Tambunan is a small city in Sabah, located about 70km southeast of Kota Kinabalu, behind the Crocker range. It lies at 750m of altitude in the Tambunan valley and is a convenient place from which to explore the northern part of the Crocker range and possibly the Trus Madi mountain. Ranau is also not too far away (60km, 1 hour by car), although the trip takes longer due to the poor condition of the road.
While the city itself doesn't have much to offer, it lies near the Rafflesia information centre (15km, 15 minutes by car along the road to Kota Kinabalu). This is a patch of forest where it is possible with some luck to see rafflesia flowers. The centre is open daily from 8am to 3pm and a guide is needed to enter the forest area.
South of Tambunan, on a hill, there is the Sinurambi viewpoint, from which there are good views of the Tambunan valley.
The Mahua waterfall lies 20km north of Tambunan (28 minutes by car). The access to the waterfall is controlled (ticket needed; latest entrance 4pm). A short path leads from the visitor centre to the waterfall, where swimming in the pool is possible.
How to get to Tambunan
The simplest way to get to Tambunan is to drive by car from Kota Kinabalu.
Accommodation
In Tambunan there are a few hotels, bookable via the international booking portals.
01 Hotel Tambunan Rafflesia 02 Hotel Tambunan Rafflesia 03 Tambunan food court 04 Tambunan food court
05 Noodel soup 06 Rice field 07 Rafflesia 08 Rafflesia 09 Rafflesia
10 Rainforest 11 Forest trail 12 Dipterocarp tree 13 Dipterocarp tree 14 Rafflesia
15 Forest trail 16 Forest trail 17 Forest trail 18 Forest trail 19 Tambunan village
20 Tambunan valley 21 Tambunan valley 22 Sinurambi viewpoint tower 23 Tropical rainforest 24 Mahua visitor centre
25 Mahua forest trail 26 Mahua river 27 Mahua river 28 Mahua river 29 Mahua river
30 Mahua river 31 Mahua river 32 Mahua waterfall 33 Mahua waterfall 34 Palm tree 35 Tropical rainforest
36 Clouds at sunset 37 Clouds at sunset
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©Copyright Alfred Molon