

Tickets for the bus cost only 20.000 IDR (1.3$) – sold by the driver.

Local Bus

You can also get to Borobudur using local buses during the day.

First, you need to take a TransJogja public transport bus to Terminal Jombor. The routes are integrated into Google Maps, but the timetables are not reliable, although the buses are relatively frequent. A ticket costs 3600 IDR (0.25$), payable at the bus stop (halte) or inside the bus.

At Terminal Jombor, hourly buses go directly to Borobudur. The bus ride takes around 75 minutes and costs 20.000 IDR (1.2$).

By motorcycle

I’ve driven the route several times. It’s mostly the main road, well-paved, and relatively busy.

You can rent a motorcycle from several places in Yogyakarta, for example, around Stasiun Lempuyangan or around the popular tourist street Prawirotaman. Most hostels offer scooter rentals too. Price per day is between 75.000 IDR and 150.000 IDR (~4.5-9 USD). Fuel costs 10.000 IDR per liter; one liter lasts around 40-50 km on a motorcycle.

Driving time from Yogyakarta to Borobudur is about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Private transfer

It’s quite easy to organize a private transfer from your hostel/hotel, even the night before. Borobudur is the most visited place in Central Java (and Yogyakarta), and thousands of drivers are available to hire.

You can also book the service online and get picked up and dropped off at your accommodation:

• Book a shared minivan to Borobudur (customizable).
• Book a private car charter (any destination in the region).

Organized tour

For an everything-planned, no-hassles experience, book an organized tour.

This may or may not be sunrise; it’s up to you. Most tours are customizable and let you pick exactly the kind of tour you’d like.

I believe the best value for money is this Borobudur Sunrise half-day tour with pick-up from Yogyakarta.

Borobudur Sunrise DIY

The problem with going to Borobudur for sunrise independently is the early hour at which you have to be there. Public transport doesn’t run that early, and driving a motorcycle during the night is not something I recommend.

If you still want to do it yourself (DIY), you can by sleeping near Borobudur! Arrive the day before (follow one of the options above), stay near the temple, wake up early, and either walk or take a GoJek (motorcycle taxi) to the entrance or one of the hills for sunrise.

There are dozens of cute homestays, fancy resorts, and mid-range hotels around the temple.

ADA Homestay is an awesome option – clean, cozy, cheap, and walking distance away from Borobudur.

My favorite details about Borobudur Temple

Borobudur is one of the most impressive temples in Southeast Asia and the world at large. It is the biggest Buddhist Temple in the world!

It was built in the 9th century during the Buddhist Shailendra dynasty, and was discovered in 1814 during the British Invasion of Java.

During most of these almost 1000 years, the temple was buried in volcanic ash and overgrown with jungle vegetation. It took the Brits more than 2 months to clear away dust, trees, and debris just to reveal the temple.

The most likely explanation for the name Candi Borobudur is that it’s a temple (candi) dedicated to Buddha (budur) near the village of Boro.

Borobudur was restored between 1907 and 1911 using the same materials that it was built with, a strategy called anastylosis. If you’ve ever been to Ephesus in Turkey, you’ve seen the Library of Celsus – the best example of this type of restoration in the world.

Today, Borobudur is the most visited tourist attraction in Indonesia, with more than 3 million visitors yearly.

What makes Borobudur spectacular is that it’s a single stupa! If seen from above, it’s completely symmetrical and looks like a Buddhist Mandala. The base of the temple is a square with a side length of 118 m.

In total, there are over 2500 reliefs and 504 Buddha statues spread over three levels.

• Kamadhatu, the lower level, represents the world of mortals (or the world of desire) with 160 scenes on bas reliefs, although most of these remain hidden behind restoration encasements.
• Rapudhatu, the second/middle level (or the world of forms), represents the transitional realm between the mortals and the heavens. It has 432 Buddhas and miles of reliefs and decorative panels.
• Arupadhatu, the third/uppermost level, represents the abode of the gods (or the world of formlessness). There are 72 Buddhas, and of course, the biggest Buddha at the very top.

The temple is steeped in symbolism, religious significance, and existential wisdom.

Where next?

Yogyakarta itself is a UNESCO heritage site! Its Cosmological Axis was added to the list in late 2023.

I lived there for 6 months, and these are the best things to do in Yogyakarta. Check out how to spend 3 days in Yogyakarta, too.

You’d probably want to visit the other famous temple – Prambanan (also a UNESCO site). I have a guide on how to visit both Borobudur and Prambanan in 1 day, or you can check out this one about watching the sunset at Prambanan.

On a very related note, I recommend the Prambanan Ramayana Ballet as an after-sunset experience.