Probolinggo: Culture, History and Nature

Probolinggo offers a range of options to help you plan your trip: the municipality of Kota Probolinggo is known for its cultural heritage, city history and traditional arts, among other things. The wider Probolinggo destination also offers additional landscapes and leisure attractions.

Cultural history in Kota Probolinggo

Benteng Mayangan is a historic site from the Dutch colonial period and a cultural heritage site in Kota Probolinggo. At the time, it served as a tower for observing the sea and its surroundings. The Probolinggo Museum offers another perspective on the city’s history: located at Jl. Suroyo No. 17 in Tisnonegaran, Kanigaran, it is considered a tourist landmark and a center of Probolinggo’s history and culture. The two places offer different ways to explore cultural heritage: one is a former observation site, while the other is a museum with a role in the city’s history.

Traditions and family activities

Kerapan Sapi Brujul is a tradition from Kota Probolinggo. After the harvest, cattle compete on waterlogged agricultural land. On October 18, 2019, Indonesia’s Ministry of Education and Culture recognized the tradition as intangible cultural heritage of Indonesia. Jaran Bodhag, another traditional art form from Kota Probolinggo, was added to Indonesia’s intangible cultural heritage list in 2014. It is often featured in processions and accompanies celebrations such as weddings and circumcision ceremonies. The two traditions differ in their settings: Kerapan Sapi Brujul is associated with the post-harvest period and agricultural land, while Jaran Bodhag is associated with processions and celebrations.

Taman Wisata Studi Lingkungan (TWSL), on Jl. Basuki Rahmad in Mangunharjo, Mayangan, offers a family leisure activity. Children can learn about animals and plants there. Check the latest opening details before visiting.

More destinations in the wider Probolinggo destination

Pasar Tugu is also part of the wider Probolinggo destination. A 2021 municipal description gives the market’s hours as Saturday and Sunday, 6 to 9 a.m. It lists the four streets around Alun-Alun as the location: Jl. Ahmad Yani, Jl. KH. Agus Salim, Jl. Trunojoyo and Jl. KH Mansur. It also mentions food and children’s entertainment. If you plan to visit the market, check the opening hours before your trip.

Klenteng Tri Dharma Sumber Naga is a protected historic building dating from 1865 and more than 150 years old. It serves as a place of worship for Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Alongside its local traditions, Probolinggo therefore also offers insight into a long-standing religious building.

Mangroves, beaches and special activities

Bee Jay Bakau Resort (BJBR) is a five-hectare mangrove ecotourism area in Pelabuhan Perikanan Pantai Mayangan. Pantai Permata offers a beach, sea cypress trees, a mangrove forest and boats. These destinations complement the cultural and historical attractions with landscapes shaped by mangroves and the coastal environment.

The wider Probolinggo destination also offers unusual leisure activities: for fish foot therapy at Sumber Sentong, visitors put their feet in a pool with red tilapia and can feel the fish nibbling at them. Sumber Ardi includes a rectangular pool covering about 150 square meters. According to local tradition, it is a remnant of the Dutch colonial period; it is located in Kelurahan Wonoasih, Kecamatan Wonoasih.

Back to the wider travel overview: Probolinggo City.