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Brunei: A Hidden Gem
DURATION
4-5 Days Trip
TRIP TYPE
Land
Boat
ATTRACTIONS
TYPE
Nature
Architecture
City
LOCATIONS
Bandar Seri Begawan
Ulu Temburong
OVERVIEW
VLOGS
Budget
| EXPENSE TYPE | DETAILS |
|---|---|
| ACCOMMODATION | Most hotels cost less than 60 USD per night. There are also options for below 30 USD. The higher range is at around 300 USD per night. |
| FOOD | Budget meals cost around 3 USD and mid to higher end meals cost between 15 to 30 USD per person. |
| TAXI | The most convenient way to explore Brunei is by taxi. It starts at 3.5 BND (around 2.5 USD) in the first kilometer or minute with 0.20 BND added after every 15 seconds or 250 meters, whichever comes first. NOTE: There is a 50% added metered fare between 6pm to 6am. There is also an area surcharge including: – To/From Brunei International Airport 3.00 BND (2.3 USD) – From one district to another, including to Muara in the Brunei-Muara District 8.00 BND (6 USD) |
| DAR | You can also use Dart, which is like Grab or Uber. It’s more or less the same priced as regular taxis. You can check the approximate fare here: https://www.dartbrunei.com/taxitariff |
| PUBLIC BUS | it iss the cheapest way to get around town, with an average fare of 1 BND (0.7 USD) per ride! It serves six lines, which are distinctive thanks to the bright colors of the buses. The Eastern Line, which is the royal blue bus, and the Northern Line, marked as the green bus, pass through the international airport. NOTE: the service runs from 6am until eight in the evening. |
| WATER TRANSPORT | Also known as the “water taxi”. Brunei is home to a sprawling water village called Kampong Ayer, and with that comes water taxis, which are a form of speed boat, ready to transport travelers along the main attractions in the capital. Rides usually cost between BND2 – 5 (1.5-3.7 USD), but can be negotiated upon, especially more easily if you have a local with you. |
Best Time To Visit
Best time to travel is when there is no public holidays or festivals, unless that’s your purpose.
Here is the list of public holidays and festival dates as per the Wikipedia updates.
Travel Itinerary
It’s also small enough to cover most of the attractions in as little as 3-4 days.
DAY 1: JAME ASR HASSANIL BOLKIAH MOSQUE
- Arrive at Brunei International Airport
- Seri Q-Lap Mall
- Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque
The first day starts at Brunei International Airport in . To get there you can book a flight here. Since I arrived there late afternoon, I checked in at my hotel first. Unfortunately, since my trip to Brunei, this hotel is no longer operational.
However, here are some other recommended hotels
BUDGET: Co.Living Hostel Menglait
MID-RANGE: The Capital Residence Suite
HIGH-END: The CentrePoint Hotel
After freshening up, I got hungry and walked to the nearby Seri Q-Lap Mall as it was within walking distance from my hotel.
I was surprised to find lots of clothes from Thailand being sold there as well as Jollibee as I thought it was only available in the Philippines, especially back then in 2017. So, I had some chicken, cheesy spaghetti bolognese, a burger and 2 drinks which cost a total of 12 BND and it was just alright.
After I was done with my dinner, it got dark. There was nothing much I could do except for walking over to the Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque to see what it looked like at night with the lights. The golden reflection against the black backdrop of the night sky looked quite pretty!
Yes, it’s also walking distance from both the hotel and Seri Q-Lap Mall, just 1.4 kilometers/0.86 miles away. If you’d like to stay at a hotel nearby these two places, you could go for J Hotel that sits right between the mall and mosque. I also went there again during the day because why not? It’s near my hotel lol.
That was my first half of the day at Brunei’s capital city. Gotta rest well for the next day as it was going to be a long day with lots of walking.
DAY 2: ROYAL REGALIA MUSEUM, WATER VILLAGE, OMAR ALI SAIFUDDIEN MOSQUE
- Royal Regalia Museum
- Kampong Ayer Water Village
- Gadong (shopping & dining area)
- Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque
One of the attractions in Brunei is the Royal Regalia Museum which is hard to miss as it has quite a unique design and is located right by the main street. As my hotel was just around 2.5km/1.5miles away, I spent roughly 30 minutes to get there on foot. Tickets cost 2 BND for children and 5 BND for adults according to their website.
It exhibits the Sultan of Brunei’s heirlooms, golden chariots to olden-day symbolic weapons and shields, silver and golden jubilee celebrations, and ornate mementos from historic Brunei.
DAY 3: ULU TEMBURONG
- Ulu Temburong (with Trandie)
- Canopy Walk
- The Empire Brunei hotel
This is my favorite day of the trip! Finally I got to explore the natural beauty of Brunei in Ulu Temburong, which is on the other side of the bay from the capital city. For this trip to happen, I booked a tour with Trandie (link not available) that included the boat ride to Ulu Temburong National Park, lunch, another boat ride to a creek where we had to walk through to reach a waterfall (for this, make sure you wear sandals or strapped shoes as your feet will be submerged).
We had our lovely guide, Daryl, who showed us around and explained the different places. If you’re lucky, you’ll also get to swim and tube in the river.
The highlight of this tour has got to be the canopy walk with around 1000 steps including some wooden not-so-steep platforms and the steep climb up the platform, towering at 160 feet or 50 meters.
It is also a popular birding spot as I came across some photographers with huge telephoto lenses.
After zigzagging my way up to the top, I was greeted by the lush green panoramic view of Ulu Temburong National Park.
Fun fact: I took a panoramic shot of the view using my iPhone 6, uploaded that as a stock photo, and now it’s my best-selling photo!
Going down and back was straightforward. We took the small river boat, then the public transportation boat at the jetty back to Bandar Seri Begawan, then hired a taxi to check out The Empire Brunei hotel.
Unfortunately, I don’t remember the price of the taxi but you can refer to the table above to estimate the price.
We got there just in time for the sunset and enjoyed it by the shore. The entire place was massive and majestic.
It was also a little eerily quiet as we were mostly on our own.
We walked around inside the lobby area and the outdoor area with pools and other facilities of the hotel. It was a nice little spot to chill and sightsee.
We headed back to our hotel with a taxi again.
DAY 4: TASEK LAMA RECREATIONAL PARK
- Tasek Lama Recreational Park
- Brunei International Airport
On our last day in Brunei, we walked 40 minutes to get there from our hotel.
It’s a very well-maintained park with lots of greenery, small wildlife, a playground, and a mini waterfall. Entry is free of charge.
We arrived at 9:40am and stayed until 1pm. There was a bird watching tower but it was sealed off. From a distance, you can also see the Tasek dam, a reservoir that supplies water to almost half of Brunei.
Finally, after strolling around the green park, we headed to the airport to catch our flight home!
Download These Apps
| APP NAME | PURPOSE | PRICING |
|---|---|---|
| Maps.me | Map | Free |
| Dart | Taxi | Free – pay in application |
| TransportBN | Public Bus | Free |
What To Pack?
What to pack specifically for Brunei:
- Long sleeves & long pants when entering sacred places like mosques to be respectful. They can also help minimize mosquito bites which are common in Myanmar.
- Speaking of which, it’s good to also equip yourself with a repellent.
- Sunscreen as it is typically hot and sunny.
The below is a general packing list not limited to this country:
Travel basics
PERSONAL:
- Wallet with right currency
- Credit cards
- Debit cards
- ID card
- Passport with visa (if needed)
TOILETRIES:
- Tissues
- Nail clipper
- Foam
- Shower gel
- Shampoo & conditioner
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant/anti-perspirant
- Comb
- Q-tip/cotton buds
- Sunscreen
- Moisturizing cream
- Towel
- Wet wipes
CLOTHES/ACCESSORIES:
- Shirts
- Sunglasses
- Shawl
- Pants/shorts
- Underwear
- Sleepwear
- Trainers
- Sandals
- Socks
- Hat/Cap
- Hoodie
- Jacket
- Raincoat
- Arm cover (UV protection)
- Swimsuit
- Neck pillow
OTHERS:
- First aid kit/basic medication
- Backpack rain cover
- Laundry bag
- Bag for day travel
- Hiking poles
- Protein bars, mixed nuts, jerky, etc. for hiking
- Insect repellent
- Hydration pack
Gear
- Camera
- Lenses
- Lens cleaning kit
- Tripod
- Flashlight
- Headlamp
- Charger
- SD Card
- Hard drive/SSD
- Laptop
- Drone
Electronics
- Phone
- Charger
- Adapter
- Extension cord
- Power bank
- Earphones/Ear pods
- International sim card
- Hair dryer
Camping
- Tent
- Sleeping bag
- Sleeping pad
- Camping pillow
- Headlamp
- Lantern
- Camping chair
- Camping table
- Multi-tool
More Details
Break down into categories:
Language: Brunei Malay
Brunei has multiple languages spoken and written, including:
Standard Malay
The official language of Brunei, written in the Latin alphabet (Rumi) and the Arabic alphabet (Jawi).
Brunei Malay
The most widely spoken language in Brunei, spoken by about two-thirds of the population. It’s a dialect of Malay that’s different from Standard Malay.
English
A widely used language in Brunei, especially in business and as the language of instruction in schools. The Brunei Constitution requires that all official documents be provided in English.
Chinese
Spoken by the Chinese minority in Brunei.
Arabic
The religious language of Muslims, taught in schools and higher learning institutions.
Jawi
A modified Arabic script used to write the Malay language. The Sultan of Brunei has proposed a new Jawi studies center.
Minority languages
These include Tutong, Kedayan, Belait, Murut, and Dusun. These languages are threatened by the two dominant languages of Brunei.
Currency: Brunei Dollar
Brunei Dollar ~ 0.75 USD
Plug Type: Type G Plugs
Here is an example of type-G plug:
Festivals & Public Holidays
Here is the list of public holidays – so make sure to avoid them as the shops maybe closed or there will be too much crowd.
Here is the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Brunei
AUTHOR
We are Alissa and Jay