Bintulu grew from a fishing settlement into a gas town, but the markets are the part of it that never changed function. Tamu Bintulu is the open native market, where inland communities bring jungle produce — wild ferns, bamboo shoots, forest fruit, jungle honey — and Pasar Utama alongside it handles fish, meat and vegetables under a tiered roof.
For a visitor the tamu is the interesting half, because it is the clearest window in town onto what people actually eat and gather. Much of the produce here does not appear in shops anywhere else, and the seasonal fruit in particular is worth timing a visit around.
