Mari Mari Cultural Village: Blowpipe & Longhouse Tour

Watch a blowpipe carved and fired, then taste how Borneo's ethnic groups preserve and cook their food.

A half-day tour from Kota Kinabalu to Mari Mari Cultural Village, an open-air museum preserving the history and daily life of Borneo's ethnic groups, with a live English-speaking guide, hotel pickup, buffet lunch, and live cultural dance performance. Three departure times run daily—morning, afternoon and evening—so you can fit the village into a shorter itinerary. Cruise passengers should note the adjusted start times (10am and 2pm).

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Mari Mari Cultural Village

• Travel to Mari Mari Cultural Village
• Learn about Borneo's ethnic cultures
• Discover Kadazandusun paddy cultivation
• See traditional Rungus Longhouse
• Explore Lun Bawang agricultural lifestyle
• Learn about Bajau fishing and farming
• Discover Murut shifting cultivation and hunting
• Enjoy Sabahan delicacies buffet lunch
• Participate in wine tasting
• Return to Kota Kinabalu hotel

The Experience

The minivan picks you up from your hotel in Kota Kinabalu and drives inland to the countryside where Mari Mari sits. The village is built to show how five ethnic groups—the Kadazandusun, Rungus, Lun Bawang, Bajau and Murut—have lived and worked in Sabah for generations. Your guide walks you through each section, explaining how the Kadazandusun cultivate paddy in the valleys, how the Rungus build their longhouses from wood and bamboo raised on stilts to keep out snakes and floodwater, and how the Lun Bawang preserve meat and fish by smoking and salting them inside hollow bamboo for a month at a time.

The demonstrations are hands-on to watch: you'll see a blowpipe being carved, fire being started using traditional methods, and the tattooing process that marks identity and status in these communities. A live Borneo cultural dance performance happens during your visit. The Bajau section covers their history as seafarers—some still live as nomadic boat dwellers on the east coast—and their reputation as skilled horsemen and fishermen. The Murut were the last ethnic group in Sabah to stop headhunting and traditionally hunted with blowpipes to supplement their diet of hill paddy and tapioca.

Lunch is a buffet of Sabahan delicacies. The 9am session includes buffet lunch; the 1pm session includes hi tea instead. Transport is by air-conditioned minivan if your group is six or larger, or by a smaller Innova vehicle for groups of five or fewer. Hotel drop-off happens at the end of the tour. Infants sit on an adult's lap; the tour suits all fitness levels.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off from Kota Kinabalu.
• air-conditioned transport by minivan or Innova depending on group size.
• live English-speaking guide.
• buffet lunch (9am session) or hi tea (1pm session).
• live Borneo cultural dance performance.
• entry to Mari Mari Cultural Village and all demonstrations.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Magunatip Holidays Sdn Bhd

Is this one for you?Book the 9am departure if you want the full buffet lunch included, or the 1pm session if hi tea fits your schedule better. Cruise passengers should choose the adjusted times—10am for morning or 2pm for afternoon—so the tour finishes before your ship departs.

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Top questions

What exactly do I watch being made at Mari Mari Cultural Village?

You watch demonstrations of blowpipe carving, traditional fire starting, and tattooing. Each is tied to how a specific ethnic group hunted, cooked or marked identity in their daily life.

Do I get lunch, and what kind of food is it?

The 9am departure includes a buffet lunch of Sabahan delicacies; the 1pm departure includes hi tea instead. Both are served at the village.

How long is the tour, and which times does it run?

The tour runs for about four hours. Departures are at 9am, 1pm and 5pm from Kota Kinabalu hotels. If you're arriving by cruise ship, the morning session starts at 10am and the afternoon session at 2pm.

Does the tour include getting to and from my hotel?

Yes. Hotel pickup and drop-off in Kota Kinabalu are included. Transport is by air-conditioned minivan for groups of six or more, or by a smaller Innova for five or fewer.

What are the Rungus longhouses made of, and why are they built the way they are?

Rungus longhouses are built from wood, bamboo and palm leaves (atap), then raised on stilts made of hardwood like ironwood and mangrove wood. The stilts keep the house above floodwater and away from snakes and other wildlife. The roof is made of dried palm leaves and needs replacing every three to five years.

Will there be a guide with me the whole time?

Yes. A live English-speaking guide accompanies your group throughout the tour and explains the history, culture and traditions of each ethnic group at the village.