If you travel in by plane, the nearest airport is Adi Sucipto International Airport in Yogjakarta. If you are from Jakarta, West Java or East Java, you can travel by train to Yogjakarta Station (formerly known as Tugu Station). From the airport or train station, you can take Damri bus to Magelang, the journey take about one hour or two hours respectively, depending on the traffic condition. One must know that Yogjakarta tend to be very crowded during public holidays or long weekends, and the traffic will be very bad.
I flew in from Jakarta on one fine Saturday morning, landed 10 minutes early (what a blessing!) at terminal A in the airport. I walked directly to Damri bus shelter across the road, through the underground tunnel. The tunnel is located at the second left turning from the arrival hall exit, the first turning is the connecting way to terminal B. The 11am bus has left, so I bought the ticket for 12 noon bus (bus are scheduled every one hour starting from 7am, the last bus is at 8pm). It cost Rp50,000 for one way trip to Magelang. My guesthouse I was staying at is actually located near Borobudur, but even though on the Damri shelter banner stated destination Borobudur, unfortunately there is actually no direct Damri bus to the site. The staffs has to call and check if there is any connecting bus from Magelang to Borobudur, and usually the luck is not there. I have checked on the Taxi tariff from the airport to Magelang, it cost Rp250,000 without using meter. From reliable information source, I understood that the metered taxi can cost more than that if traffic condition is bad. For a trip to Borobudur, the tariff is Rp200,000. Agreed on the fare first if you are taking the one without using meter.
After a quick lunch at the cafe next to Damri shelter (the food cost almost like in Jakarta, so if you are not starving, better just wait until you reach Magelang), I walked back to the Damri shelter, it was 10 minutes to 12 noon but since the bus was already full, so it departed earlier. Anyone should not expect the executive class like Damri bus (not like the one in Jakarta if you have been on to), it was just a 12 seater shuttle bus. Unfortunately, the one I took also came with sauna package...the aircond did not work well and all of us were sweating through the whole journey. The bus stop and parked at Hotel Wisata (or known as Hotel Melati) in Magelang. There are taxis queuing on the roadside in front of the hotel, so it is quite convinient if one need to continue a journey to some other location. If you travel light with just one backpack, you can opt to go on the Ojek (motorbike taxi), with cheaper fare. I took taxi to The Armta guesthouse which located about 5 to 15 minutes walk from Borobudur (depending on whether you walk fast or just merely dragging your legs). The taxi fare was RP100,000, a reasonable one for 25 minutes journey.
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| My chalet at The Amrta Guesthouse. Click the link to find out more.
For me, The Amrta Guesthouse is really a special place to stay at, and to experience Borobudur and all other attractions around. Not only because of the beautifully designed chalets and surrounding area, but because of the special attention and personalized service from the staffs. Before my trip, I had emailed the owner Mr. Aan for a special arrangement to fulfill my main reason to come back to this part of Indonesia. To my delight, everything was arranged accordingly, all has been communicated clearly to Pak Budi, the person on duty when I arrived. And the guide to accompany me to the site of my visit also has been assigned and arrived much earlier than the agreed time. Do look at the references through Agoda.com or booking.com, and if you are interested to stay at the guesthouse and need further information, do call +6281336027320 or email to theamrta@yahoo.com.
And of course, if you are looking for English speaking , humble tour guide who knows every corners of the town and villages, please contact Mr. Jamal +6285725519925. You will have the options to go around with bicycle (just make sure you have strong pair of legs), by scooter or by his special ride that you can see in my following photos. It seems like everyone in the villages and around town, know him well ;) and he will not charge you hands and legs for his tour services...trust me on this one. Real humble and fun person.
 
Some nice plant around the vicinity of Camera House
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It's time for local food again
Kupat Tahu for lunch...yummy!!
In all, the visit to Magelang this round was a blast for me. Everything so wonderful. Wonderful places, wonderful people and hospitality, wonderful foods and wonderful new experiences. If I do fall in love with this place...you would too.
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