Tambunan

Tambunan lies in a broad valley on the far side of the Crocker Range from Kota Kinabalu, reached over a road that climbs and then drops into a bowl of terraced paddy with bamboo on the slopes - the district is sometimes called the bamboo valley for the number of species growing and used here, in construction, cooking and instruments. The population is largely Kadazandusun, and the valley is associated with lihing, the rice wine made from glutinous rice and a yeast starter, which is central to Kadazandusun hospitality and ritual and is produced here at both household and commercial scale. The Mat Salleh Memorial marks the site of the fort where Mat Salleh, who led resistance to the North Borneo Chartered Company, was killed in 1900. The Rafflesia information centre is on the range road above.

What you actually see

• Terraced paddy in a bowl - the valley floor under the Crocker Range.
• Bamboo everywhere - many species, used in building, cooking and music.
• Lihing rice wine - the Kadazandusun drink made and sold in the district.
• The Mat Salleh Memorial - the site of the 1900 fort and its fall.

When to go

March to September; harvest turns the terraces gold. A day.

Honest expectations

The range road is winding and prone to landslides in heavy rain. Facilities in the valley are basic. The Rafflesia centre only has flowers when one is open, which is unpredictable.

Nearby

The Crocker Range park and Mahua waterfall are close; Keningau is south.