Setumbu Hills / Punthuk Setumbu

Setumbu Hill is the name of a plateau situated around 4 km west of Borobudur temple. It is the best location to enjoy the Borobudur sunrise from an elevation of about 400 m above the sea level.

When you plan to travel to Yogyakarta or Magelang, visiting Borobudur Temple is one of the best option to do. But now, there is a new way to enjoy the magnificent of Borobudur temple from a different angle. Alternatively, you can enjoy sunrise from Punthuk Setumbu / Setumbu Hills. Early in the morning, you can witness the mystical Borobudur Temple’s shape with two mountains beside it (Mt. Merapi & Mt. Merbabu), the ray of sunrise that break through the mist that covering the whole area of Borobudur Temple and its surrounding, while you can hear the birds sing. Calm and peaceful atmosphere that you’ll never want to miss.

All you need to do is to decide the best time to visit it and your sacrifice to wake up early in the morning to catch the time before sunrise. To see the sunrise is not 100% possible in rainy season. Thus, do not expect to see a full sunrise when you go there at the rainy day. What exactly you would see is clouds with orange skyline. However, it is still lovely. The claiming goes, it is the trip that matters.

The main catch is not just the sunrise, but the hazy Borobudur Temple that gradually discloses itself out from the misty forested Magelang area. Lots of visitors who went there to see sunrise were not realize that the main attraction is to see Borobudur Temple reveals its bell-shape out of the forest shrouded in the fog.

To catch the top of the Punthuk Setumbu hill, you need to do a little bit trekking on foot. Just do a quick walk,  no need to run, just enjoy the fresh air along the way. With that pace, you can reach to the top in less than 15 minutes. Far in the east, Borobudur temple will be seen like floating on the cloud. Although in reality it just covered by some thin mist. The view of the sunrise with Borobudur Temple, Mount Merbabu and Mount Merapi in the distance is a great reward for waking up so early.

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