This town is the hometown of the Bajau ‘cowboys’ who are Sabah’s very own horsemen. This bajau community is famed for rearing and handling of horses. The cowboys in Kota belud have been breeding horses for 50 years and supply many local race horses.

At other times, when Kota Belud is more sedate, you can enjoy the view of Mount Kinabalu looming over the town or simply soak up the nice scenes. Kota Belud is the heartland of the Bajau people but also includes a large percentage of Dusun and Chinese minority. The town’s multicultural presence can be seen with the golden-topped mosque on a hill to the east of the town centre and a Chinese temple to the south.