Brunei Travel Guide

Overview

Brunei Darussalam is a tiny, oil rich Muslim country on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia, and its capital city (Bandar Seri Begawan) only has a population of about 100,000 people. This entire country is mostly overlooked by tourists, but there are dozens of big, fancy mosques here that are definitely worth checking out.

The two main mosques in Brunei areΒ Omar Ali Saifuddien and Jame’Asr Hassanil Bolkiah. These are real works of art, with huge golden domes and 60 meter tall minarets.Β Even if you're not a big architecture buff, it's easy to admire the intricate showy designs, especially when you throw in some palm trees and blue skies in the background (this is Southeast Asia, after all).

Read through this complete Brunei travel guide for more info on what to expect!

Quick Facts

Language

Malay; 'Thank you' is 'terima kasih'

Religion

Islam

Visa

VOA or visa free access forΒ 60+ countries

Climate

Tropical; hot & humid year round. Dry season is Feb - April

Power Plugs

Apps

Flights

The only international airport in Brunei is in Bandar Seri Begawan (code: BWN), which has direct flights from other Southeast Asian cities like Kuala Lumpur, Manila, and Singapore. You can shop for flights to Brunei on Skyscanner.

Safety

Brunei is one of the safest countries in the world, with an extremely low violent crime rate of 0.5 per 100k inhabitants (92% lower than the global average). I've walked around the capital city at night and never felt unsafe. Terrorism is not an issue in Brunei at all, and attitudes toward foreigners seem welcoming.

Climate

The climate of Brunei is tropical, so there's no bad time to visit. It's hot and humid year round, but there is a dry season lasting from February to April.

Budget

Brunei is a surprisingly budget friendly travel destination, although it's not as cheap as other parts of SE Asia. Hostels are available from $25 Bruneian dollars ($18 USD) and private hotels from $40 BND. Meals are not too expensive, costing about $7 to $15 BND depending on location.

Transportation in Brunei is generally by car rental or taxi. The only transportation app isΒ Dart, which works similar to Uber.

Where To Stay

Some top hotel picks in Bandar Seri Begawan

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Posts

My latest blog posts about Brunei

Get In Touch

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