What places around Kota Kinabalu you will recommend your visiting friends and family? Together with my family from Kuala Lumpur, we visited a few local places around Kota Kinabalu during our 5 days 4 nights trip. Our trip consists of local foods, beach and mountain experience.
Tagal Tinopikon Park – Experience Local village foods and play with fishes
Location: Located alongside Donggongon – Tambunan road
Tagal means no fishing in local Kadazan-Dusun language. at Tagal Tinopikon Park, we get to experience local village foods and play with the fishes by the river. You need to drive to get there as it is located 30 minutes from KK city center and no public transportation available.
The entrance to the village
Local vegetable
River fish cook with white chili and pineapple.
Linopot, rice mix with mashed yam – Linopot – Rice or mashed yam wrapped in leaves – Sabah Eats
Lunch with linopot and local vegetable
Lokam Bakar, coconut pudding and grilled coconut at Sulaman Road, Tuaran
GPS Location: 6.1019272N 116.1716866E
For the adventurous type, try the Lokam (clams) and grilled coconut at the wooden stall along Sulaman road.
Grill corn, too bad they used regular corn instead of the one found alongside the road to Kudat.
coconut drink is also available
This is how they grilled the Lokam. They still using firewood to grilled the lokam.
That’s how a grilled coconut looks like.
Delicious Lokam served with homemade chili sauce. There are many stalls alongside Sulaman Road selling the same foods. The best way is to go to the stalls with many customers as there is no signboard differentiate each stall.
Nexus Resort, Karambunai
Location: Nexus Resort & Spa Karambunai, off Jalan Sepanggar Bay,
Website: http://www.nexusresort.com
The beach fronting Nexus resort is amazing. Perfect for getaway and relaxation. The facilities at Nexus look aged but the amazing beach and pool make up for it.
We had this beautiful beach all to ourselves
fun at the pool
We had our buffet dinner at Penyu Restaurant. Great food after an exhausting day
Morning Scenery at Nexus Resort
Sinalau Bakas (grilled wild boar) alongside Tamparuli – Kundasang Road
Location: Kampung Kelawat, Jalan Tamparuli – Kundasang
Smoked wild pork is very popular in Sabah, the Kadazan-Dusuns call it sinalau bakas. The bakas, although much leaner than domestic pig, is wonderfully fatty and depending on where they root for nutrition—wild herbs, agricultural crops like palm oil or corn or just plain old lalang—the grassy taste is the very best as it doesn’t cram in flavor but rather spreads, unevenly to all the different parts, making the experience on the tongue a little more unusual Cooking wild pork in the Tamparuli-Kundasang area has got it down to a fine art.
Bakas with a cold beer, heaven!
Souvenir stalls alongside Tamparuli – Kundasang and Nabalu Town
Stalls alongside Tamparuli – Kundasang road is great for souvenir hunting. We spotted a different type of peanuts known to local as Kacang Madu. Taste the same but love the spot on it.
Kundasang Town – The cabbage capital of Sabah
Kundasang Town is renowned for its vegetable market which opens 7 days a week. There are many resorts scattered around the valley. Kota Kinabalu citizens love to travel to Kundasang for its temperate weather and the amazing view of Mount Kinabalu from Kundasang valley.
cabbage statue, the new landmark of Kundasang town
H Benjamin Residence
Website: http://www.hbresidence.com
Located at 1,700 meters above sea level deep in Mesilau, H.Benjamin Residence is a newly-opened 16-room hotel offering a quiet and comfortable stay. H Benjamin Residence offers a comfortable stay and good food at an affordable price. The drive to HB was a little tricky as its location is deep inside Mesilau village. We pass by Desa Cattle Farm, small villages and Kundasang Golf Course and Clubhouse before we finally reached H Benjamin Residence.
The restaurant at H Benjamin residence offers good food at affordable price.
Happy bunnies at H Benjamin Residence
Desa Cattle Dairy Farm
Opening hours: 8am to 5pm
GPS Location: 6.0158825N 116.5916777E
Address: Kundasang, Sabah, Malaysia
Desa Cattle Farm is the “must visit” place when visiting Kundasang. Des Cattle Farm located at the foothill of Mount Kinabalu offer one of the most scenic views of Mount Kinabalu. The scenery is breathtaking and the cool breeze makes us feel relax away from all the stress.
We drop by Restaurant Wun Chiap at Tamparuli on the way back from Kundasang for the famous Tamparuli mee.
Famous Ngiu chap Laksa (mix beef in curry broth) at Kedai Kopi Yii Siang.
The beef lover must try the beef noodle before leaving Kota Kinabalu. Check out our guide to best Beef noodle in Kota Kinabalu http://sabaheats.com/kota-kinabalu-beef-noodle-guide/
Joanne Lee
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