Borobudur Private Excursion From Semarang (Upper level access)
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Semarang, Indonesia
- 6 to 8 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
See the largest Buddhist temple in the world on this private shore excursion from Semarang to Borobudur Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along the way, enjoy the scenery of Central Java. Your tour includes access to the monument itself and its precious carvings, including the upper levels. Upgrade to add a local lunch.
- Travel to Borobudur Temple with a private driver
- Upgrade to visit a local restaurant for lunch and souvenirs
- Includes access to the upper levels of the site and its carvings
- Hassle-free round-trip transport from the Semarang port
What's Included
- Private New SUV/Minivan (driver and fuel)
- Private licensed guide during the tour
- Entrance fee - Entrance fee
- Lunch
- Parking FeesPort Fee, Taxes, and highway fee
- Bottled water
- Special ticket to upper level/climb up
- Fuel surcharge
- Personal expenses
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Our team will pick up inside semarang cruise port, its easy to find us. our guide will wait and ready at arrival area(near bus stops) holding signboard with your name on it. you can start meet us as soon as you have chance to disembark.
Itinerary
1
Tanjung Emas Harbour
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Borobudur Temple
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Borobudur Silver Mungkid
50 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Semarang (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Most travelers can participate
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 40 reviews
Roger_P, Apr 2026
Budi made the tour experience just about as ideal as it could have been. He was right on time (actually early). He texted us and had signs ready so we could find him. The tour company accommodated our request for a combined tour with some friends who signed up later. He was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the area and the temple we were visiting. He carried our shoes and even made a remembrance video for us. His enthusiasm for his tours is infectious. This is about as ideal as it gets!
Colin_L, Mar 2026
Magnificent experience. From the Temple to the friendly banter and education the was truly memorable.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re glad you enjoyed the temple, the experience, and the time with our team. It means a lot to us!
Jack_P, Mar 2026
We had a great trip to see and experience Borobudur. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot of the history of Indonesia. We were picked up and brought back to our ship on time despite the traffic and port activities. We highly recommend this tour!
Luis_A, Feb 2026
This was an excellent way to visit Borobudur, especially if you are short of time. All you need is an excellent driver and a very knowledgeable tour guide. He kept us informed all the way to the temple. Once there, he explained everything in detail. He is a great asset to the company.
Dsocia10, Feb 2026
Long drive from cruise port. I wouldn’t travel that far again to see the temple even though it was the largest Buddhist temple in the world.
Elizabeth_A, Jan 2026
Joko was an excellent guide, the tour was extremely well organized. Borobudur is magnificent and not to be missed!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! 😊
We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed the Borobudur Ptour with Joko as your private guide.
It was a pleasure welcoming you in Semarang during your visit with Oceania Cruises (Oceania Sirena) on 16 January. Thank you again for choosing us, and we hope to see you again in Indonesia!
LOUIS_C, Jan 2026
OUTSTANDING experience, thanks to our guide WISNU.
Wisnu and driver (?Yahya?) were ready to meet us even though we were able to disembark 30 minutes earlier than scheduled. We arrived Borobudur long before the ship buses arrived. Wisnu lives very close to the entrance, and his father had been head of the landscaping department at Borobudur, so knew most of the staff. This allowed us to very efficiently collect our upper level passes, and quickly join the next staff- guided tour of the upper levels (mandatory). We asked Wisnu to also accompany us, and we were so happy we did. He added so much more detail, and efficiently showed us as much as possible during the free time before our timed entry expired.
Wisnu had played in the park as a child, and his familiarity with the "inner workings" of the park allowed us to save a lot of time avoiding the huge crowds and extended waiting for shuttles to access the car park and pickup area.
Even had time to have a relaxing lunch, and still beat the ship tour busses back to Semarang in spite of New Years Eve traffic
We have traveled extensively in the past 40 years, and have experienced (or endured) many tour guides. Wisnu was Absolutely one of the very best.
For those of you that are contemplating whether to take an independent Borobudur upper-level tour, DO IT!
David_R, Dec 2025
Woody was awesome. His fun attitude, great jokes, knowledge and perfect English was the best. He truly wanted us to have an amazing experience and was so eager to teach us what we were seeing.
Scott_K, Dec 2025
Our driver truly made our day to Borobudur exceptional. From the moment we were picked up, everything felt effortless—punctual, professional, and incredibly kind. The drive to Borobudur was smooth and comfortable, and along the way he shared just the right amount of local insight, history, and helpful context, which made the journey as enjoyable as the destination itself.
After visiting Borobudur, he took us shopping and absolutely nailed it. He clearly understood what we were looking for and guided us to excellent shops with quality items, fair prices, and no pressure. We never felt rushed, steered, or uncomfortable—just relaxed and well taken care of. His local knowledge was invaluable, and his recommendations were spot-on.
What stood out most was his attitude: calm, friendly, attentive, and genuinely invested in making sure we had a wonderful day. He was always ready with a smile, happy to adjust plans, and thoughtful about timing and comfort.
This was more than just transportation—it was truly personalized service. We couldn’t have asked for a better driver, and he played a huge role in making our Borobudur visit and shopping experience such a highlight of our trip. Highly recommended without hesitation.
Alexis_G, Dec 2025
Trisno was our guide, and a very good one he was! We arrived at the port at 6am and asked that we meet as early as possible, as it is NYE today and we guessed the traffic would be sideways.. (It wasn’t terrible, but it is long waits and 2.5 hours solidly from the port.)
Trisno explained Indonesian history of faiths, and much about Borobudur, and the end of Life as a Buddhist. He took time to show us each kind of tree and what it produced, as well as fruit growth, industry of the regions, etc.
When we arrived at the temple, we were able to quickly procure our tickets to the top, and Trisno went thru with us and explained the way the stones were created, laid, cleaned, and repaired. He showed us different carvings and told us their stories, and took pictures and all of the lovely angles for us.
We then had a truly delicious lunch, and drove back to the boat in exactly the time we asked for. Couldn’t have been more perfect! The van was clean, water was given when we needed it, and he even stopped at a shop so we could get some Durien ice cream. :) A ten out of ten!
Also, I want to add that Yasin, our driver was quick and lovely, very experienced and safe. We felt well taken care of!
Cynthia_T, Nov 2025
The BEST way to see Borobudur!! Great communication with the company regarding pick-up at our cruise ship. It’s an interesting 2 1/2 hour drive to the site each way. Lunch is included and access to the upper level of the temple is well worth the added expense, time and steps. Our guide Budi is also a certified guide for the site so he was able to stay with us the whole time and provided lots of information about the temple and Javanese culture. He even shot and edited a short video of our visit. It was wonderful to spend the day with such a genuinely kind local guide.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you! We’re thrilled you enjoyed visiting Borobudur with Budi and appreciated his guidance, the lunch, and the full experience of the temple.
Cathy_L, May 2025
Another Muslim holiday day so we took the scenic route up the side of the mountain to avoid the highway traffic. Best 3 hour road trip ever. Got to see small towns, coffee plantations, and rice paddies. Seeing Borobudur for the first time is awe inspiring knowing it was built in the 9th century. The many carved panels along the walls told grand stories of past times. The views from every angle were awe inspiring. Our guide, Agung, and driver Slamet, were the absolute best! Agung arranged for lunch on the go so we could stop at Mataram Loewak Coffee to try Loewak coffee. Great experience!
Zoe_G, Apr 2025
Picked up punctually at the port. Long drive but beautiful UNESCO world heritage site. The traffic was really bad as it was a holiday but it was an interesting drive and seeing the temple made it worth while. Lovely guide Denny and a good driver too. Due to traffic we didn’t have time for the sit down lunch included in the trip but our guide made sure the restaurant provided a take away box for us so we didn’t miss out and still get back to the ship in time. A long day bur a good one! 😀
ChuChin_C, Apr 2025
Well worthwhile but not without some "moments" Because it was a holiday, traffic was extra horrific. A usual 2.5-3 hours commute to the destination took over 4 hours. However, it was so worthwhile. Our tour guide Moon gave us a lot of info to prepare us. At the UNESCO sight, Moon seamlessly took care all of the logistics for a smooth time. The ride back was an adventure as Moon and the driver navigated the traffic magically but keeping all of us safe. Excellent and Professional!!!
SHOHREH_B, Apr 2025
Highly recommend! Our guide heru he was friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable, making our experience outstanding.
We had a fantastic time, and I would highly recommend this travel agency.
Our driver Anvar was awesome too such an expert driver
Tor_H, Mar 2025
Long drive but the landscape was beautiful and the temple was amazing. Be prepared for some steep steps and hopefully you'll have as great a driver and guide as we did.
Carol_K, Mar 2025
We had an excellent private tour to Borobudur from our cruise ship with Triste our guide and his skilled driver. The almost three hour drive is worthwhile for this amazing sight. Make sure to get off the ship as soon as allowed, your guide will be waiting. On the way Triste told us about the island of Java, its people, the different religions, plants and animals, and pointed out many interesting things. At Borobudur, everyone must put on special sandals they give you to wear, to help protect the temple. They also gave us a small bottle of water. Our guide then walked us to the temple the best way for views, explained what we were seeing, and at the monument guided us up and told us the story on the carvings and the meaning of the buddhas. After our tour, we went to a restaurant and enjoyed a delicious buffet with many choices. There was a gift shop there where we purchased a couple items. Then we were driven back to our ship and arrived at 4 pm. as we had requested. Thank you for a wonderful tour.
bruce_p, Mar 2025
What a great trip the Buddhist temple was very impressive and our guide was also good. He managed our time well both at the site and getting to the port. We had a box lunch on the van in order to save time to get back. It was very good thank you.
Glyn_G, Jan 2025
We had a great day and a very nice lunch very well looked after with our excellent guide (Taufa) and driver (Yunam)
Shirley_M, Dec 2024
Toured from cruise ship to Borobudur temple. Guide Budi was exceptional. Friendly and informative. We had a lovely day. On parting we were presented with a video of our tour.
Katie_H, Dec 2023
Jamal was a great tour guide, but too bad it was Monday and we were not allowed to climb up to higher levels. Avoid Monday.
Joann_B, Dec 2023
Our guide and driver who took us from the ship to Borobudur were very good, the guide greeted us, chatted with us, made sure we were comfortable. The driver was amazing navigating all the traffic.
But it was disappointing on arrival at Borobudur to find our tour was no longer private as we had to wait 45 minutes for other people to join us to go into Borobudur. This meant valuable time wasted and lunch very much delayed and eaten in the car, to make sure we got back to the ship on time. We were back in plenty thank you to our driver.
Response from Host, Dec 2023
Hi Mrs Joann, Thanks for the review.
On this occasion we would like to explain. So Borobudur has 2 types of tickets. Regular one and the Premium one. The regular ticket not allowed you to climb up the temple, your access only in ground level(this is what the big group from cruise had). What we gave you is the Premium one. Which is special, limited, must book in advance and not easy to get. With this Special ticket you will have access to climb up the temple but in time session(7 times a day) and together with other people who also had this opportunity. To climb the temple is really regulated and the number of people limited by the authority, to maintain the preservation of the temple. With their guide.
Due you arrived Borobudur early than you need to wait for your session to have a chance climb up the temple. if with regular ticket you dont need to wait to any session, you can enter directly the entrance once you arrive and explore the temple without other people (but only in ground level of the temple).
Our intention is actually give our customer best experience, the problem is we might didnt explain it clearly before. we're sory for this
We will explain it more details to our next guests and let them choose.
Thank You
Regards
Stanley
Roland_K, Jan 2026
Long drive from the port but in a comfortable and clean vehicle with a very safe driver. In addition, a good English-speaking, extraordinarily sympathetic and helpful guide was on board, who gave us a lot of interesting information about the country and the region and made the ride very pleasant. The Borobudur World Heritage Site is extremely interesting to visit and perfectly organized on site.
Auto-translated
From $165.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Borobudur Private Excursion From Semarang (Upper level access)
40
8 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$165.00
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Explore Similar Things to Do
- Archaeology Tours
- Half-day Tours
- Shore Excursions
- Bus Tours
- Historical Tours
- Cultural Tours
- Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises
- Day Trips
- Private Sightseeing Tours
- Semarang
- Archaeology Tours - Yogyakarta
- Half-day Tours - Yogyakarta
- Shore Excursions - Yogyakarta
- Bus Tours - Yogyakarta
- Historical Tours - Yogyakarta
- Archaeology Tours - Surabaya
- Half-day Tours - Surabaya
- Shore Excursions - Surabaya
- Bus Tours - Surabaya
- Historical Tours - Surabaya
- Half-day Tours - Malang
- Shore Excursions - Malang
- Bus Tours - Malang
- Historical Tours - Malang
Attractions in Semarang, Indonesia