Categories: East Java

14 Top Things to Do in Madura Indonesia – Cultural Events

Madura is an island in the northeast Java and part of the East Java Province. It is separated from Java by the Strait of Madura. The island comprises an area of approximately 4,078.67 km². Due to Madura’s infertile soil, most of Madurese people leave home in search of work and a higher standard of living. Those who stay live from agriculture, tobacco, cloves, salt panning, fishing and cattle farming.

Madura can be reached by road, ferry or plane. The Suramadu Bridge, which is also a toll road, connects Surabaya in Java to Bangkalan in Madura. Although the Suramadu Bridge becomes a favorite choice to visit Madura, the ferry still serves the crossing from Surabaya Tanjung Perak Seaport to Madura Kamal Seaport. Visitors can also fly from Surabaya Juanda Airport to Madura Trunojoyo Airport.

One of the icons of Madura tourism is Bull Racing. Every year the bull is held tiered at the sub-district and regency of Madura. In addition to Bull Racing, Madura has amazing landscape that provides beautiful natural spots. Madura also has unique and historical-valued buildings. So fellows, let’s see the best things to do in Madura East Java Indonesia.

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1. Visiting Lombang Beach
The number one of best things to do in Madura East Java Indonesia is visiting Lombang Beach, which is the most visited and favorite beach for the Madurese people. The beach is located about 30 km northeast of Sumenep City. Soft white sand lies along the shoreline. Besides, Lombang Beach also has clear blue water with calm waves so that visitors can swim quite safely.

Shrimp pine trees grow along the coastline of Lombang. Visitors can rest or picnic under the shades of pine trees. There are also rinse rooms for the visitors to clean the body after playing sand or swimming. Food stalls that sell young coconut ice and rujak Madura standing around the beach. Visitors who want to spend the night on the beach may set up a tent. Lombang Beach is located at Lombang Village, Batang-Batang District, Sumenep Regency. The price of entrance ticket is Rp 7.000. Opening hour is 7 am – 6 pm.

2. Visiting Slopeng Beach
Next on our list is visiting Slopeng Beach. The beach has a vast expanse of sand that stretches along the 6 km like desert. Visitors can take a walk along the beach to enjoy the beauty panoramic view or just rent a horse to be more relax. Visitors can also swim on the beach since the clear water sea is really amazing and the wave is quite calm.

Coconut trees, siwalan trees and pine shrimp trees grow along the coastline. Laid under the shade of the trees will be very enjoyable. Seeing sunset at Slopeng Beach is definitely mandatory for everyone. There are food stalls around the beach to satisfy the appetite of the starving visitors. Slopeng Beach is located at Ambunten Street, Samaan Village, Dasuk District, Sumenep Regency. It’s about 21 km from downtown Sumenep. The price of entrance ticket is Rp 5.000. Opening hour is 7 am – 6 pm.

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3. Visiting Nepa Beach
Nepa Beach has almost the same beauty with Kuta Beach on the island of Bali. The beach is still very natural because it is rarely touched by people. The sand is very wonderful, the waves soothe the soul, and the cool breeze adds the relaxed atmosphere to the visitors. Since the wave is relatively calm, visitors can swim or just play water.

Visitors can also play with monkeys from The Monkey Forest Nepa, which is located right next to Nepa Beach. As always, watching sunset on the beach is mandatory. Nepa Beach is located at Batioh Village, Ketapang District, Sampang Regency. It’s about 90 km from the Suramadu Bridge. It’s free entry. Visitors only need to pay parking fee.

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4. Visiting Toroan Waterfall
Toroan waterfall has a height of about 20 meters. The waterfall, which comes from river Payung located in the Eastern District of Sampang City, flows directly into the sea. The atmosphere around the Toroan Waterfall is still natural. The site is also surrounded by trees that are very shady.

Visitors no need to worry about the facilities. There are parking lot, toilet, prayer room, and stalls that sell food at cheap prices. Toroan Waterfall is located at Ketapang Daya Village, Ketapang District, Sampang Regency. It’s about 4 km from downtown Sampang. It’s free entry. Visitors only need to pay parking fee.

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5. Crossing Suramadu Bridge
The Suramadu Bridge (short for Surabaya-Madura) connects between Java Island and Madura Island. The beauty of the bridge structure makes it a tourist attraction. The bridge began construction on August 20, 2003, in the era of President Megawati Soekarnoputri, and was inaugurated by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on June 10, 2009.

With a length of 5,438 m, Suramadu Bridge becomes the longest bridge in Indonesia. Construction of the bridge using cable-stayed supported by twin towers as high as 140 meters. Estimated cost of the bridge construction is 4.5 trillion rupiah. Suramadu Bridge is also a toll road with the specificity of the motorbike allowed to pass through the bridge. The toll is Rp 15,000 for a car and free for a motorbike.

6. Visiting Sembilangan Lighthouse
Sembilangan Lighthouse is the legacy of the Dutch in the era of King Z.M.Willem III. It was built in 1879 and has a height of 78 meters. The lighthouse helps navigate the ships that will cross the Madura Strait. When night comes, it will light up with a range of 45 miles.

Sembilangan Lighthouse still works well and now under the control of the Department of Transportation. Besides admiring the magnificent lighthouse, visitors can also enjoy Rujak Bangkalan sold by the surrounding community. Sembilangan lighthouse is located at Sembilangan Village, Tanjung Piring District, Bangkalan Regency. It’s about 25 km from the Suramadu Bridge. It’s free entry. Visitors only need to pay parking fee.

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7. Seeing Eternal Fire
The eternal fire is a unique natural phenomenon. Fire comes from the ground and will never extinguish in spite of the heavy rain. Strangely, the fire only burns on the ground inside the fence so residents do not worry the fire will spread to their homes. The flame that appears on the ground is the same as the flame of a gas, blue and pressurized gas. According to scientific explanations, the soil contains sulfur which then rubs against oxygen, so the fire can burn.

The best time to see the eternal fire is at night. Visitors can enjoy a fun atmosphere by burning corn, chicken or fish, sold by the local community. In addition there are also souvenir shops around the site that sell a wide range of accessories, batik, and typical Madurese foods Eternal fire is located at Larangan Tokol Village, Tlanakan District, Pamekasan Regency. It’s about 2 hours drive from downtown Bangkalan. It’s free entry. Visitors only need to pay parking fee.

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8. Visiting the Palace of Sumenep
The Palace of Sumenep is a proof of the old power that once reigned in the Madura Island. It was built in 1781 at the time of Prince Notokusumo I Asiruddin or also known as Panembahan Sumolo. The architect of the palace was a Chinese named Lauw Piango. The Palace of Sumenep has a combination of Islamic, Chinese and European architectural style.

There is also a bathing pool in the palace complex that is still in good condition. Now the palace has changed its function into a cultural heritage building that serves as a place of learning history, traditions and culture of Sumenep. The museum was also built right in front of the palace. The museum holds various historical objects that have links to the greatness of the Kingdom of Sumenep. The Palace of Sumenep is located at Dr. Sutomo Street, Sumenep City. Opening hour is 7 am – 3 pm. It’s free entry.

More Attractions in Madura

Indeed, here are more top things to do in Madura Indonesia:

10. Visiting Avalokitesvara Temple
The Avalokitesvara Temple was established in the 18th century. The temple was originally just a building used to store the statues of the Majapahit Kingdom sent to the Pamekasan Kingdom. Then a Chinese family bought the land where the building was located. After the statues were cleaned, it was known that the statues were the statues of Budha in Majapahit version. One of the big statues turned out to be Avalokitesvara Bodhisatva statue in Majapahit version, or also known as Kwan Im Po Sat in Chinese (Goddes of Compassion). Over time the building was renovated and became Avalokitesvara Temple. The Avalokitesvara Temple is located at Polagan Village, Galis District, Pamekasan Regency. It’s about 14 km east of Pamekasan City. It’s free entry. Opening hour is according to schedule of worship.

11. Seeing Madurese Bull Racing
Madurese Bull Racing is a race of bulls pulling a kind of wooden train (jockey seat) in high speed. The track is usually about 100 meters. The race is held every year in August-October with the final game in Pamekasan. The winner of the competition will get the Presidential Trophy.

Madurese Bull Racing is not just a game, it’s a tradition passed down in society. Those who want to follow the bull racing must spend a lot of money to take care and train their bulls. The winner will be appreciated and have higher social status. Preliminary round is done in every Regency, namely Bangkalan, Sampang, Pamekasan and Sumenep. The final round is held in Pamekasan. For the schedule and venue of the race, visitors should check it first in the local newspaper.

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12. Visiting Adipura Park
Adipura Park is always crowded by people. It’s situated in the downtown, therefore it becomes the perfect place to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. The park has a concept of green open space. A variety of ornamental plants are planted to increase the beauty and shade of the garden.

The park is also equipped with benches so that visitors can mingle and chat each other. Adipura Park will look more vibrant at night. Flickering lights make the park more beautiful. Visitors can also enjoy a variety of food sold by stalls around the park. Adipura Park is located at Pajagalan, Sumenep City. It’s free entry and open 24 hours.

13. Visiting Water Park Sumenep
Water Park Sumenep is the perfect place for family vacation. It has pools for children and adults. There are also slides that can be used for all ages. In addition Water Park Sumenep has mini zoo which is inhabited by many kinds of animals such as crocodiles, horses, kangaroos, snakes, antelope, and hawks.

Water Park Sumenep provides a complete range of facilities for its visitors. It has been equipped with rinse room, rest room, room for prayer and food court. Water Park Sumenep is located at Asta Tinggi Street, Kasengan Village, Rubaru District, Sumenep Regency. It’s about 3 km from downtown Sumenep. The price of entrance ticket is Rp 10.000 for weekdays and Rp 20.000 for weekend. Opening hour is 7 am – 4 pm.

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14. Visiting the Center of Batik
Madura has many Centers of Batik. One of the most visited is Paseseh Village in Bangkalan Regency. Since decades ago, the village has become a gathering place of hand-made batik craftswomen as well as traders. Batik from this village use bright colors such as red, which is the characteristic of coastal batik. This is different from inland batik which has calm colors.

The use of bright colors is associated with the mentality of Bangkalan people who are open and brave. Hand-made batik has a high artistic value rather than printing batik or machine-made. Batik is made by hand using a tool called “canting”. The process takes a long time. There are various patterns and motifs of hand-made batik. Craftswomen often combine elements of animals and plants into an elegant and beautiful abstract picture.

Paseseh Village as a Center of Batik is located in Tanjung Bumi District, Bangkalan Regency. It’s about 45 km from downtown Bangkalan. Visitors are welcome to see the process of making batik or buy directly from craftswomen.

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Well then, now you know the best things to do in Madura Indonesia. However, Madura is one of the best Places To Visit in Indonesia with its natural spots and rich of cultural events. Let’s travel to Madura East Java Indonesia!

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