Tamu Borneo blog
News and guides
Sourced updates about Sabah’s tamu and traditional food. Every fact links to where it came from.
Kuih cincin from Kampung Melugus, Papar: 27 years of gula nipah
Kuih cincin has been made at Kampung Melugus in Papar since 1999 by Aini Amil of Rabiatul Enterprise, who keeps to the gula nipah recipe and the slow preparation she learned locally. No shop, price or opening time is on record, so a visitor looking for the ring-shaped kuih is better off working from the tamu days in Papar district.
Sunday tamu in Sabah: 18 markets from Gaya Street to Tawau
Eighteen Sabah tamu list a Sunday among their trading days, reaching all five divisions, from Gaya Street in Kota Kinabalu and Tamu Tuaran on the west coast to Keningau, Sikuati, Telupid and the Sabindo market in Tawau. Opening hours are published for three of them, and what is sold is stated for six, from tarap and bambangan fruit to sea grapes, salted fish and edible seaweed.
Saturday tamu in Sabah: 15 markets from Inanam to Sindumin
Fifteen Sabah tamu list a Saturday among their trading days, across the West Coast, Interior, Kudat and Sandakan divisions, from Inanam and Tanjung Aru to Beaufort, Telupid and Sindumin. Fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and live poultry are confirmed at Beaufort, which is also the only one of the fifteen with published opening times.
Friday tamu in Sabah: five markets from Penampang to Beaufort
Five Sabah tamu trade on a Friday: Donggongon in Penampang district, Kundasang in Ranau, Sapulut in Nabawan, and Beaufort and Weston in Beaufort district. Visitors can expect farm produce, handicrafts, cooked food and fresh meat, though opening hours are published for Beaufort alone and two of the five carry conflicting trading days.
Thursday tamu in Sabah: thirteen markets from Telipok to Sipitang
Thirteen Sabah tamu carry a Thursday in their published weekly day, from Donggongon, Telipok, Papar, Tenghilan and Pekan Nabalu on the west coast to Sumangkap, Taginambur and Goshen in the north and Keningau, Bingkor, Tambunan, Weston and Sipitang in the interior. Visitors can expect farm produce, river and sea fish, live poultry, traditional snacks and handicrafts, but trading hours are published for none of the thirteen, so each entry below says how firm its Thursday is.
Wednesday tamu in Sabah: nine markets from Penampang to Tenom
Nine Sabah tamu carry a Wednesday in their published weekly day, spread from Penampang and Tuaran on the west coast to Tenom, Nabawan, Beaufort and Sipitang in the interior, with one in Kudat. Visitors can expect farm produce, salted fish, wild ginger and river fish, but opening hours are published for only one of the nine, so each entry below says how firm its Wednesday is.
Makan Bah Solution opens in Penampang with long-life meals
Kembara Kitchen Sabah has opened Makan Bah Solution, a food outlet and community support centre, at Cyber Perdana in Penampang. Shoppers can buy ready-to-eat meals that keep for up to two years, and vendors can learn retort packing at the centre.
Tuesday tamu in Sabah: Tamparuli, Kiulu, Pandasan and Kuala Penyu
Four Sabah tamu with a published weekly day open on a Tuesday: Tamu Tamparuli and Tamu Kiulu in Tuaran district, Tamu Pandasan in Kota Belud and Tamu Kuala Penyu. Only one of the four has its Tuesday confirmed by two independent sources, so each entry below says which day is firm, which rests on a single list and where the sources disagree.
Penampang festival urges fine-dining turn for Sabah heritage dishes
Daily Express reported on 26 August 2026 that Moyog assemblyman Datuk Donald Peter Mojuntin had asked Sabah's cooks and festival organisers to lift traditional dishes to fine-dining standards. He spoke at the first Camca Rasa Sabah festival in Penampang, which paired a heritage cooking contest with stalls for small producers.
Tenom HPPNS 2026: coffee festival, kopi tarik record bid and special train
Tenom hosts Sabah's state Farmers', Breeders' and Fishermen's Day from 23 to 25 October 2026, with a coffee festival, a 2,000-person kopi tarik record attempt, a seafood festival and produce stalls. A special express train runs from Tanjung Aru on all three days.
Kelulut honey project earns about RM3,000 for army families near Sandakan
A stingless bee honey project led by Universiti Malaysia Sabah has helped members of an armed forces family welfare body at Kem Sri Kinabatangan earn around RM3,000. A second harvest is planned for December 2026 with a higher income target.
Tamu Besar Kota Belud 2026: dates, what’s on and what is still unconfirmed
The Tamu Besar Kota Belud programme runs from 10 to 18 October 2026. It opens with a Tamu Geopark on 10 and 11 October; the official opening is on 17 October, and one report puts the Tamu Besar’s main days at 17 and 18 October.
