Tamu Penampang - Destinations, Sabah Tourism Board Official Website (Sabah Malaysian Borneo)

Tamu Penampang
Kota Kinabalu (Capital City)

Penampang - a Kadazandusun hub made up of a tight-knit community. This bustling district is a mere 15-minute drive from Kota Kinabalu (KK) city and is a unique blend of the old and the new with its modern shoplots and bungalows, fringed by sprawling paddy fields and kampong-style homes.

Dongonggon, considered the heart of Penampang, is the place to be every Thursday and Friday for this is when the Tamu (market) takes place. Traders come out in full force to sell their best produce, ranging from fresh vegetables to handicrafts.

The Tamu Penampang is particularly famous for its tapai or lihing (rice wine) and jars of bambangan (a wild mango usually pickled) and tuhau(a ginger-like plant which has been pounded and mixed with lime juice, onion and chillies). Want the truly exotic? Give the sago worms, or butod, a try!

Held on
Thursdays and Fridays

Opening hours
Most ‘tamu' operate as early as 6am and close by 2pm

Getting there
Take a taxi, which will cost around RM20 one way from KK City Centre

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