Tambunan is a valley district covering an area of 1,347 km². in the Interior Division of the state of Sabah, Malaysia. It is located 80 kilometres east of the state capital, Kota Kinabalu (to which is connected by the Kota Kinabalu-Tambunan-Keningau Highway, 48 kilometres south of Ranau and 48 kilometres north of Keningau. At an average altitude of 750 meters, this valley, which is part of the Crocker Range, experiences a mild tropical climate all year long. The valley is peppered with terraced paddy fields and 70 villages. The dense forests of bamboo around Tambunan are a legacy of the British colonial period, during which an edict stated that 20 bamboo sprouts had to be planted for every bamboo cut.