Watching the Sunrise at Borobudur Temple

The temple is 40 km from the city, and getting there takes about 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on traffic.

How to get there:

Public transportation: It's the cheapest way, but it will surely take longer and drive you a little crazy getting there, especially if you want to see the sunrise. You can take bus number 2A or 2B to Jombor Terminal, then take another one to Borobudur.

Price: US$2.50

Private taxi: You can arrange for a driver to take you to see Borobudur at sunrise and then on to Prambanan. That's what we did, and he charged us US$35 (500,000 rupiah). From what we found out, it's possible to haggle the price down a bit more, but never agree to more than 500,000 rupiah.

We found our driver on a website and contacted him on WhatsApp the night before. We 100% recommend him, so here's his number: WhatsApp: +6287738156831. You can get in touch that way and tell him which day you'd like to do the trip.

Price: Between US$28 and US$35 (400,000–500,000 rupiah). Keep in mind that this option is for a whole van, which can take up to 6 people.

Tour: You can book a private tour that takes you to Borobudur and Prambanan.

• General admission: US$26
• With a student ID: US$15
• Children (up to age 10): US$15

There's also a combined ticket covering Borobudur and Prambanan for US$39. It's cheaper than buying the two separately, but it isn't valid for the sunrise. The sunrise ticket includes a spectacular buffet breakfast that you get once you leave the temple.

It's the largest monument in honor of Buddha, built between 750 and 850. The most curious thing is that it lay forgotten for centuries, under the ash of a volcanic eruption and because of the fall of the Buddhist kingdom in Java and the locals' conversion to Islam.

In the 19th century, the British governor of Java, Thomas Stamford Raffles, was alerted to its existence, and it was rediscovered some time later. From then on, UNESCO spent almost 10 years restoring it, until it was finally named a World Heritage Site in 1991.

Borobudur temple is really a mandala: a map of the cosmic universe and the human mind. According to Buddhist philosophy, reaching the top of the temple means attaining Nirvana.

One curious fact is that more than 2 million stone blocks were used to build it. Its structure consists of 6 square platforms and another 3 circular ones, and at its highest point the temple reaches 43 m (141 ft). It also has more than 500 carved Buddhas.

The temple was made to be walked from the main east gate, with pilgrims going clockwise until they reach the last terrace, where Nirvana would be attained. So you start out in the everyday world and spiral upward until you reach Nirvana and gaze upon a fully uncovered Buddha.

Our driver picked us up at the hotel at 3 in the morning and it took us 1 hour to reach Borobudur. Once we'd paid for our tickets, they gave us a flashlight and we started walking toward the temple.

We started up the temple stairs seeing absolutely nothing but the steps we were taking, but we could already sense we were climbing something big. At the top, we followed the other tourists to the spot where you watch the sunrise. We sat there for a while waiting for the sun to appear, trying in the meantime to make out what was around us. Then the sun began to rise, and it was incredible to see everything light up, the mountains and volcanoes all around us, until we started to discover where we were sitting.

We have no words to describe what it felt like to go from being in complete darkness in such an imposing place to slowly seeing each stupa (bell) and all the Buddhas.

Once it was light, we started exploring every part of the top and each platform, not missing a thing. We were fascinated! Every so often we stopped to take in the peace and grandeur of the place, the nature around it, the volcanoes.

When we'd finished seeing and admiring this incredible monument to Buddha, we went back to where we'd bought our tickets for a spectacular breakfast that was included in the ticket price.