Tambunan Homestay

The Villages of Tambunan are nestled in a valley on the interior side of the Crocker Range, completely hidden from the South China Sea and the outside world. Tambunan Valley remains a very authentic interior region of Borneo, being approximately 1.5hours drive from the States Capital Kota Kinabalu . Tambunan is well known in Sabah for its picturesque landscapes and terraced rice fields, clear mountain streams, and cultural practices dating back many centuries. Many traditional cultural practices and ceremonies still take place even in the modern context of the 21st Century. Alongside this many traditional economic activities and village scale trade can still found flourishing in the area. A stay in the Tambunan Village Homestay is sure to uncover some unique and fascinating experiences. Visitors should come prepared for an amazing cultural experience the beautiful setting of the Tambunan Valley.

Located in Keranaan Village not far from the Township of Tambunan, the Tambunan Village Homestay Programhas 10 participating families, all certified by the Malaysia

Ministry of Tourism.

The program is coordinated by Joanna Kitingan, and is closely linked to the Tambunan Valley Resort Centre (TVRC).

Tambunan Village Homestay Program offers unique live-in experiences for visitors to stay with a local hostfamily in their home. This means participants will eat locally cooked meals (mostly traditional ingredients), and learn to live like the locals.

The participating Homestay Host Families will provide a spare rooms for guests in their homes, whereby bathroom facilities are usually shared with the host family.

Programs can be tailor made to suit different groups interests and available time. Two potential "mock-up"programs.

Some of the view of Tambunan
Padi field known as Tabasan..
some of the paddy. baru sija kana tanam..isn't beauty??
see, enjoy bah mereka..huhu

Activities
The Following Activities can be incorporated into the
homestay programs at Tambunan Village Homestay.

• Planting or Harvesting in Rice Fields
  
• Traditional Rice Wine Making
  
• Riding buffalo
  
• Traditional Cooking
  
• Harvesting Forest Vegetables
  
• Visit Local Markets
  
• Visit Local Bamboo Factory
  
• Jungle Trekking
  
• Observing worlds largest flower Rafflesia
  
• Swimming in cool mountain streams
  
• Traditional music & dance performances

Kulabut market ( the Tuhau Centre)
Jambatan gantung
momonsoi bangkala (traditional Fish Trap)

Playing Gongs
yeah, finally i can sense the Tuhau
kihoi..aramai tii..makan ramai2,

2D/1N PROGRAM (Package)
Day 1
Arrived at Kg. Keranaan & traditional welcoming
Meet host family
Visit to bamboo factory
Visit TVRC for fish feeding
Join the Cultural Dance (for Min 30 pax only)
Dinner with host family (D)

Day 2
Break Fast with host family (B)
Visit the Tambunan Town, Market, & Gong Stone
Visit No. 1 Lihing (Rice Wine) Factory
Lunch with host family (L)
Farewell Party & give appreciation
Back to Kota Kinabalu

RATE AS PER ABOVE ITINERARY (2D1N):
RM120.00 PER PERSON (MIN. 30 PAX)


3D/2N PROGRAM (Package)
Day 1
Arrived at Kg. Keranaan Walai Tokou meeting point
Traditional welcoming & meet host family
Visit to the Bamboo Factory (Making)
Visit TVRC fish feeding
Dinner with host family (D)
Getting to know family history and History of Tambunan


Day 2
Break Fast with host family (B)
Jungle upstream trekking to Tandarason,
Enjoy a cool swim
Enjoy drinking water from tree and bamboos
Picnic lunch by the clear stream
Dinner with host family (D)
Join the Cultural Dance (for min. 30 pax only)

Day 3
Break Fast with host family (B)
Visit the Tambunan Town, Market, & Gong Stone
Visit No. 1 Lihing (Rice Wine) Factory
Lunch with host family (L)
Farewell Party & give appreciation
Back to Kota Kinabalu

RATE AS PER THE ABOVE ITINERARY (3D2N):
RM240.00 PERSON (MIN. 30 PAX)

Contact details,

Coordinator: Mdm. Joanna Kitingan

Email Contact 1: joannakitingan@yahoo.com
Email Contact 2: avanus7@yahoo.com

Postal Address: Tambunan Village Homestay
C/ G192 Lorong Cempaka
KG.Contoh Petagas
88200 KOTA KINABALU

Home Tel : +60 88 764052
H/P (Mobile): +60 14 3580853 / +60 14 6555043
Fax : +60 88 230714

Climbing Mount Trusmadi, The Second highest mountain in Malaysia.

As we know, Mount Trusmadi is the second tallest mountain in Malaysia. Even it is a second highest in Malaysia, less people climbed it. what i heard is, climbing Mount Trusmadi is much harder than climbing Mount Kinabalu. is is because, this mountain have less facilities.

Not much people where is mount Trus Madi. Here is some information about Trus madi.

Trusmadi Mount, measuring at 2,462m, is Malaysia’s second highest mountain after Gunung Kinabalu but is said to offer a much more challenging climb. Its richly forested slopes, inhabited by a myriad species of birds and animals, are a trekker's dream."

Trusmadi Mount, at 2,462m or 8,669ft, is Malaysia’s second highest mountain after Gunung Kinabalu (4,101m or 13.433ft) but is much tougher to climb. It lies between the districts of Tambunan to the north and Keningau to the south (in the state of Sabah in Borneo).

Here i found an intersting thoughts or writing from internet. But i dunno who this person. i call him MR Climbers.. sorry man, i'm gonna share this to the other. hehe..

Please read:

I received an email from my fellow doctor colleague, Ragu, last week about climbing the second highest mountain in Malaysia, Mount Trusmadi. Basically, he is a hardcore mountain climber and devoted his leisure time doing outdoor activities. He was asking whether we could plan our Mount Trusmadi climbing trip ourselves, rather than paying kind of “over priced” pre-prepared package by some of the tour operators around Sabah.

I said yes, but there are not much of valuable information around the internet as Trusmadi is not a tourist spot (not like Kinabalu). It is kind of Sabah’s best kept secret, and it is meant for hardcore mountain climbers. Ordinary tourist will find it very hard and boring. Anyway, if you are like Dr. Ragu (he is a plastic surgeon, like NIP/TUCK television series), here would be my personal tips on conquering Mount Trusmadi.

Few things that we need to remember:

1. Mount Trusmadi is kind of ‘virgin’ mountain in Sabah. It is still under the Forestry Department, not under Sabah Parks like Kinabalu and Tambuyukon. So, the climbing permit must be acquired from the Forestry Department before you are allowed to climb. You need to request for the permit at least 2 weeks before you start the climb.
2. It is even more challenging than Kinabalu, suitable for hard core mountain climbers. If you think that Kinabalu is tough, do not even think about this mountain.
3. You can summit the peaks in 2d1 night, but you need to be really fit. Some climbers do it in 3d2n to spend more time with mother nature.
4. You are going to travel through really rough terrain, mainly used for logging purposes, to get to the starting point in Kg. Kaingaran. You really need a sturdy 4wd to get there. Traveling from Tambunan (the small town which is near the mountain) will take about 1 hour.
5. As it is a non-tourist mountain to climb, you have to bring along all your climbing gear - from your portable stove to leech socks to toilet paper.
6. I must emphasize that Trusmadi is not for the faint hearted.

The best place to inquire about the trip up the mountain is from Tambunan Village Resort Center (TVRC), which is in err… Tambunan. They are now known as The Borneo Heritage Village. They are the best place for you to seek additional information for the climb, but unfortunately they do not have a good official website on that matter. Contact them at +6087-774076, or email at borneohv@streamyx.com. Otherwise, you can seek the available tour company who can provide you with the information package on the internet by just typing ‘mount trusmadi’ on Google Search. You can get the itinerary for 3d2n trip Mount Trusmadi on this and this page.

TVRC is can be appointed as the ‘basecamp’ of Mount Trusmadi. It has accommodations for climber to stay overnight before proceeding to the climb on the next day. They also can provide you with porters, guides, permits and foods up the mountain. The last time I called, you can also rent some of your climbing gear from them.

Basically, the things that you can ask TVRC for help are:

1. Return transfer from KK International Airport to Tambunan (TVRC).
2. Transport from TVRC to the starting point in Kg. Kaingaran using 4WD.
3. Porters and Guides.
4. Climbing permit from Forestry Department.
5. Accommodation.

I think that by directly contacting them, you can save around 10-30% of the cost compared to having a tour operator to host your trip.

Mahua Waterfall Tambunan- Kg Patau

State	Sabah
Location	15 minutes from Tambunan
Coordinates	N 5°40' E 116°22' (Tambunan)
Water Source	River
Waterfall Profile	Vertical Fall
Accessibility	6 km along a dirt road followed by an easy 15 minute walk

Leaving Tambunan in the direction of Ranau, you will reach Kg Patau after 10 or 15 minutes and see a sign post indicating a left turn to the Mahua Waterfall. (If you come from Kota Kinabalu, it would be about a 1 ½ hour ride).

After making that turn, you trundle along a dirt road for 6 km. The first stretch of the road is in relatively good condition, but it gets trickier the farther in you go. My guess is that an ordinary car would encounter difficulties in wet weather. We were in a 4WD, but because it was not one of those rugged 4 x 4 work horses, we did experience some sticky moments.

Eventually, we came to a large clearing along which a river rushed. This marked the end of the road. The track was rather muddy and to avoid getting our vehicle stuck, we walked the rest of the way in to the Mahua Sub-station which had been financed by the Japan International Co-operational Agency (JICA). A friendly caretaker there maintains an office and collects an entrance fee of RM3 per person. For that fee, you also get to use the extremely clean toilets.

Passing by a village on the dirt road to the Mahua Fall. Notice the pine tree.

The road ends here. Because it was muddy, we parked and walked in to the Mahua Sub-station which you can see in the far distance.

The trail to the waterfall. This is so well-marked and well-kept that it will be impossible to get lost.

The 500 metre walk along a distinct and well-maintained trail to the waterfall is an extremely pleasant stroll through a secondary forest of dipterocarp trees, undergrowth, ferns, shrubs and bamboo dense enough to shut out most of the sun’s heat. Butterflies, mainly the Tufted Jungle King, fluttering along the trail added flashes of colour to the otherwise intense green of the forest.

The river which runs by the trail.

Another view of the river.

Sungai Lobou

Two tributaries, the Sg Lobou and the Sg Kulanggi gush down as little waterfalls of their own to join the main river which is never out of sight or earshot.

Sungai Kulanggi

Some parts of the trail are cemented for easy access.

The dense dipterocarp forest through which the trail passes.

At the end of the trail, the Mahua Waterfall tumbles down in an agitated vertical column of water, sending up a continuous misty spray as it crashes into the pool below. The height of the Fall is uncertain. One source puts it as 9 metres, another 15 metres and yet another 17 metres. I’m not sure, too, whether the small pool is safe for swimming but I can imagine that the strong currents stirred up by the Fall would put paid to all such intentions.

The fall becomes visible

The Mahua Fall

The fall in all its glory

Shelters and benches are provided for picnickers. There were, however, only four other people besides us that day we went. Difficulty of access has probably discouraged many people from visiting the Fall which is not a bad thing considering the difficulty of maintaining cleanliness in the face of large crowds.

People pictured here to put the Mahua Fall in perspective

Around the Fall area are shelters, benches and picnic tables for picnickers

The river just below the Fall.

Several species of butterflies – a Monster Skipper, Black-Veined Mapwings, Blue Hedges, a Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing, a Red Helen and a Common Mormon – flitted about the pool area, congregating to share a drink.

Butterflies wetting their whistles at the water-soaked ground. Seen here are a Monster Slipper, Black-Veined Mapwings and Blue Hedges.

Although this was not a very extensive area, we surprised ourselves by spending about two hours there. Obviously, there is more to the Mahua Waterfall than what meets the eye.