What are the best day trips from Yogyakarta?

Borobudur is the trip to protect in your schedule, and it repays an early alarm. The Buddhist monument sits 42 km north-west of the city in Magelang. From Malioboro the drive takes about 75 minutes if you leave at 5am, and closer to two hours if you leave at 9am. A driver for the day costs Rp600,000 to Rp800,000, roughly USD 34 to 45 at 17,795 rupiah to the dollar. Climbs to the upper stupa terraces now run on timed slots with a daily cap, and staff hand out woven sandals at the gate. Book the climb online several days ahead, or you will only walk around the base. By mid-morning the grey andesite steps give off heat through those thin sandals, so the earliest slot is worth chasing. Afterward, order kopi tubruk at a warung on Jalan Balaputradewa. The grounds settle thick at the bottom of the glass, and the coffee comes sweet unless you ask otherwise. Leave Magelang by noon and you should reach Yogyakarta around 1.30pm.

Prambanan is the Hindu compound begun around 850. It sits 17 km east of the city on Jalan Solo, and it works better as its own afternoon than as a same-day dash after Borobudur. At roughly USD 25 per foreign-visitor ticket, two admissions is a lot of stone for one hot day. Ask at the Prambanan counter about the combined ticket, or spread the two sites over two mornings. History fans will lose an hour at Candi Sewu, the Buddhist cluster of 249 shrines inside the same park, where the only sounds are crickets and scraping sandals. Plaosan, 1.5 km north-east, is the quieter choice. Its twin temples look out over rice paddies, the ticket costs a fraction of Prambanan's, and on a Tuesday you might share it with one farmer. Ratu Boko, a ruin on a plateau 3 km south, is where most visitors go for sunset. On Saturdays its gateway fills with pre-wedding photographers, all queuing for the same shot framed through the arch. Go on a weekday and arrive by 4.30pm.

Surakarta, which everyone calls Solo, suits a group with split interests, and nobody needs a driver. The KRL commuter line runs from Yogyakarta Tugu station to Solo Balapan in about 70 minutes for Rp8,000, under 50 US cents, paid with a tap-in e-money card. Anyone keen on court history can spend the morning at Pura Mangkunegaran, the smaller princely palace, where guides explain the zodiac figures painted on the pendopo ceiling. Anyone more interested in food can work through Pasar Gede, starting with timlo broth, crackly cabuk rambak, and a glass of es dawet telasih, served cold and grassy with basil seeds. Regroup at 6pm at Galabo on Jalan Mayor Sunaryo, the night food street where nasi liwet arrives on banana leaf with shredded chicken and rice cooked in coconut milk. Galabo is loud and smoky, with charcoal grills and rows of plastic chairs. Check the last KRL back to Tugu before ordering a second round. Final trains leave Solo Balapan around 9pm to 10pm, and the timetable changes.

For adrenaline, Jomblang Cave in Gunungkidul sits 50 km south-east. You're lowered 60 m on a rope into a sinkhole, and the shaft of light typically hits the cave floor between 11am and noon. Daily places are capped, so book ahead, and expect roughly Rp500,000 per person including lunch. The Merapi jeep tour from Kaliurang, 25 km north, suits most ages and fitness levels. Open jeeps rattle across grey lava fields left by the 2010 eruption. Go at sunrise, because cloud generally covers the cone by 9am. On a slow day, Kotagede is 6 km south-east, with silver workshops still tapping away along its lanes. Look for kipo there, small green coconut cakes that Bu Djito sells warm from the pan.

Dieng Plateau draws more questions than any other day trip from Yogyakarta, and it earns that attention by pushing the day to its limits. The plateau sits about 120 km north-west in Wonosobo regency at roughly 2,000 m; the drive runs 3.5 to 4 hours each way through Magelang and Temanggung. Leave Yogyakarta at 4am and a driver reaches the Arjuna temple complex by around 8am, leaving time for the hissing sulphur vents at Kawah Sikidang and the mineral-green water of Telaga Warna before a 2pm departure: 14 hours door to door. The Sikunir sunrise requires an overnight in Dieng village; skip it on a day trip. Plateau mornings drop close to 10°C, so pack a fleece. For lunch, order mie ongklok: Wonosobo's thick noodles in a starchy broth, served with beef satay. One note closer to Yogyakarta: don't swim at Parangtritis, 28 km south. The Indian Ocean rip current there has killed swimmers in several recent years.