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Borobudur Sunrise Tour - 4 Thing to consider before buying the pass


Candi Borobudur or Borobudur Temple known as the world largest Buddhist Temple and one of UNESCO world heritage sites.
Located in the Central Java and known as one of the most visited tourist attraction in Indonesia. I have been there before when i was little, but at that time they didn't had the sunrise access like nowadays.

Manohara Hotel is located at the site park-ground and had it own access to it. This is the only official way to see sunrise at Borobudur, of course you can also booked via tour agency that offers the sunrise tour but in the end you will enter the temple via Manohara Hotel.
Actually we kinda go back and forth about spending sunrise, mainly because the weather forecast said that it will be rain in the morning which means the sun wouldn't be visible. But in the end we decided to pay 30USD (idr 325.000) for the early access pass. You don't need to stay at Manohara Hotel (which is i said quite average for the price but it does give you discount on your sunrise ticket) and you can buy the ticket onsite. If you don't want to wake up before 4 o'clock you can still enjoy the last bit of sunrise by buying the regular entrance fee as cheap as 2USD (Idr 30000) for locals and 20USD (Idr 275.000) you can find the details of it here.
Unfortunately we didn't managed to catch the sunrise that day because its super cloudy and few mins after we arrived at the ground the rain started to pour heavily. So, few factor that you might want to considering before deciding you want to pay extra for the sunrise pass.
First you are an avid photographer who wants to capture the magnificent and ethereal pictures of borobudur as the sun shine illuminates the complex. I can say the picture i took before the light breaking through the low horizon is totally different.
Second, time of visit. It really comes down to the time of year such as what kind of weather and experience you can expect. We visited in January and it will be different when you visit during dry season such as June and before rainy season, October. Another thing to keep in mind is what time the sun rises during each season.  Sun rises at different times during the years and there will be period for you dont need to join the sunrise tour because the sun rises around 5.45am and you only need to pay for the normal entrance gate. But in our case the first light was at 5.10 and the sun breaking through the haze around 5.30 and it was rained after 6 am so if that day we bought the regular entry tickets, we passed the hazy - photography opportunities. 
Third, your budget will be another important factor to buying the pass. For the foreigners maybe its only 10 dollar extra for the trip but for the Indonesian its 10 times than the regular price! Well lot of travelers are traveling on a budget and extra entry cost can be deterrent but for the unique experience i think it will worth the money (even from someone that paid for the entry fee but didnt get to see the sunrise >.< ). I read online that you can bribe the guards for early entrance but come on guys? really? you just risked your self! And if you are Indonesian shame on you guys!!
Last but not least, your willingness to wakeup early in the morning. If you are staying in Manohara it will be easier for you, rool out of your bed and you will be arrived at Borobudur. We stayed at Prawirotaman in the heart of Yogyakarta and we need to wake up at 3 o'clock. But again travel while you are young and enjoy the process.
If you decided to buy the ticket, make sure you enjoy the atmosphere don't get too occupied with taking pictures, open your eyes, and keep moving to the area where there are less people. Buying sunrise ticket does not mean less crowded!
You may want to check the #borobudur or #borobudursunrise hashtag in Instagram to see the last weather condition.
Nobody can guarantee that you will have perfect weather but plan your trip wisely, and hope for a bit of luck :) Happy Travel

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