Borobudur

Borobudur tickets and tours: which one to book

Visiting Borobudur now involves two decisions rather than one. A standard ticket admits you to the temple park, where you can walk around the base of the monument and its gardens. Climbing onto the monument itself requires a separate, quota-limited ticket that is sold in timed slots and includes a local guide and the woven sandals that all climbers must wear to protect the stone. Numbers on the structure are capped each day, so the climb sells out at busy times, and buying it in advance or through a tour that guarantees it is worthwhile. Most visitors come from Yogyakarta, about 40 km away, and the tours reflect that.

Sunrise trips leave the city in the small hours for a hill viewpoint such as Punthuk Setumbu, where Borobudur appears above the morning mist with Merapi and Merbabu behind it, and then continue to the temple. Full-day trips usually combine Borobudur with Prambanan, and many add the small temples of Mendut and Pawon, the Merapi lava tour by jeep, or a cycling ride through the surrounding villages. Evening tours finish with the Ramayana ballet at Prambanan. The key questions are whether the climbing ticket is included, whether transport is private, and how long you actually spend at the temple. For most people a private car with a driver from Yogyakarta, with the climb booked, is the most comfortable option.

Visiting Borobudur: what to see and how to behave

Borobudur was built in the late eighth and early ninth centuries under the Sailendra dynasty, the largest Buddhist monument in the world and a stone diagram of the Buddhist path. After Java turned to Islam it was abandoned, overgrown and partly buried in volcanic ash, until the British administration of Java took an interest in 1814. A major restoration with UNESCO was completed in 1983, and the temple is the centrepiece of a World Heritage listing. The monument stands on a hill and rises in nine levels: six square terraces and three circular ones, crowned by a large central stupa. Pilgrims climbed from the east and walked clockwise around each level, reading the reliefs as they went, a route of several kilometres.

The lower galleries show daily life, cause and effect, and the life of the Buddha in narrative panels; the higher you go, the plainer the decoration becomes, until the circular terraces open out to the sky. There, 72 lattice stupas each shelter a seated Buddha, and a couple have been left open so you can see the figures inside. Climbers enter in small groups with a guide at a set time and follow a fixed route; touching the stones and the statues is not allowed. Walk around the base as well, where part of the hidden foot, with reliefs of human actions and their consequences, has been left exposed in one corner. The temple is near Muntilan in Magelang, about 40 km northwest of Yogyakarta, roughly 90 minutes by car.

Borobudur: opening hours, ceremonies and the best time to go

The park opens early in the morning and closes in the late afternoon; climbing slots run through the day, and the climb has at times been suspended on one weekday for maintenance, so check the official site before you fix a date. Early morning is the best time: the light is soft, the stone is cool and the school groups have not yet arrived. A viewpoint sunrise followed by a mid-morning climb is a good combination.

The dry season from May to September brings clearer views of the volcanoes, while the rainy months mean afternoon downpours but greener countryside. Weekends and Indonesian school holidays are crowded. The great event of the year is Vesak, the Buddhist celebration of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death, usually in May or June, when monks process from Mendut to Borobudur; access is restricted on the day. Allow two to three hours at the temple, or a full day if you add Mendut, Pawon and Prambanan.