Local Markets and Tamu

Part of Sabah’s heritage is its tamu pronounced as “Tah moh”, is an old practice since the colonial times, where the locals came to meet in an open market to exchange their produce. It is also a social gathering place for the locals where they would only get to meet friends from other villagers every once a week, exchanging stories and news from their own village.

Today tamu is flocked by both locals and tourists not just to buy authentic products, but as well to experience the rich colourful culture of the tamu. There are several popular tamu that should be visited, among which are the ones in Tamparuli, Penampang, Tuaran, Kota Belud and Kundasang. Each of this town holds its tamu on a designated day, so there do not coincide with one another giving each town the opportunity to run its tamu day.