Durians at Pekan Nabalu in Sabah

Durians at Pekan Nabalu in Sabah

Nabalu Town - Pekan Nabalu to the locals, a great stop point before Mount Kinabalu

World's Smallest Durian

Durian at Pekan Nabalu in Sabah

Durians in Malaysia, this small? No kidding! I bought this mini durian at the Nabalu town or Pekan Nabalu on the way to Mount Kinabalu. The durian costs only RM2.00 (US$0.57)! Thinking that the seed would be super small, I was shocked to see the contents. The taste? It was really unique unlike the common durians available in Malaysia and around Southeast Asia. 

Nabalu Town - The mini durians in various colours

After trying the uniquely small durian, I ended up buying one of each of the colours of durians they had there. All in that mini size. I tell you, they were amazingly tasty! And they are from the local jungles around Nabalu. The famous red coloured durian would be the Sukang or Tabelak from the Ranau area of Sabah. The entire contents of the Sukang durian is in a deep red colour. I am yet to catch these local jungle durians (durian hutan) on season one day. Apparently they cost anywhere from RM2.00 to RM4.00 per fruit.

Nabalu Town - Local Kadazan Dusun vendors selling handicraft

Located along Jalan Ranau, the town of Nabalu is the last stop before reaching Mount Kinabalu and it is more of a tourist stop. The local Kadazan Dusun people sell their handicraft here and there must be at least 20 over stalls but there were not many people there when I stopped by at that ungodly hour of the morning.

Nabalu Town - Mount Kinabalu in the morning 7am

There is also an area serving some food and drinks by local people. You can get simple local food there and also canned drink or you can opt to try out the local coffee and tea here. A basic and clean toilet is available around the area.

Nabalu Town - View of the Kinabalu Range

The view of Mount Kinabalu from Nabalu Town is one of the nicest on a clear day. If you want to get really nice sunrise views, I suggest you be there at 6am. They also have a nice platform area for you to take your pictures there.

Nabalu Town - The road to Kinabalu

Durian King or Raja Durian

Well, since I posted about the Durian, I did buy a super large Durian a few weeks ago here in Petaling Jaya. This fruit cost me RM45.00 (US$12.85) and look at the size of it compared with a common cigarette box. The durian seller told me it was Durian King or Raja Durian, the largest durian in the family.

After opening it, there were three of us and we could not finish it. Just too many seeds inside and we just kept it in a fridge for the following day of durian junking.

Map to Nabalu Town in Sabah

View Nabalu Town in a larger map

Durians at Pekan Nabalu in Sabah are seasonal so plese check with the locals on when the full fruiting season is on. To my knowledge, July and August are fruiting season for the Durian. 

Posted in: Kinabalu National Park,Malaysia,Malaysia - Food,Malaysia - Mountains,Malaysia - Sabah,Malaysia Borneo Sabah,Sabah