Travel and Tourism Information

Travel - International

AIR

The national airline is Royal Brunei Airlines (BI); it flies to Dubai, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, London and Singapore (daily), Jakarta and Manila (5 times a week), Bankok, Frankfurt/M and Hong Kong (4 times a week), Brisbane, Darwin, Perth and Surabaya (3 times a week), Bali and Jeddah (twice a week).

International airports

Bandar Seri Begawan (BWN) is 11km (7 miles) south of the city. To/from the airport: Taxi services are available to the city with surcharges after 2200. Lower rates are charged by taxis leaving from the airport car park. Facilities: Bank, bureaux de change, car hire (Avis, Hertz and National Car Systems), duty free shops, post office, restaurants and shops.

SEA

Ports at Muara and Kuala Belait are the entry points for sea cargo. There are passenger services between Singapore and Muara port. Ships and water taxis run a service between Bandar Seri Begawan and the Malay city of Luaban (Sabah).

ROAD

There are access roads into Brunei from Sarawak at various locations, although some are unpaved.

Travel - Internal

AIR

There are no internal air services.

SEA/RIVER

There are water taxi services to Kampong Ayer, with stations at Jalan Kianggeh and Jalan McArthur. Water taxis are the most common form of transport in Kampong Ayer, Brunei’s renowned water village. Fares are negotiable. Regular water taxi and boat services also ply between Bandar Seri Begawan and Bangar (in Temburong) between 07.45 and 16.00, and also service Limbang (in Sarawak), Labuan and some towns in the Malaysian state of Sabah.

ROAD

There are approximately 2525km (1570miles) of roads in the country; the best-developed road network is in the Brunei-Muara district, including a coastal highway which runs from Muara to Jerudong and then on to Tutong. Traffic drives on the left.

Bus: Services operate to Seria (91km; 57 miles) from Bandar Seri Begawan), Kuala Belait (16km; 10 miles) from Seria), Tutong (48km; 30 miles) from Bandar Seri Begawan) and Muara (27km; 17 miles) from Bandar Seri Begawan). There is a bus station located at the multi storey car park on Jalan Cator in the town centre, the city bus system is well maintained and inexpensive. There are six bus routes in Bandar Seri Begawan, operating from 0630 until 1800.

Car hire: Self-drive or chauffeur-driven cars are available at the airport and major hotels. It is important to specify whether an air-conditioned car is required.

Documentation: An International Driving Permit is required to hire a car. A temporary licence to drive in Brunei is available on presentation of a valid driving licence from the visitor’s country of origin.

URBAN

Taxis are available in Bandar Seri Begawan, in the multi-storey car park at Jalan Cator. There are also airport taxis and taxis in most hotels and shopping centres. Fares are usually metered; if not, they should be agreed before the journey. There is a 50 per cent surcharge after 2300 for airport taxi services. Tipping is not necessary.

Resorts & Excursions

There are beaches with facilities at Kuala Belait, Lumut Beach near Tutong and at Muara. Brunei is a heavily forested state, and most activity is either on the coast or at the estuaries.

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: The principal tourist sights in the capital are: the minaret crowning the golden-domed Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, which stands in the middle of its own artificial lagoon, affording a fine view over the town and stilt village; the Churchill Memorial, incorporating the Churchill Museum and Aquarium; the ancient Tomb of Sultan Bolkiah, the fifth sultan, known as the 'singing admiral' for his love of both music and conquest; the Brunei Museum; and the Malay Technology Museum showing traditional crafts. Kampong Ayer is the water village on the outskirts of the capital, reputed to be the largest collection of stilt habitations in the world; visitors can walk freely around the wooden walkways between the houses, which combine traditional architecture with modern facilities such as Internet connections

Excursions: Outside the capital within the Brunei-Muara district, Jerudong Theme Park, best reached by road, offers free modern amusements and rides next to a beach. Other beaches can be found at Muara and Serasa, where watersports are popular. Local travel agents offer half-day boat tours to Pulau Selirong, a mangrove island 45 minutes from Muara by boat, where wildlife includes proboscis monkeys, macaques, kingfishers and eagles. Other islands in Brunei Bay offer beaches and watersports.

ELSEWHERE: Tasek Merimbun, Brunei's largest lake, is in a hill resort in the Tutong District just over an hour's drive from Bandar Seri Begawan; it offers peaceful picnicking, birdwatching facilities and jungle trails. Many unspoiled jungle areas in other districts are accessible only by boat. There are splendid traditional longhouses in the Temburong district, which contains large tracts of virgin rainforest. Travel agents offer day or overnight tours to the Ulu Temburong National Park with forest canopy trails on wooden walkways; trips can include rafting and swimming. In the Belait district near Kampong Labi, there are more traditional longhouses including Rampayoh. River safaris up the Belait River offer opportunities to visit remote forest communities, longhouses, hot springs and waterfalls. Recreational parks in Belait district include Luagan Lalak, where there is a picnic area and a wooden walkway across the lake. The Billionth Barrel Monument near Kuala Belait is a testament to the continuing importance of oil to Brunei's economy