Brunei was one of the smallest and least-known countries I visited in Southeast Asia. Located on the island of Borneo, it seemed at first like it might be a relatively quick country to explore, but it turned out to have far more variety than I expected.
Oil and gas wealth has had an enormous influence on the country, and around Bandar Seri Begawan I found impressive mosques, elaborate architecture, modern infrastructure, and unmistakable signs of that prosperity. Yet travel only a relatively short distance away and Brunei could look completely different.
During my visit I explored the capital and its water villages, wandered through a strangely quiet amusement park at night, and traveled into Temburong, where rivers and tropical rainforest replaced much of the development I had seen around the capital. Those contrasts became what I remembered most about traveling through Brunei.
Explore Bandar Seri Begawan
Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital of Brunei and the country’s principal urban center. Its most recognizable landmarks include monumental mosques and royal architecture, while Kampong Ayer extends across the Brunei River as a large community of houses and other buildings constructed over the water.
Despite its role as the national capital, Bandar Seri Begawan felt relatively quiet and compact during my visit. The combination of grand architecture, waterways, tropical surroundings, and water-village communities made it unlike any other capital I visited in Southeast Asia.
Explore Jerudong Park
Jerudong Park is Brunei’s major amusement park, with rides, landscaped gardens, entertainment, and a waterpark. Its scale reflects an especially ambitious period in Brunei’s development, and the park has changed considerably over the years.
When I visited, however, the experience was memorable for a completely different reason. Large sections were remarkably quiet, and I wandered past illuminated gardens, silent rides, and nearly empty walkways before eventually finding a crowd gathered around the park’s colorful fountain show.
Explore Temburong
Temburong forms Brunei’s eastern district and is geographically separated from the country’s other three districts by the Malaysian state of Sarawak. Much of the district remains forested, including the extensive protected rainforest of Ulu Temburong National Park.
The district offers a striking contrast with the more developed western part of Brunei. Rivers, rainforest, longhouses, wildlife, and the canopy of Ulu Temburong National Park define much of the experience, making Temburong one of the country’s strongest destinations for seeing the natural environment of Borneo.
