Experience the best of Tuaran

Tuaran lies on the west coast of Sabah, on Borneo, north of Kota Kinabalu, where rice fields and river flats run toward the sea and the bulk of Mount Kinabalu appears in the distance. It is the home of Kadazan-Dusun and Bajau communities, and the district is known for the Mengkabong water village, rows of wooden houses on stilts built over a tidal river.

A weekly open-air market, the tamu, draws farmers, fishermen and traders from the surrounding villages on Sundays, selling vegetables, fruit, fish, rice wine and handicrafts. Beaches such as Dalit lie along the coast, and the Tuaran River winds across the rice flats to a mangrove-lined mouth. Kota Kinabalu is a short drive to the south-west.

Tuaran mee, handmade egg noodles fried with vegetables, meat and egg, is the town's best-known dish and is eaten at breakfast in the town's coffee shops. Fresh seafood from the water village rounds out the local table. Rain is heaviest between October and February.