On day 9 we drive from Keningau via the town of Tenum to Sipitang. This route is just under 125 kilometers and therefore easy to drive in a few hours, but you can extend this route with a nice train journey to Beaufort.

After about 40 minutes drive you will arrive in Tenom at the Tenom Coffee Valley cafe (RP2) next to the Tenom train station. This small building houses a restaurant that serves western and fusion dishes, while serving a selection of delicious coffees familiar to the small town of Tenom.

The Tenom train station (RP3) is less than a 200 meter walk from the cafe. Here you can take a nice walk and see Borneo's classic train, the train station and the ancient rain trees near the train station. The Sabah State Railway, previously known as the North Borneo Railway, is the only railway on the island of Borneo. It's a slice of colonial history, a very unusual and adventurous train journey worth experiencing.

If you want to plan the train journey to Beaufort in your trip, it is good to add an extra day to the trip and spend the night in Beaufort. The train only runs twice a day and in Beaufort you have some extra time to visit sights. There are several hotels in Beaufort where you can spend the night for a reasonable price.

Buy a ticket for the Sabah State Railway and board for the train ride from Tenom to Beaufort at the Tenom Railway Station (RP4) and enjoy this train journey through the beautiful countryside. The train follows the course of the river "Sungai Padas" and past the Crocker Range Park.

The train journey from Tenom to Beaufort is 48 km and takes approximately 2½ to 4 hours. The back door of the carriage is open, so you have a beautiful and unobstructed view of the landscape. There are two trains a day from Tenom to Beaufort, so plan your departure from Keningau well if you want to add this train journey to your trip.
Departure from Tenom: every day at 7:00 am and 1:00 pm (Sunday 1:00 pm)
Departure from Beaufort: every day at 7:50 AM and 1:30 PM (Sunday 12:30 PM)
The costs are 2.75RM / 0.65 $ / 0.55 € per person.
The train consists of three iron carriages, all slightly different, of a cheerful blue color. Seats are hard and worn, doors are held open like an old western movie so the passengers can enjoy the view and more importantly for some travelers, smoke cigarettes.

The train journey is very slow and follows the course of the Padas river on the left, the water is dark and muddy, if you are lucky you will see crocodiles in the river or along the banks.
Along the route you can enjoy the lush tropical vegetation, sometimes you can see small houses hidden in the jungle.

After the Tenom Pangi Dam, the river becomes turbulent and spectacular. There are a few small villages along the route where passengers disembark or board during the journey. The villages consist of a dozen houses, a school, church and the football field. Small orchards, a few fruit trees, chickens, chickens and maybe a few goats are all what these people rely on to survive. You may have to change trains in one of these villages. At the train station of the village of Melalap you can get off for a visit and stay at the Riverbugs Camp for Adventures.


From Tenom you drive via the SA33 to Sipitang, this two lane road is of good quality and winds through the beautiful green mountainous landscape of Malaysia. There are small cafes along the route where you can stop for a short break. For enthusiasts, you can also deviate from the route and drive parts of the route via narrow winding unpaved roads, such as at RP10. Please note that these roads are often not visible on your navigation device, so a road map is recommended.

After about 3½ to 4 hours of driving we arrive at the end point in Sipitang.