Visiting Indonesia and thinking about adding a Borobudur trip to your itinerary? Here’s all you need to know about visiting Borobudur in Indonesia.
Borobudur is an enormous Buddhist temple in Java, Indonesia. Its historical significance and beauty resulted in Borobudur being designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991.
It’s an impressive piece of Javanese Buddhist architecture, with multiple stacked platforms topped with a circular dome.
Although it is now Indonesia’s single most visited tourist attraction, it is first and foremost a shrine to Buddha and therefore a place for Buddhist pilgrimage.
Alongside Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Borobudur is considered to be one of the great archaeological sites in Southeast Asia.
Here’s what you need to know about Borobudur in Indonesia before you visit.
First I’ve shared some facts about Borobudur temple and then there are some practical tips for your Borobudur trip.
Things to Know About Borobudur in Indonesia
It dates back to the 8th century
Work began on Borobudur during the Shailendra dynasty in the 7th century, with work completed midway through the 8th century AD. That makes it well over 1000 years old!
The ruling family at the time had connections to India, where Buddhism was born, and helped to spread Buddhism throughout Indonesia.
But then…
It was hidden under ash for hundreds of years
Borobudur’s proximity to a number of volcanoes puts it in a precarious position. But it’ll take a lot to bring down this historic structure.
In around the year 1000, only 200 years or so after it was finished, Borobudur was buried under volcanic ash. It remained this way for hundreds of years until it was re-discovered by English lieutenant Thomas Stamford Raffles during the British administration in 1814.
That’s the same guy who is said to have founded modern Singapore.
Borobudur has been restored a number of times since in attempts to preserve this historic site.
It’s the largest Buddhist temple in the world
Borobudur continues to have huge significance today as it is the largest Buddhist temple in the world.
Buddhists still come from all over the world to visit this pilgrim site and walking up through the different platforms is the symbolic journey to enlightenment.
Each of Borobudur’s three main levels each represent a different stage on the way to enlightenment.
The spiritual journey begins at the eastern stairway and continues clockwise around each of the temple’s nine levels before reaching the top.
The walkways are decorated with 2672 relief panels depicting the history of the Buddha and other Buddhist stories.
There are 72 Buddha statues here
Underneath each stupa (the bell-shaped structure), is a buddha statue. If you peer inside the perforated exterior, you’ll be able to see one.
As you wander around each level, see if you can spot all the different poses that the Buddha statues are in.
There is one stupa that has been left incomplete so that visitors can see what the buddha inside looks like properly.
The Buddhas represent different states of mind
The Buddhas have different arm positions to represent different states of mind.
On the east side, the Buddha statues are in a pose known as the “seal of touching the earth”. They have their left hands laid open on their laps with their right hands resting on their knees, fingers pointed downward.
On the south side, the Buddha statues have their right hands held palm up on their right knees with their left hands open on their laps. This symbolises charity.
On the west side, the Buddha statues have both palms facing upwards, one palm on top of the other. This symbolises meditation.
On the north side, the Buddha statues have raised their right hands with the palms facing forwards and the left hand lies on their lap. This symbolises peace and protection.
Lastly, the Buddha statues on the top platform have their right hand held up with the thumb and finger touching. This symbolises the uninterrupted flow of wisdom and the transmission of the teachings of the Buddha.
Of course these Buddhas are all inside the stupas so you’ll have to peer inside the holes to see the different poses!
It’s close to several live volcanoes
Indonesia has around 147 volcanoes in total, 76 of which are still active volcanoes today. Borobudur is located just 25km from Merapi, one of the most active volcanoes in the region.
Borobudur therefore remains at the mercy of the elements even more so than other similar monuments in the world.
As recently as 2010 and 2014, Borobudur has had to shut its doors whilst volcanic ash from nearby eruptions is cleared.
There are some elephants at Borobudur
I was surprised to see a number of elephants on my visit to Borobudur. I later discovered that these are captive elephants that are part of the “attraction” and you can pay to interact with them, or even ride them around the temple.
This practice seems unethical to me and does not really add to the experience of visiting Borobudur at all. The elephants are not marketed as a major thing to do here, I simply stumbled upon by the accident.
I personally would not recommend engaging in this use of elephants as a tourist attraction, Borobudur is more than impressive by itself.
Practical Tips for Visiting Borobudur
You need 2 hours to see the whole thing
To explore Borobudur properly, you’ll want to set aside 1.5 to 2 hours to wander around.
It takes at least 20 minutes to walk all the way up to the top but if you want to stop and admire all the carvings along the way, take photos, and (importantly) catch your breath, then you’ll want to set aside a few hours to properly immerse yourself in Borobudur.
If you go early in the morning, it can be very peaceful and you may wish to just sit and admire the surrounding views for a few moments.
To get the most out of your experience, you can hire a private guide who will explain the history to you as you wander around. Find out more about guided tours of Borobudur here.
It’s located around 1 hour from Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta is a must-visit city in Indonesia but not one I hear spoken about very often. If you can stop off here before continuing on to Bali or other Indonesian islands, please do!
It is the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy and the centre for Javanese culture.
It’s also the perfect base for exploring some of Indonesia’s greatest sites such as Borobudur and Prambanan.
The Yogyakarta to Borobudur distance is only around 40km so it’ll take around an hour by car to get there. More on how to get to Borobudur below.
There is no shade at Borobudur
Be warned, the beating sun in Indonesia is a force to be reckoned with and there is practically no shade at Borobudur.
There’s no shade at all on the monument itself and as the surrounding areas are vast, you could be walking out in the open sun for long stretches.
Make sure to bring plenty of water, sun cream and a good sun hat.
Check out this post for more travel essentials for women.
Combined tickets with Prambanan are cheaper
The Borobudur temple entrance fee is 350,000 IDR, which is roughly $25 USD or £20 GBP. However, if you combine your Borobudur trip with a trip to Prambanan, a magnificent Hindu temple in the region, then you can make a saving on the Borobudur tour price.
This is perfect for those travelling in Indonesia on a budget.
The combined Borobudur and Prambanan ticket costs around 630,000 IDR ($45) so you could save around $10 pp compared to buying two separate tickets. However, you do get a little less flexibility as the combined ticket is only valid if you visit both within 48 hours.
I would not recommend visiting both Borobudur and Prambanan in one day. That would be exhausting and they are not particularly close to each other.
I feel the impact of one will also be lessened if you visit these two massive sites in one day. I visited one the day after the other and found that this worked quite well with my Yogyakarta itinerary.
READ MORE: Visiting Ramayana Ballet at Prambanan
Quite steep with big steps
Borobudur is not the most accessible attraction with huge steep steps leading you up through the different platforms. This means that it’s not a great place to visit for those with prams or wheelchairs.
You’ll need to climb up through the platforms for 20 minutes or more with lots of really steep steps. It’s quite the leg workout!
If this is a concern for you then I discovered a service called Accessible Indonesia which aims to help those with mobility issues get the most out of their time in Indonesia.
Please note that this is something I discovered through research – I have not read any reviews of the service and have no personal experience with them. However, it may be worth checking out their services if you are concerned about accessibility in Yogyakarta.
Knees and shoulders should be covered
Borobudur is first and foremost a Buddhist temple and it is therefore you must dress respectfully. It is expected that you cover your shoulders and knees when visiting most temples in Indonesia, and Borobudur is no different.
This dress policy is enforced by staff and if you aren’t wearing appropriate clothing then you will be lent a sarong to wear during your visit.
Large market outside selling souvenirs and lots of food
Between the temple entrance and the temple itself, there’s a mass of traditional market stalls selling souvenirs and food. You will be positively bombarded with street vendors offering you their wares as you make your way up to the temple.
If you got up very early to get to Borobudur, you can pick up some snacks here later if you’re feeling peckish.
If you’re interested in buying any souvenirs then you should obviously wait until the journey back down to actually make your purchases so you don’t have to carry them up with you when you ascend the temple steps!
You may get asked to take a lot of selfies
Borobudur is a popular destination for Indonesian tourists, as well as foreign tourists. I was surprised that during my visit, my friends and I were asked to be in photos with Indonesia tourists on a number of occassions.
They were perfectly friendly but given the language barrier there wasn’t much of an exchange and I haven’t the foggiest where those photos will end up. It’s funny to think you may end up in an Indonesian family’s holiday picture album!
There are 3 main ways to get to Borobudur
Most people will travel to Borobudur from Yogyakarta, which is accessible by plane from other parts of Indonesia. I flew into Jakarta and then immediately transferred to Yogyakarta, which took just over an hour by plane.
You can then easily travel from Yogyakarta to Borobudur temple by taxi or bus as the distance from Yogyakarta to Borobudur is only about 40km.
Private taxi
It’s very easy to book private taxis in Indonesia and this is mainly how my group of friends got around. Whilst this may seem like it would be something very costly, sharing a private taxi between three was not that expensive when converted back into USD/GBP!
I’d highly, highly recommend booking private taxis to get around as it gives you so much flexibility with your day and your local driver may well give you lots of useful tips on the way.
Tourist companies offering this service are very easy to find and are usually on the main streets in touristy areas or you can ask your accommodation for advice.
As day trips to places like Borobudur are really common, private taxi companies are likely to offer packages for this trip, but you can be flexible on start times and they’ll take you right to the Borobudur entrance.
FYI, the price of the taxi probably won’t include the Borobudur ticket price.
It’s best to leave early to beat the crowds and maybe even catch the sunrise (the best time to visit Borobudur)!
Find out more about booking a private taxi to get from Yogyakarta to Borobudur here.
Group bus
You can also a group Borobudur tour from Yogyakarta where you’ll be picked up from your hotel and have the day planned for you. These trips often involve stops at other villages or monuments and a restaurant pit stop may be included.
You’ll have less flexibility compared to taking a private taxi and will probably waste time waiting for the whole group at various points throughout the day. You therefore may not be able to spend as much time as you want in each place.
However, it will be slightly cheaper than the private taxi option.
You can usually buy these Borobudur tours from travel agencies dotted around Yogyakarta or search on GetYourGuide if you want to book in advance with free cancellation.
Public transport
To save even more money, you can take public transport and get the Yogyakarta to Borobudur bus. The Trans Jogja network runs fairly regularly and you can get the Trans Jogja 2B bus to the Jombor Bus Terminal. There, you’ll need to wait for the Candi Borobudur bus.
The costs of taking the public bus are more like 35,000 IDR total (~$2.5 / £1.85), compared to 300,000 IDR (~$20 / £16) for a private taxi.
My understanding is that the journey isn’t hard to navigate but that this route is mostly only taken by locals.
If you are a Westerner you may find yourself asked a lot of questions or asked to take a lot of photos! I was asked to be in photos numerous times when climbing Borobudur.
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Borobudur is a must-visit site in Indonesia so definitely make some time in your itinerary to visit this impressive Buddhist monument!
Have you ever visited?
If you liked this post, check out these:
Ramayana Ballet at Prambanan
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Laura
Editor of What’s Hot?