Well, we checked another one off the list of While We’re Alive…catching sunrise from the top of Borobudur in Java, Indonesia. We tend to be having some bad luck with these sunrise items on our list though (read: 5 Things to Know Before Trekking Mt. Batur For Sunrise, and #64 Complete – Climb Adam’s Peak), because yet again, we had cloudy skies. No rain, leeches, or hiking in the dark though, so that was a plus! And thank goodness for the spectacular sunset the night before, because it literally took our breath away. Not sure we would have felt the same way though without the clear skies and shining sun!
Borobudur is said to be the largest Buddhist monument in the world. Made out of over 2 million bricks, it blows our mind to think about the time and effort it would have taken to do this in the 9th century!! For those of you interested in climbing Borobudur someday, read on for some tips, as going for sunrise or sunset isn’t as straight forward as you might think. For the rest of you, you can go ahead and scroll down to the pictures now. :)
Technically, the only way to climb the temple before sunrise or stay for actual sunset is to purchase additional tickets through a local hotel. The Manohara Hotel is built inside the grounds of the temple, and they definitely have a bit of a monopoly on the place. While a day trip from Yogyakarta is possible, staying in Borobudur, even for one night, has its benefits! Here are the details of going through the Manohara Hotel (both good and bad) as of the date of this post:
1. One night stay will get you unlimited access to the temple (6:00am – 5:00pm) for 2 days. The day you arrive and the day you depart.
2. No extra admission is required for Manohara guests, so while the hotel may seem a bit pricy (850 000 Rp), remember that temple admission is included in this.
3. The only way to enter the temple before 6:00 am or stay after 5:00 pm is to buy a separate ticket from the Manohara Hotel. This ticket is not included in the hotel price, and is an extra 230 000 Rp. Non-hotel guests can purchase this ticket also, for 350 000 Rp.
4. About a 3 star hotel, but breakfast is included!!
5. Transport to Borobudur isn’t cheap. We paid 250 000 Rp, one-way!
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