Kundasang market and Pekan Nabalu: what to buy, where, when

Where is the Kundasang market?

The Kundasang vegetable market is on the main road through town¹, but its traders have moved to a temporary trading area while new stalls are built².

Before the move, the market was a long row of wooden stalls beside the main road⁴. A local guide site, eTawau, puts them on the left side of the road as you head towards Ranau from Kinabalu Park, in a page dated 25 October 2023⁵. Kundasang town is 6 km past the park entrance¹.

Kundasang vegetable market: what’s on sale

Come for highland vegetables and fruit. Kundasang is known for its fresh vegetables and strawberries¹, and the stalls carry:

• Vegetables: the cool climate suits cabbage, carrot and spring onion⁶
• Fruit: rambutan, salak, oranges and lemons⁴, according to Wikipedia

Traders shop here as well as visitors: merchants from all over Sabah and northern Borneo come to Kundasang to buy vegetables¹.

Kundasang vegetable market: days and hours

No official source gives the market’s opening hours. These are the sources that mention days or times, and they may not apply at the temporary site, so check on the day.

What is sold at Pekan Nabalu?

Pekan Nabalu sells farm produce, food and handicrafts, mostly from stalls run by people who live in the area.

Pekan Nabalu is 12 km before Kinabalu Park on the road up from Kota Kinabalu, according to Sabah Tourism, in an article last reviewed 16 August 2022³. What you’ll find there:

• Farm produce: most stall owners are locals selling their own fruit, nuts and leafy greens³
• Food and crafts: many food and handicraft stalls to browse³
• Snacks and fruit: the Nabalu Handicraft Market sells local snacks, crackers and fruit such as tarap, pineapples and rambutan⁹
• The view: a look-out point with a view of Mount Kinabalu³
• Facilities: public washrooms and a mini-market, plus a wide parking area that’s usually busy with local and tour vehicles³

None of the sources gives Pekan Nabalu’s opening days or hours. Treat it as a stop on the drive up, with toilets and a view, and buy what’s out on the day.

Is there a tamu in Kundasang?

Possibly: one travel blog says listings show a weekly tamu in Kundasang on Fridays⁸. Pekan Nabalu’s weekly tamu¹⁰ is better reported, but no source found names its day.

A tamu is a weekly market (pasar mingguan)¹⁰. Keep the two apart:

On Wikipedia it’s the Nabalu Weekly Market, visited by locals and tourists alike for food¹¹. If you want to plan a day around either tamu, ask locally which day it runs before you set off.

Getting to Kundasang market and Pekan Nabalu

Coming from Kota Kinabalu, you pass Pekan Nabalu first, then Kinabalu Park, then reach Kundasang town 6 km past the park entrance¹. One trip covers both markets.

• Minibus or taxi: from Jalan Padang Bus Station, ask the driver to drop you at Pekan Nabalu³.
• Driving: the road trip passes Tuaran town, Tamparuli and Pekan Nabalu¹².

For buses, fares and drive times, see Kota Kinabalu to Kundasang.

Paying at the Kundasang and Nabalu stalls

None of the sources says whether the stalls take cards or QR codes, so carry some ringgit. What holds across Malaysia:

• QR codes: increasingly common, and accepted more widely than credit cards¹³
• ATMs: many local banks’ machines, such as CIMB’s, charge no withdrawal fee¹³

What to pair the markets with

The markets fit into a day in the hills around Kundasang:

• Kundasang War Memorial: it stands on a hill directly behind the vegetable wholesale stalls¹⁴ (the roadside site, before the move). More stops are on the Kundasang places to visit page.
• Lunch: local eateries and resort kitchens are on the Kundasang restaurants page.
• A night in the hills: if you want the market early, sleep nearby. Areas and prices are on the Kundasang hotels page.