Kota Belud District

Kota Belud is the hometown of the Bajau ‘cowboys’ who are Sabah’s very own horsemen. This Sabahan native group is famed for rearing and handling of horses.
The quaint and lively little town affectionately addressed by the locals as KB is also home to Sabah’s most vibrant and illustrious weekly ‘tamu’ market. The word ‘tamu’ means “meeting place”; up to this day it is very much a place where traders from the surrounding areas come together both for trading purposes and to discuss the latest events.

Visitors of the Kota Belud district will find many of Sabah’s handicrafts here, muddled up with betel nut stalls, vegetables, dried and fresh fish, sarongs, pots and pans, and Taiwan-made electrical items.

How To go There
The best day for a visit to the Kota Belud tamu is on Sunday. Kota Belud is only a little over an hour’s drive away from Kota Kinabalu. Visitors can either take a bus, rent a taxi, or rent a car/motorbike for a visit to Kota Belud.

Information regarding the public transportations to Kota Belud district is as follows:

Tamu Besar Kota Belud 2008

Tamu Besar Kota Belud gives visitors the golden opportunity to immerse themselves in Kota Belud’s immensely diverse culture. Moreover, visitors should seize this grand occasion to stockpile on home wares and food produce as vendors, farmers, and fishermen will have their best merchandizes to offer here.

The 2-day Tamu Besar Grand event showcases Sabah’s biggest open-air market as well as the unique customs and traditions of the Bajau community. Throughout this event, the native people will come out donning their respective traditional costumes.

The annual Tamu Besar is also the place to be if you want to witness the much-lauded West Coast Bajau horsemanship. Throughout this event, the younger generation of Bajau gentlemen will get in touch with their age-old heritage as horsemen of the east. There will also be a parade of ponies dressed in gorgeously ornate costumes as well as an exuberant display of riding skills by the Bajau horsemen.



Other than the usual trade activities, there are other interesting activities such as displays of farm produce and animals. Be sure to hone your haggling skills as a preparation to visit the Tamu Besar Kota Belud –you will need it!

Will be held on 25 - 26 October 2008

Other Attraction in Kota Belud:

* Kota Belud District
* Tamu Kota Belud
* Kampung Siasai
* Kampung Kuala Abai