Yogyakarta, pronounced and often written as Jogjakarta, is a city of about 400,000 on the large Indonesian island of Java (the same as Jakarta). When it comes to World Heritage sites, Jogjakarta is well endowed. It boasts the largest Buddhist temple in the world in Borobudur as well as one of the largest Hindu temples, Prambanan. Both temples are about an hour drive from the center of the city, though in slightly different directions. There are many tours offered that hit up both temples, as well as a few minor temples, in one day. Find out about the majesty of Borobudur below and then check out Prambanan in our upcoming post.
Borobudur
Borobudur is a place that I had wanted to go for quite a long time. It just seemed a place steeped in mystery and culture, as well as being a place where it seemed impossible to take a bad picture (not actually the case). This being the case, we decided to do a sunrise tour in order to take the most advantage of the light. However, it is worth noting that during the time of year we visited (January), the temple does not actually open until after sunrise and the only way to get into the temple for actual sunrise is to stay at the one hotel located on the temple grounds. Otherwise, the common tour path is to see sunrise from a hill overlooking the temple and then go down to the temple itself. Read more