Overview
Vlog
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) |
| DART | 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 2-5 BND (1.5-3.7 USD) just to get to the water village. As for a 1-Hour river, village & mangrove tour, it costs around 20-40 BND (15-30 USD) per person, but can often be negotiated, especially 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. Click on each day to expand and see the travel details.
Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque
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.
Royal Regalia Museum, Water Village, Omar Ali Safuddien Mosque
DAY 2 – ROYAL REGALIA MUSEUM, WATER VILLAGE, OMAR ALI SAIFUDDIEN MOSQUE
- Royal Regalia Museum
- Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque
- Gadong (shopping & dining area)
- Kampong Ayer Water Village
- Street Walk, Markets & Malls
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, gifts from other monarchs, silver and golden jubilee celebrations, and ornate mementos from historic Brunei.
Just around 650 meters (0.4 miles), we walked past the Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien, which is a field where big occasions happen in the country. Unfortunately, it was quiet that day, so nothing happened but it was nice and peaceful.
Just across the street is the iconic Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, definitely Brunei’s top landmark. Again, it was a very quiet time I went and I only saw one person hanging around outside who helped me take some photos (really appreciate it). I just walked around on the outside of the mosque.
To the south of the mosque across the street is Teck Guan Plaza with six buildings that have restaurants, clothing stores, and other shops. It’s not a very large place and most of the brands are local brands. The only few international restaurant brands I saw were Jollibee and KFC.
Next up, we headed to the Dermaga Diraja Jetty just southeast few minutes’ walking distance from Teck Guan Plaza to go to Kampong Ayer Water Village where literally everything is on top of the Brunei River including homes, schools, restaurants, and even lodges for tourists!
During the boat ride, we were taken to natural habitats of monkeys where there are mangroves surrounded by the jungle. The boat captain parked the boat in one of the water alleys and we kept quiet in case we could spot something but unfortunately, we could only hear noises without seeing any movements. I asked the captain whether there were crocodiles, he said “yes” with a smile on his face, but I wasn’t sure whether he was kidding, lol. After doing research, indeed there are crocodiles, especially near the the Kampong Ayer village. Well, as much as it’d be interesting to see a wild crocodile, I’m relieved that I didn’t see any.
After the 1.5-hour boat, ride, we were back on land. The sun was setting and we decided to check out the Gadong night market and The Mall, Gadong and have dinner there. Being from Thailand, which is famous for its shopping malls, the malls here are not very impressive (in my opinion) but they have and serve everything one needs.
Just outside The Mall, is a street with footpaths, restaurants, supermarkets, and shops. You could buy your groceries, clothes, food, and other things here. They even have a car display.
As a Thai, I’m proud to see our cuisine pretty much everywhere even in a small fellow southeast Asian country like Brunei! 😀
And that wraps it up for today. Tomorrow will be an exciting day out to the other side of Brunei!
Ulu Temburong
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 that included the boat ride to Ulu Temburong National Park, breakfast, another boat ride to the canopy walk, boat ride to a creek where we had to walk through to reach a waterfall with natural fish spa (for this, make sure you wear sandals or strapped shoes as your feet will be submerged), and boat ride back to the meeting point for lunch.
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 then took the small river boat, and on the way back stopped by a spot where we had to walk through a creek to reach a small waterfall which had fish that would nibble on dead skin.
For this spot, make sure to wear strapped shoes or any shoes that can be submerged in water as the creek is the only way to the waterfall. Once you’ve reached the waterfall, enjoy the natural fish spa!
After that, we headed back to the meeting point at Trandie Marina Resorts where we had a nice, filling lunch which included meat, rice, fruits, and vegetables.
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.
Tasek Lama Recreational Park
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!
Apps To Download
| APP NAME | PURPOSE | PRICING |
|---|---|---|
| Maps.me | Map | Free |
| Dart | Taxi | Free – pay in application |
| TransportBN | Public Bus | Free |
Pack To Brunei
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.
More Details
- LANGUAGE
- CURRENCY
- PLUG TYPE
- HOLIDAYS
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.
Brunei Dollar ~ 0.75 USD
Plug Type – G.
You’ll Need a travel adapter that supports plug type G.
Here is the list of public holidays in Brunei – so make sure to avoid them as the shops maybe closed or there will be too much crowd.
