Brunei Travel Guide

Background

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 are Omar Ali Saifuddien and Jame’Asr Hassanil Bolkiah. These are real works of art, with huge golden domes and 200 foot tall minarets. 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). Compared to Muslim countries in the Middle East, Bruneian culture seems a bit more modern and westernized, but it’s still a conservative culture, so clothing worn in public here should be modest.

The climate of Brunei is tropical, so it’s hot and humid year round, but there is a dry season lasting from February to April. Brunei is a very safe travel destination, 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. Although Brunei is a Muslim country, terrorism is not an issue here at all and attitudes toward foreigners seem welcoming. My only safety tip would be to consider wearing mosquito spray during the rainy season. Brunei is a dengue fever area, but it’s rarely an issue here compared to other parts of SE Asia.

Brunei is a surprisingly budget friendly travel destination, although it’s not as cheap as other parts of SE Asia. Hostels are available from $18 and private hotels from $30. Meals are not too expensive, costing about $5 to $10 depending on location. Transportation in Brunei is generally by car rental or taxi. The only transportation app is Dart, which works similar to Uber.