Homestay and Tenom

Tour code: FD005

Come and join us for a night at the foot of the Crocker Range, to experience the life of the Dusun People, Sabah’s largest ethnic entity; have a swim in the river and taste local specialities, inclusive of ‘tumpung’ – rice wine. The second day will take us over the Crocker Range to Tenom, to the world famous Tenom Agricultural Park. Curious to see how cloves and tamarind look? Or simply want to admire the thousands of orchid species? Take your time, we’ll stay overnight at the park. The last day will take us over Keningau and the Alab pass back to Kota Kinabalu, with a stopover at the Murut Cultural Centre and the Rafflesia Conservation Area.

Itinerary

Day 1 0900 hrs - pick up from your hotel in Kota Kinabalu. Our first stop is Donggongon and its markets where we will buy some local specialities for our dinner: jackfruit, ferns and local herbs and spices (the offer varies with the seasons). Then we continue to Ulu Kimanis. The road leads through vast rice fields and quaint Dusun villages. The last stretch is over gravelled roads, but this will be upgraded soon. In Ulu Kimanis we will meet our host family for the night, the Ketua Kampung or Village Chief. His house is simple but welcoming, with clean washrooms. Just behind the house is the Kimanis River which at the foot of the Crocker Range is clear and unpolluted, inviting for an invigorating swim. Take part in the preparations of dinner and learn how to cook ferns and other local delicacies. After dinner we let you taste indigenous rice wine and the village chief will tell stories of olden days.

Overnight: homestay
Meals: lunch, dinner (local)

Day 2 0600 hrs – The early morning in the village has an especially invigorating action on one’s soul, but this is for early birds only! As the sun rises gradually over the steaming jungle meet the locals in the Rubber plantation to see how they tap the trees to collect the latex sap. You can of course opt for sleeping a bit longer, the serenity of the place is very conductive to a lazy morning! After breakfast we say good-bye to our friendly host family and continue along the road that cuts through the Crocker Range into the plain of Keningau and onwards to Tenom, where the Agricultural Park is. The Lagud Sebrang Agricultural Park is Sabah’s Kew Gardens full of local and imported tropical trees, scrubs, flowers and orchids. It is also a major research centre and internationally acknowledged. You’ll have time to discover the park at your leisure as we will stay overnight in the park chalets.

Overnight: park chalets
Meals: breakfast and lunch

Day 3 The last day will take us back to Kota Kinabalu. We’ll stopover at the Murut Cultural Centre just outside Tenom for a short historical appreciation of the Murut people, the third larges ethnic entity in Sabah. We’ll pass Keningau and the plains of Tambunan with their terraced rice fields. On our way to the Gunung Alab Pass we will stop at the Rafflesia Conservation Area where one has good chances to see one in full bloom. The Rafflesias are the largest flowers in the world and can be almost a meter in diameter. At the Rafflesia Reserve the flowers might not be that big but nevertheless amazing! On the pass we will have lunch and then continue towards Kota Kinabalu. Back in the plains and time permitting we can have a swim in the Moyog River that flows crystal clear out of the Crocker Range.

Meals: breakfast and lunch

 

Enchanting Borneo Rainforest

Simple accommodation local style

Tree planting project initiated by the Village Chief