Kota Marudu (GPS: 6.49582, 116.76096) is a small town within the Kudat Division of Sabah. It has a population of 59,000 people with the majority being the Dusun people and Chinese from the Hakka and Hokkien dialect groups. It is 130 km from Kota Kinabalu. Neighbouring towns include Kota Belud, which is a hour away, and Kudat, one and a half hours away.

Kota Marudu was originally known as Bandau, which in turn was derived from the Kadazan-Dusun word "mondou", a mystical buffalo-like creature feared by the locals. It was renamed Kota Marudu, after the fort built by local warrior Shariff Osman, to defend the place against British colonialisation.

Getting there

You can take a minivan or shared taxi to Kota Marudu from Kota Kinabalu. The journey will take about 2 hours.

Festivity in Kota Marudu

Every November the town celebrates Pesta Jagung, or Maize Festival. It is a time for celebration, competitions and exhibitions. Traditional sports are played while a Pesta Jagung beauty pagent is also held.

Tourist Attractions in Kota Marudu

  1. Sorinsim Waterfall

Kota Marudu is on the Map of Sabah

Return to Sabah Kudat Division main page; list of Towns in Sabah and Towns in Malaysia

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What to see when in Sabah? Here are some suggestions from my videos.

Disclaimer

Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.

About this website



Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.
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