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EST. 2024 β’ EKAPUTRA TOUR MALANG
Every year, thousands of lanterns rise slowly into the night sky above Borobudur Temple. The crowd goes completely quiet. Some people cry. Most just tilt their heads back and stare.
If you have ever seen a photo of this moment and thought "I need to be there," 2026 is your year. The date is locked: Sunday, May 31, 2026, with the exact full moon moment falling at 15:44:44 WIB.
This guide is for travelers who are flying into Jakarta before heading to Yogyakarta for Waisak.
We cover how to make the most of your Jakarta stopover, the lantern tickets, the journey to Borobudur, and what actually happens on the day.
Most travelers flying into Indonesia for Waisak land at Soekarno-Hatta and have at least a day or two in Jakarta before their flight to Yogyakarta. That window is easy to waste if you do not have a plan.
Jakarta is not just a transit city. For a first-time visitor to Indonesia, it is actually the best place to start understanding the country before you arrive at Borobudur.
The cultural context you build in Jakarta makes everything you experience at Waisak land differently.
This is exactly where Ekaputra Tour comes in. We run private guided tours in Jakarta designed for travelers who have a day or two in the city and want to use that time properly, with an English-speaking guide and private transport throughout.
If you have a full day in Jakarta, the Full-Day Indonesia Culture and Landmark Tour is the right call. Morning at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah where traditional houses from every Indonesian province are built at full scale, afternoon at the National Museum with one of Southeast Asia's most comprehensive collections of Indonesian heritage.
By the time you board your flight to Yogyakarta, Borobudur will feel less like a bucket list photo and more like a place you actually understand.
If your flight to Yogyakarta is in the morning and you only have the evening in Jakarta, the Jakarta Night Tour is the better fit.
Monas, active night markets, authentic street food stops, and a genuine feel for how Jakarta lives after dark without navigating it alone.
Tight on time? The Jakarta Half-Day Tour to Taman Mini covers the cultural essentials in four to five hours with hotel pickup and drop-off included.
None of these tours go to Yogyakarta or Borobudur. What they do is make your Jakarta days genuinely worthwhile before you continue your trip.
With your Jakarta days sorted, the next thing to lock down before anything else is your lantern ticket.
Tickets for the Lentera Perdamaian (Lanterns of Peace) ceremony are sold digitally only.
There are no walk-in counters. Based on 2025 pricing, expect to pay approximately IDR 550,000 to 600,000 per person (around USD 34 to 37). They go fast, and once they are gone, they are gone.
The official platforms are Tiket.com and the MBMI (Majelis Buddhayana Indonesia) official website or Waisak Borobudur Website.
You will need an account, a valid email, and a payment method that works in Indonesia. Visa and Mastercard typically work fine on Tiket.com if you are booking from overseas.
There are two sessions on the evening of May 31: Session 1 starts at 17:30 WIB and runs until 19:30, Session 2 follows after.
Each session has its own ticket. Session 1 tends to sell out first because you get the light-to-dark transition as the lanterns rise. Session 2 is deeper into the night, which has its own feel.
Buy your tickets the moment they go on sale. Do not wait until you land in Jakarta.
Jakarta and Borobudur are about 570 kilometers apart. The most practical route is a short flight followed by a drive.
Flights from Soekarno-Hatta (CGK) or Halim Perdanakusuma (HLP) to Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA) take roughly 55 to 70 minutes.
Garuda Indonesia, Batik Air, and Lion Air all operate the route. Book early because Waisak falls on a national holiday long weekend and prices spike significantly in the weeks before May 31.
From YIA, Borobudur is about 45 minutes to an hour by car. On Waisak day itself, roads around the temple park start getting congested from early afternoon. Build in at least two hours of buffer if you are going independently.
Prefer ground travel? The Argo Lawu or Argo Dwipangga trains from Gambir Station in Jakarta to Tugu Station in Yogyakarta take about 7 to 8 hours and are comfortable.
Book through the KAI Access app. From Tugu Station, Borobudur is another 45 minutes by car.
Waisak at Borobudur is a real religious ceremony first, and a travel experience second. That distinction matters for how you show up.
The main religious observance including the meditation at the exact full moon moment of 15:44:44 WIB is restricted to registered monks and Buddhist devotees with official credentials.
What is open to everyone with a ticket is the Lantern Festival in the evening at Taman Lumbini and Lapangan Marga Utama within the complex.
The dress code is full white, top and bottom. Non-negotiable. When thousands of people stand together in white under the full moon with Borobudur silhouetted behind them, the collective effect is part of what makes the ceremony what it is. Pack your whites before you leave Jakarta.
Parking is outside the main complex, usually a 20 to 30 minute walk to the ceremony grounds in the dark. Arrive early. The ceremony runs about 30 to 45 minutes from the meditation period through to the lantern release.
You write your wish on the paper attached to your lantern, light it, and let it go.
Bring a light jacket. Evening temperatures at Borobudur in late May drop to around 22 to 25 degrees Celsius, noticeably cooler than Jakarta.
Waisak at Borobudur is one of those experiences that stays with you long after the lanterns disappear into the night sky.
The planning side of it, flights, tickets, timing, does not have to be the stressful part of the trip.
If you are landing in Jakarta before heading to Yogyakarta, use that time well.
Ekaputra Tour is here to make sure your days in Jakarta are just as memorable as the destination you came for.
