Visiting Borobudur For Sunrise – A Magical Morning in Indonesia!

Related read: 101 Southeast Asia travel tips

Visiting Borobudur temple

Borobudur is one of Indonesia’s eight UNESCO Heritage Sites, and nearby Prambanan temple is another. Of those eight, four are classed as ‘natural attractions’ meaning these two make up 50% of all Indonesia’s cultural ones.

Even if you have a limited amount of time, it’s easy to squeeze the temples into your Yogyakarta itinerary.

There are no less than 504 Buddha statues dotted around this massive temple structure.

Borobudur was designed to look like a flowering lotus from the skies, something you’ll have to believe as drones at the site are banned – thank God. Side note but I absolutely hate drones. They’re so loud and irritating and why do users think their experience is more important than everyone else’s?

Back on topic, Borobudur dates back to the 9th century when Buddhists lived on Java. There were plenty of Hindus then too but nowadays the official religion is Islam.

Borobudur is the most visited attraction in all of Indonesia as well as the most popular Yogyakarta day trip, a fact you’ll certainly believe when you visit!

Is sunrise at Borodbur worth it?

Although it was exhausting, for me it was worth visiting Borobudur Temple for sunrise. Getting there for 5.30am means leaving Yogyakarta at 3.30am… I felt okay at the time but truly dreadful in the afternoon!

Despite that, watching the sun rise over the ancient stupors in a misty valley was nothing short of magic.

When our tour guide gave us a choice between watching the Borobudur sunrise from a hilltop or from inside a hotel, I went for the first option as it sounded more adventurous.

The Manohara Resort option just means you’re already inside the temple for sunrise. The site officially opens at 6am but you can pay an increased fee to see sunrise inside Manohara (located inside Borobudur temple site) at 4.30am.

I saw photos and it does look gorgeous. I don’t think you can go wrong with either to be honest.

If you choose the Setumbu Hill option, you’ll see Borobudur from further away but it’s still spectacular. If you’re on a budget, this is the cheaper option as you’ll purchase a regular entry ticket at 6am when the site opens. You won’t capture the stupas at sunrise but you can go inside afterwards to get your photos in early daylight.

You’ll pay 30k IDR ($2) for sunrise at Setumbu Hill. Bargain!

Borobudur entrance fees

Entry to Borobudur in 2022 costs 350,000 IDR ($25 USD).

These are the official entry fees however there’s a different set of fees if you choose to watch sunrise from Manohara Resort which costs 500,000 IDR ($35)

The temple site is officially open from 6am-5pm so, once you’ve seen sunrise over Borobudur from the hill, you can enter the site when it opens. Then you have all day – not that you need that long. I spent around 2 hours inside.

Do you need your passport?

I read online that you did but actually, no one checked my passport. You should be fine without it but you could bring it to be safe.

What to wear

The dress code when visiting Prambanan is relaxed and you can wear whatever you want. No one will make you cover up but it’s polite to look respectful. Knees and shoulders are the ones to cover.

At Borobudur, covering your knees is enforced but if you don’t have anything to cover up with, you’ll be lent a sarong. I actually had my own but theirs were nicer with a silhouette of Borobudur on the fabric.

Tip – check Borobudur sunrise times!

The time of year might influence your plans. There are times when the sun rises at 5.50am so you can afford to get up a little later. You can also purchase a regular entry ticket and catch the last of sunrise from inside the temple site without paying the premium price for the Manohara Resort Borobudur sunrise ticket.

At other times of the year when the sun rises earlier, you’ll only be able to see sunrise inside Borobudur with the premium ticket. Of course, there’s also the Setumbu Hill viewpoint year-round.

Here are the Borobudur sunrise times around the year.

Visiting Prambanan Temple during the same day

If you just have time for one, I’d definitely recommend Borobudur. For me there was no contest.

Saying that, it’s easy to do both especially if you take an organised day tour to Borobudur and Prambanan. It’s worth noting this isn’t currently a sunrise Borobudur tour; it departs later in the day at a time of your choosing.

Ask at your accommodation – they may be able to offer a sunrise tour to both not listed online!