Tenom is a small town in interior Sabah, Malaysia. It is known as the coffee capital of Sabah and an unofficial capital of the Murut people. For travelers, Tenom features slow, off-the-beaten-path adventures.
Train to Tenom from Kota Kinabalu (KK - Beaufort - Tenom)
Taking the old trains towards Tenom is one of the slow traveling highlights that takes you back in time to the colonial era. It is also the cheapest transportation option, as it is meant to be used by the locals for their errands through districts, villages and forest settlements. The total fee of my train tickets from Kota Kinabalu to Tenom cost below RM8.
Part 1: Train from Kota Kinabalu to Beaufort
There is no direct train from Kota Kinabalu (KK) to Tenom. One has to take the KK-Beaufort train to Beaufort, and take the Beaufort-Tenom train from the same station. Based on the timetable (at time of writing), one can only travel to Tenom from KK by train on the same day by taking the first train from Tanjung Aru station at 7.45am, and taking the train to Tenom from Beaufort at 1.30pm (or 1pm on Sunday).
You can check the current timetable from Sabah Railway Department website, and their Facebook page for updates and disruptions. So far there is no online-ticketing service, so you can only buy the train ticket from the counter at the station.
The train ticket from KK (Tanjung Aru) to Beaufort cost me RM4.80. The KK-Beaufort diesel-powered train is relatively modern (as in British colonial era’s sense) with air conditioning. The seats can be adjusted and spinned around to face the other direction.
Arriving at Beaufort around 9.40am or later (some delays are usually expected, I arrived around 10.05am), you’ll still have 3-4 hours to spend while waiting for the train to Tenom. You can spend some time at Beaufort’s daily (Pasar Am Beaufort) and weekly market (Tamu Mingguan Beaufort).
Durian Dalit: A must-try Borneo’s specialty when you see them. These durians are usually mini size but the flavors pack punches!
Beaufort town’s specialty: Mee Beaufort, a noodle dish originated from Beaufort, featuring fried charred springy egg noodles served wet in gravy. You can find these in some restaurants in KK, but since you are in Beaufort, might as well enjoy a plate of original mee Beaufort!
Part 2: Train from Beaufort to Tenom
The train to Tenom is a vintage diesel railcar with a classic 1970s look.
The train ticket from Beaufort to Tenom cost me only RM2.75. The rural train features simple metal and wooden interiors with open windows. There is no air-conditioning, so it can be quite hot (imagine being in a metal box sitting under the sun surrounded by the humid jungle)!
However, it can still be a great experience moving through forest in this vintage train, just dress lightly and maybe bring a portable fan and a cold drink if you’re not that ‘heat-resistant’.
Other than the main stops at a few small villages, the rail line also passes and stops at a number of small settlements that seem to be deep in the jungle.
Also, one of the main highlights is that this historic train runs through the rugged Padas river gorge. Famous for its high grade white water rafting rapids, the Padas river is a sight to behold.
This train is also the only way for trill-seekers to come and do the Padas river white water rafting, as there is no road that reaches here. The rafters will stop at Rayoh station, the end point of the Padas river rafting, to drop off their dry clothes, before continuing their train ride to Pangi station, about 10 kilometers upriver, to the river rafting start point.
What To Do & Eat In Tenom
After a two-and-a-half-hours train ride from Beaufort, I have arrived in the small town of Tenom!
Arriving at the town, I first had a meal at Haoziwei Cafe that serves good Western food (eg. chicken / pork chop). Alternatively, Tenom Coffee Valley, which also acts as a little visitor center, serves good food with a huge portion too.
For breakfast, make sure you try the local noodles with Tenom meat roll (chun kien) at Pasar Tenom morning market.
Scenic Accommodation & Coffee Tasting: Fatt Choi Coffee Cabin
Known as the coffee capital of Sabah, Tenom is famous for its coffee cultivation and traditional woodfire roasting methods. The two main producers of Tenom coffee are Yit Foh (since 1960) and Fatt Choi (since 1983). Both provide in-house restaurants and accommodation options close to their factories, but they no longer do coffee factory tours/visitations.
I stayed at Fatt Choi Coffee Cabin. It’s a hilltop location with clean rooms and facilities.
Complimentary assorted coffee sachets for you to savor before deciding which ones to buy at the shop.
I met two friendly dogs at the coffee cabin. I bet one of them is called Kopi, if not Ah Fatt and Ah Choi.
The hilltop location of the coffee cabins provide great lookout points, overlooking the town and the surrounding hilly forest.
The sunset view.
There is a walkway right behind the cabins called ‘The Dawn Of Tenom’. It’s a short, few minutes trail walk onto the top of the hill to see the sunrise. In my opinion, the lookout points just outside the restaurant and accommodations are just as good.
The sunrise view with distant fog.
Transportation
There is no town bus or Grab e-hailing service in the small town of Tenom. The options are taxis (you can get from the taxi stand near the train station, or another e-hailing service, Maxim.
A note about using Maxim taxis in Tenom: It is a practice in Tenom that Maxim drivers would charge 2-4 times more than what’s shown in the app. Prices differ between drivers, some will tell you the price before heading to your destination, some will only ask for the price upon arriving at your destination. While I understand that people have mouths to feed, I don’t think this is a culture I would appreciate.
Anyway, Tenom is such a compact town to explore, you can easily get around on foot.
If you had enough of the train ride, an alternative option getting back to Kota Kinabalu is by taking the express bus. Tung Ma Nui Luk Express is a well-known express bus company in Sabah, and their ticket counter in Tenom is just right in front of the train station. The buses depart daily at 8am/12pm/4pm from Tenom to KK through Keningau. The express bus from Tenom to KK cost RM30 per person (RM10 to Keningau). It is recommended to buy the ticket from the counter (cash only) a day in advance, as it may be sold out on the day of departure.
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