Sunrise and Temples Tour from Yogyakarta

Ardi was a great guide. Specifically this tour only includes the driving. But, we hired him to guide us at Borobudur (not included in the cost), and he regaled us with tales about the relief panels that line all 4 stories of the temple. There were a lot of other tourists there, but we found a nice spot to watch the sun rise over Mt. Merapi. He was also nice enough to offer to snap a few wonderful photos of us - really patiently I might add. Note, the sunrise ticket comes with a nice buffet breakfast! We ended up not doing the Merapi Jeep Tour on account of bad weather conditions and how tired we were.

Amazing value for money, real VIP treatment. My driver ardi was amazing, polite and knowledgable. See everything quickly and comfortably. Worth every penny!

Ardi picked me up at my hotel at 3.30am, as scheduled, for the drive to Borobodur. I appointed him as my guide (not included in tour price) so he purchased the ticket for me and led me to a good spot to watch the sunrise. We were fortunate to see the sun (sometimes hidden by haze) and glimpse Mt Merapi. Ardi then guided me round the site, pointing out good angles for photographs and explaining many interesting structural and cultural aspects of Borobodur. Having recently read "Buddha" by Deepak Chopra, I especially appreciated the explanations of the relief panels depicting the buddha's life. After breakfast (included in entrance ticket price) we visited two small temples nearby and I tried some luwak coffee. We were scheduled to drive to Mt Merapi where I could take a jeep tour of the mountain. However, since the mountain was no longer visible (completely obscured by haze) and I was exhausted (after morning and afternoon tours and the Ramayana ballet the previous day), I decided to forego the jeep tour and head back to my hotel. I was very happy to see Borobodur (simply amazing) and very happy with the service provided by Ardi.

A must-see for anyone visiting Java. Outstanding value-for-money considering the extent of the trip, as it starts real early to beat the crowds. My driver, Mega, was very kind and considerate given it took up his whole day, and was willing to join me for dinner and take me to the airport afterwards!

Early rising was worth it. Great guide, fantastic tour, saw everything, did everything and more. Sun may not have appeared at the temple due to cloud but still worth going. Temples were great and if you like Kopi Luwak, tell the guide. There's a Kopi Luwak shop with civets in the backyard!! Best coffee I have ever tasted!!! And the Mt Merapi volcano and museum were a highlight. Love volcanos!!! Thank you heaps :

Tour guide was very friendly, prompt and knowledgeable. Spoke very good English. The private tour started early in the morning in a very clean air conditioned car. We were picked up from our hotel in Yogyakarta and taken directly to Borobudur temple with plentiful time to get to the top of the temple and see sunrise. Our guide gave us time to enjoy the sunrise, then walked us around the temple pointing out the most interesting and pertinent carvings. Although witnessing a spectacular sunrise is weather condition dependent, it is well worth paying more to enter Borobudur early in the morning before the big crowds arrive and queues build to get in. Ensure good foot wear and prepare to climb lots of steep steps. There was some spare time to enjoy the complimentary coffee and snack that came with the entrance fee to the temple. We were then driven to a local authentic market. Top tips were given by our tour guide and explanations to features of the market. We then drove to two other Buddhist temples via a coffee roasting enterprise. It was insightful learning about the Luwak coffee and seeing the animals involved in the coffee making process. There was no pressure to buy the coffee or try it, although it is very much worth a cup to try! remember - it is the most expensive coffee in the world so expect prices to reflect that. The two Buddhist temples were much quieter and smaller compared to Borobudur, but very calm and beautiful. One entrance fee covers both temples. The afternoon involved driving approximately 60 minutes to the base camp of Merapi volcano. A jeep ride around the volcano and points of interest from eruption destruction is approximately 90 minutes, and very insightful. The cost of this is not included. There are minimal facilities and viewing points otherwise on Merapi, so a jeep ride is the only interesting thing to do. We were then given the option to visit Prambanan temple Hindu for an additional cost of 150,000Rdp. However, we opted out as we were tired! We were driven directly back to our hotel. All these activities and sights involve additional fees but well worth it for an action packed memorable day. Remember your camera and be prepared for locals to try and sell you their wares pestering tourists! All in all, very good value for money. Thank you Bambang!

Highly highly recommended!! they event prepared cool tower and cold bottled water throughout the trip. The guide was knowledgable and tried to make the experience quite personal. Only note is that this is private tour, meaning that if they are setting up a private tour for your booking.

Borobudur sunrise is really awesome. The minor temples are so-so and can be skipped if you are running out of time, or if you want to finish earlier to do some other activities in the afternoon. The 4x4 tour at the foot of Merapi Volcano was a pleasant surprise. Good value for money overall for the price I paid, however, it would have been better if the entrance fees have been included for convenience. At the very least customers should be informed upfront before purchase of how much the entrance fees are so they can prepare in advance. We had a bit of anxiety/panic attack shortly before the tour because we needed to find an int'l ATM and make withdrawals of considerable amounts at 3-4 o'clock AM. Entrance to Borobudur is not cheap at IDR 400,000/pax, plus IDR 300,000 for a group guide if you want one advisable. The 4x4 rental is IDR 400,000 will accommodate up to 4 pax.

Awesome experience to catch sunset at the World Heritage - Borobudur Temple. Friendly and helpful tour guide. Get in touch with you via WhatsApp even before the travel date.

Guide Ardi was great but I think the third party payment via viator is really expensive. Would go direct to a local guide now that I've contacts. Borobodur was grand but it happened to rain the morning we were there and thus there was no sunrise to speak of, great pity. Merapi jeep tour was fun!