Sabah is reputed to have over 2,000 species of orchids found in its jungle.One place that has the biggest collection of these enchanting flowers is the Tenom Orchid Centre  where over 600 species originally found in the wild and hybrids that are cultivated to recreate the conditions of their original habitats. The Centre is located near Tenom town, at the Lagud Sebrang Agriculture Research Station. Close by the Orchid Centre is a living plant museum where interesting tropical fruit trees, spice species and commercial crops, are grown.

Tenom is one of Sabah's more scenic interior towns where the Crocker Range, often known as the "Spine of Sabah", towers impressively immediately behind town. It is the gateway to Murut country, one of the major indigenous ethnic groups who are known for their blow pipes and poison darts hunting practice, unique springboard dance called lansarang and elaborate weddings and displays of bride-wealth. 

Visiting Tenom is a good excuse to try out Borneo's only commercial passenger cum goods train services (using old style carriages) which starts from Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu at 8 am daily and ends in Tenom at about 2:00 p.m. The rail track, originally built by the British North Borneo Chartered Company engineers at the turn of this century, takes the visitors through a scenic Tenom Gorge, which according to geologists, first started as a hairline crack in the Crocker Range but water actions over millions of years eventually cut out a huge chasm through which the mighty Padas River now roars down over multitudes of rapids, providing an exciting venue for rafting.

The railway is built along the riverbank that commends a panoramic view of the river and breathtaking hills which tower abruptly hundreds of feet high on both sides at certain points. The river is dammed at Pangi for Hydro Electricity which can produce a maximum of 66 Megawatts. 

Those who do not fancy the train can always go by road. Tenom has reasonable hotel accommodation.