Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital of Brunei, a small country on the island of Borneo. This has to be the hottest place I have visited so far, or maybe it’s just an exceptionally warm week ! Taxis are air conditioned and walking can be exhausting from the oppressive warmth and humidity – but press on and it will be all worth it ! What to see, well quite a bit actually for such a small city. The famous Mosque gets first place but do not miss Kampong Ayer, a village built on poles in the river, just off the central area of the city.
Take a boat from the promenade, speed up and down the river (don’t fall in as apparently there are crocs in the river) and visit the water walkway. The Museum of Royal Antiquities is fabulous – the royal chariot is there. Chinese temples abound, govt buildings that look like ancient sculptures are everywhere and the modern, cabled huge bridge impresses, as it emerges from the jungle and spans the river.
Brunei and my S E Asia tour
I visited Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei in Brunei during my month-long tour of South East Asia.
On this trip I also spent time in Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia. It was an amazing time of differing cultures, sights, sounds and smells and remains my most magical long-stay venture so far.
Read how you can combine several of these countries into a easy tour and get the most of the region while there.
Click below for my trip and reviews of these places.
Cambodia: Phnom Penh to Siem Reap by Bus
Malaysia: KL to S’pore by train
I flew here from Jakarta via Kuala Lumpur, See KL review here), in one day after the airline cancelled the direct flight from Jakarta, (see Jakarta review here). It meant I lost half a day of sightseeing but at least I got a full refund and then managed to book much cheaper flights via Kuala Lumpur. YYaaayyyy!
Got off the plane and it’s hot, hot, hot !!!
What to see and do in Bandar Seri Begawan.
Lovely city, very small and saw virtually all the sights within the day as they are within minutes of each other. Very affluent city, well maintained and social/public services are clearly of high quality and well budgeted.
Best was the speedboat ride on the main river to see the jungle/forest upriver, go under the new bridge, and visit to the hundreds of houses built on stilts into the river. Visited two amazingly beautiful mosques, one at night lit up picturesquely after seeing it daytime and one Chinese Temple.
Heat and humidity was balanced by constant visits to any large shops/Mall just to cool down in the air con environment.
This is the first time on my trips that I had to return midday to the hotel to change clothes as I was wet through from the heat and humidity. Carried on sightseeing after an hour but had to call for a taxi for the first time as it was too hot and humid to walk far.
Food and drinks are actually cheap for such a rich country – no alcohol anywhere however!.
Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque
The biggest attraction here is the opulent Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, adorned with chandeliers from Britain, stained glass and Italian marble, walls of Shanghai granite and carpets from Saudi Arabia, and surrounded by a lagoon.
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A wooden bridge takes you from the Mosque across the lagoon to a replica of a 16th century Royal Barge, which used to host religious ceremonies. The views back to the Mosque with its real gold dome are stupendous.
Check visiting times on its website before going as there are restricted viewing times for tourists (appropriately dressed) and it’s closed on Fridays for prayer only.
Speedboat ride down the Brunei River to Kampong Ayer
This was probably the highlight of my visit to Bandar Seri Begawan. This water village is built on stilts above the Brunei river with more than 30,000 inhabitants and has been inhabited for more than 1,300 years. You can get off here and visit the village via its extensive network of wooden walkways, footbridges, and boardwalks.
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How to get there – walk along Kianggeh Road, between the Teng Yun Chinese Temple and The Brunei Hotel . There is a river tributary that comes off the main Brunei River, alongside the road.
At various times a longboat speedboat will ply the water and call out to tourists if they want a river trip. Arrange your price with the driver and you jump in. No lifejackets are usually offered on this unregulated trip but it is much cheaper than official ones from the riverfront shopping complex.
You can negotiate where you want to go and for how long – further up the river to see the monkeys in the trees from the river, or mangrove swamps, or just a general trip to Kampong Ayer.
Kampong Ayer’s 4,200 structures include homes, mosques, restaurants, shops, schools, a Fire Station and a even a hospital.
I stopped off to visit the Museum on stilts and returned to find my speedboat waiting to whisk me back down the river to now visit the new bridge over the estuary.
The boat was fast and thrilling and you are so close to the water but I felt safe enough. It was a trip I shall never forget.
Mosque of Jame Asr Hassanil Bolkia
The Mosque was built in 1994 but looks like an Islamic heritage building. It is surrounded by landscaped gardens, fountains, beautifully decorated tiled walkways and the obligatory shopping mall sized car park.
At night it is spectacularly lit up and later that eve I returned later and it was magnificent. It didn’t seem to be the same building, as the lights gave it an almost fairy-tale look.
This mosque was relatively near to my hotel and, again, I walked the streets to it all alone. as air-conditioned cars drove by me. I later found out from a local that if someone is walking in this heat it is assumed that they are poor and can’t afford a taxi, as no-one walks in this heat.
But I love walking and you get so see and experience so much more of local life.
This was the first time I have ever seen a Mosque with an escalator !
There is an ornate winding staircase for access but also an escalator down the middle for those less able.
The palm trees surrounding the building gave it such an exotic feel. I have rarely seen Mosques with such lush vegetation. almost touching the building.
Ten Yung Temple
This small Chinese temple is surrounded by high rise buildings, so looks a little out of place. Inside it was clearly well used, judging by the number of incense sticks still burning, yet I was the only person there.
Royal Regalia Museum
This Museum contained all the regalia used by the Royal family in processions and important events. The chariot used to convey the Sultan on his coronation sits proudly in the middle of the modern setting of the buildings. Armoury, costumes, vehicles and ceremonial items abound everywhere with rooms full of the history of the items.
Bandar Seri Begawan celebrates Sultan’s Jubilee.
On my visit it was the Sultan of Brunei’s Jubilee of accession to the throne. The city was full of celebrations, flags, royal portraits, ceremonial colours and it looked so pretty. There had clearly been a lot of work and effort to make it so ceremonial.
A visitor from a member of the British Royal family – Prince Edward – was here for the event. However I never got to see him anywhere, except on the local TV.
I took shots of the various buildings, both commercial and government as the layout was so much more modern and well planned/maintained than I was expecting.
Bandar Ser Begawan contained the usual shopping malls, coffee shops, and office that I would see in Europe in similar settings, but here with a much more equatorial and spacious set up.
My thoughts on Bandar Seri Begawan
All in all, I was quite surprised at Bandar Ser Begawan.
Much more modern to the extent that I didn’t actually see much that looked more than 100 years old, apart from a few Temples and Mosques.
Roads, buildings and pavements were superbly maintained and there was a great sense of calm and affluency wherever I went.
There were many non-local workers everywhere, judging by the languages I was hearing and the diverse ethnic groups that gathered together as they shopped.
The heat certainly hit me for six and can truly say it was one of the few places I have been where the humidity and heat really took it out of me each day.
Oct 2017.
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Thanks for this informative guide to Bandar Seri Begawan. The mosques and temples looked very impressive but it would be Kampong Ayer that would definitely be top of our list of places to visit. It sounds like an amazing place to explore. The speedboat ride looked exhilarating and hopefully would help mitigate the repressive heat?
You are exactly right on the cooling effects of the ride. We actually went quite fast and the balminees of the atmos was swept away with the refreshing breeze. Kampong Ayer was my first village on stilts in a river, although others exist in other countries, so it was quite captivating.
Although the area seems small, it’s not short on amazing views and architecture! Mosques and temples in this area are so beautiful to look at, such a shame I’ve honestly never heard of this place until now.
It’s not a big tourist draw even though its the capital of the small country on Brunei. Like Dubai and Abu Dhabi a lot of the population is immigrant workers, mainly from the Philippines and Vietnam. That was obvious in walking around, but I’m so glad to have seen this little off the beaten track city
The mosques and temples are always so impressive! What a fun trip it sounds like! I think I would love the boat ride!
The boat ride and visit to the “village on stilts” was the best part of the stay – such a different thing to do.
I’ve heard of Brunei before but didn’t really know anything about it. This post made me look up some history on it so thanks for that. I love the picture of the mosque with the escalator; it’s such an interesting juxtaposition but works quite well rather than seeming out of place.
Brunei is definitely off the beaten track and I love exploring places that are no on a traditional tourist vist list. Yes, I did a double-take when I saw that excalator as it was so surprising and unexpected …. but necessary.
I’ve heard of Brunei, but only in passing. This is a wonderful overview and there’s so much beauty. All of the temples and mosques, of course, but that speedboat ride down the river sounds amazing, too!
Yep, the speeedboat ride was, unusually for me, the most memorable part of the time in Bandar Seri Begawan. The guy said there were crocodiles in the river but I’m not sure if that was a joke or not! I think I can safely say that Brunei was the hottest place I’d ever been to, (it’s near the equator too!).
Not heard of Brunei or its capital city so this has been a fascinating read. Thank you for taking me with you. The speedboat ride was pretty cool and something I would like to do, too. Hot is always good. How cost-intensive did you find it in Brunei?
Carolin | Solo Travel Story
Brunei is probably one of the least visited and known countries in the world but I enjoyed it immensely (the heat was the only downer for me). Cost-wise it was not expensive. I ate at a local restaurant twice for a price that I felt was inexpensive. I shopped in Malls where the immigrant workers shopped (quite decent and stylish too0 which had ok prices. Even the coffee and cake that I had at a city centre 4 star hotel was reasonable.
Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque looks stunning! The roof is so shiny! I love seeing the city from the water, so a boat ride is perfect. It just gives a unique look at the city.
The boat ride allows you a glimpse of the roofline of the Sultan’s Palace out of town as no-one is allowed to visit it inside The Mosque setting on a small lake with walkways was quite unique.
I knew absolutely nothing about Brunei before reading this, so a very interesting read. The water village sounds like a great day out, I can see why it was a highlight for you. The mosques are certainly impressive but I think I like the smaller temple. A little more understated. Not sure I could deal with the heat very well there but a unique place to explore for sure
Yes, the heat was the most intense I have experienced so far, like walking in a sauna through the streets. The breeze in the boat ride was so welcoming and much needed, I could have stayed on it longer! The smaller temple was so serene, I was the only tourist there the whole 20 mins and only saw one worshipper come and go, so virtually had the beautiful place to myself.
Yet another destination I knew nothing about until I read your article. Fascinating that you could be there for a day and see all the top sites. I can see what the speedboat was your favourite thing to do. It would be amazing to see the houses built on stilts over the river. I loved the look of the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, the marble from a distance looked pink and the gold dome, just so pretty. I can see why you wanted to return and see the Mosque of Jame Asr Hassanil Bolkia at night. It looks amazing all lit up.
Brunei was another place that I wasn’t expecting too much from but it exceeded my expectations – even the hot weather exceeded too!. The speedboat was the best thrill of teh city trip- I rarely go in one so it was exciting to do, let alone visit my first village on stilts in a river!