Brunei

Brunei has a semi-tropical climate, whereas Bandar Seri Begawan has a subtropical climate. The hottest month is January, with temperatures ranging from 14 to 33 degrees Celsius. The rainy season is always soft and humid, while the dry season is hot and humid. However, there isn’t much of a difference between the two stations.

Brunei’s topography consists of a flat coastal plain that climbs to the mountains in the east, with Bukit Pagan, at 1,850 meters, being the highest point, and some rugged highlands in the west.

There are no typhoons, earthquakes, major floods, or other natural disasters to contend with, and the most significant environmental issues are seasonal forest fires (caused by illegal clearings) in neighboring Indonesia.

Belait, Brunei Bisaya (not to be confused with the adjacent Bisaya / Visaya Philippines), Brunei Malaysia, Dusun, Kedayan, Lun Bawang, Murut, and Tutong are all indigenous to Brunei.

Brunei’s population was 415,717 in July 2013, with 76 percent of the people living in urban areas. Between 2010 and 2015, the pace of urbanization is expected to be 2.13 percent each year. The average life expectancy in the United States is 77.7 years. Malaysians made up 65.7 percent of the population in 2014, with Chinese accounting for 10.3 percent, Aboriginals for 3.4 percent, and smaller groups accounting for the remaining 20.6 percent. Brunei’s official language is Malay. Brunei’s Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports backs a linguistic campaign to promote language usage.

Brunei’s official language is Melayu Brunei (Malaise Brunei). Malaysian brunettei is distinct from standard Malay and the rest of the Malaysian dialects, since it is only 84 percent connected to standard Malay and is mostly incomprehensible to one another.

English and Chinese are also commonly spoken, and there is a sizable expatriate population. English is utilized in commerce, as a language of labor, and as a language of teaching from elementary to higher education.

The majority of expatriates come from nations that are not Muslim, such as Australia, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and India.

Arabic, Malay Kedayan dialect, Malay dialect Tutong, Murut, and Dusun are among the other languages and dialects spoken.

Brunei’s official religion is Islam, particularly the Sunni branch, as prescribed by the Shafi’i Madhhab. Islam is practiced by two-thirds of the population, including the majority of Malaysians from Brunei and Chinese from Brunei. Buddhism (13 percent, mostly by Chinese) and Christianity are the other faiths practiced (10 percent ). About 7% of the population is made up of free thinkers, the majority of whom are Chinese. They prefer to portray themselves as having not formally followed any religion, and therefore as atheists in official censuses, despite the fact that majority practice some kind of religion including components of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Indigenous religion adherents account for approximately 2% of the population.

Brunei’s official language is Malay (Bahasa Melayu), although English is commonly spoken and understood in urban areas owing to the country’s British colonial history. In rural regions, where English competence is low, knowing a little Malay will come in handy. While everyone in Brunei can communicate in standard Malay, the local dialect is almost unintelligible to other Malay speakers. Although most signs are printed in both Jawi and Roman characters, Brunei also employs the Arabic script for Malay known as Jawi. With the exception of religious publications, the Roman alphabet is still the most often used script in Brunei for writing Malay.

In Brunei, the Chinese ethnic minority speaks a number of Chinese dialects, including Hokkien, Teochew, and others.

Brunei’s international code is 673. Brunei’s phone numbers are 7 digits long with no area codes, but the first digit of the number identifies the district, such as 3 for Belait and 2 for Bandar Seri Begawan.

The prepaid Hallo Kad, which is available in quantities of $5 to $50 from TelBru’s telephone offices (including one at the airport) and other shops, may be used to make local and international calls on any phone in the country. Other phone cards may be used in public telephones as well.

DST, the network operator, offers GSM mobile phone services. They provide a diverse range of nomadic connections. B-Mobile now offers 3G mobile telephone services.

The Brunei government is a Malaysian Islamic monarchy (MIB), which means that the Sultan of Brunei, in addition to being one of the world’s wealthiest men, essentially controls the nation and is featured on the front pages of both local newspapers. nearly every single day At all costs, avoid insulting or disparaging the royal family.

Furthermore, although Bruneians are usually polite and tolerant, it is a good idea to be aware of the sensitivity of some subjects of discussion, notably politics (national, regional, or international) and global events, particularly those involving Islam or Islamic nations.

Foreign residents of the following countries/territories are not required to get a visa to visit Brunei if they have a valid passport valid for at least 6 months:

Up to 90 days: all European Union member nations (excluding Croatia), United States

Iceland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates may stay for up to 30 days.

Cambodia, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR), Japan, Indonesia, Laos, Liechtenstein, Maldives, Peru, Philippines, Switzerland, Thailand, and Vietnam may be visited for up to 14 days.

Citizens of Israel are not permitted to enter Brunei, however other passports with Israeli stamps and visas are accepted.

Citizens of Australia and Kuwait may acquire a 30-day visa on arrival. Citizens of Bahrain, Qatar, and Taiwan may acquire a 14-day visa on arrival. These nationals may get a visa on arrival for $ 20 or a 3-day transit visa for $5. Immigration officers at the Sungai Tujoh crossing, which connects Miri and Kuala Belait, would not accept payment for a visa upon arrival. That is not in Brunei or Singapore dollars since there is no ATM and no checks are accepted.

A proof of return or subsequent travel is needed to invoice your flight to Brunei. If you want to depart by boat, you must first book a low-cost flight from Brunei. Alternatively, you may purchase a costly (but completely refundable) airfare and cancel it later.

It should be noted that Air Asia does not enforce this regulation from Kuala Lumpur; therefore, if you travel from KL, you will most likely not require evidence of return.

Those who need a visa must apply ahead of time at a Brunei embassy, where processing may take up to three days and costs $ 20 for a single entrance visa. For the most up-to-date information, contact the Brunei Immigration Department.

If you require a visa to enter Brunei, apply at a British embassy, commission, or consulate in the nation where you lawfully live if there is no foreign mission in Brunei. The British embassies in Addis Abeba and Belgrade, for example, accept Brunei visa applications (this list is not exhaustive). British diplomatic missions charge £ 50 to handle a Bruneian visa application, with an additional £ 70 if Brunei authorities need the visa application to be sent to them. Brunei officials may also choose to impose a fee if they contact you personally.

Visa restrictions

Citizens of Israel will be denied entry. Those holding other passports having Israel stamps and/or visas will be permitted entry.

Brunei’s sole airport is Brunei International Airport (BWN), which serves as the hub for Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA). The airport is tiny, but it is well-kept and functioning.

The RBA decreased its services significantly after an overzealous growth and heavy losses in the 1990s, although it still had a good network with daily flights to London, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Kota Kinabalu, as well as four weekly non-stop flights to Kuching. The cost of traveling via Brunei is reasonable, and you will be greeted with a grin. In addition, Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines both fly twice weekly from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, respectively. MASwings, a Malaysia Airlines affiliate, also flies to and from Kuching through Mulu many times a week. AirAsia offers one-way flights to Kuala Lumpur for just USD35. Other options include the finest transit airports in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

A departure tax of $ 5 for flights to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu and $ 12 for other foreign destinations is included in the price of a ticket to Brunei.

Arrival / Departure: A cab from Kuala Lumpur to Bandar Seri Begawan takes around 20 minutes and costs about $25. A covered walkway leads to a bus stop for purple city buses ($ 1) at the end of the parking lot farther away from the terminal (to the right of the arrival).

From Sarawak, Malaysia, you may drive to Brunei. For the major portion of Brunei, there are two entrance points: one at Sungai Tujuh for Miri and another in Kuala Lurah for Limbang (Tedungan on the Malaysian side). At the border, both crossroads have immigration checks, however lines may be very lengthy, particularly on weekends.

In Brunei, towns from Sarawak to Limbang and Lawas to Temburong District are also accessible by car. In December 2013, a bridge over the Pandaruan River was opened, and the ferry service was stopped. Pandaruan (Malaysia side, inaugurated in June 2007) and Puni are currently the locations for immigration (Brunei side, opened in 2013). Another bridge connects the banks of the Trusan River between Lawas (which is linked by road to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia) and Lawas (which is connected by road to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia) (and a ferry trip is not required). Malaysian immigration procedures are now completed at Trusan (the immigration office, formally known as the Mengkalap immigration checkpoint, is located east of the border) rather than Lawas. Those from Brunei may be obtained at the Labu border crossing.

In one day, you may drive from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, to Bandar Seri Begawan. 

Due to a tax issue, only a few petrol stations in the nation may sell fuel to vehicles with non-Brunei license plates. Finding these stations and ensuring that your vehicle is fully fueled may be difficult.

Due to the construction of the free friendship bridge linking the two eastern Limbang borders, the Malaysian-Brunei ferry, the Malaysian town of Limbang, and the Brunei Temburong district have all been disbanded since December 2013.

• To/from Miri: Miri Belait, a transportation business based in Brunei, runs a bus service between Kuala Belait and Miri in Sarawak, Malaysia. The trip involves a bus change at Sungei Tujoh’s border check post. Miri, on the other hand, sells tickets for RM12.20. It should be noted that Miri’s buses have been reported to refuse to go all the way to the border, stopping just before the Asean Bridge at Kuala Baram due to the bridge’s high toll cost. The last 5 kilometers between the border and the bridge may necessitate the employment of taxis. Buses run about every 20 minutes from Kuala Belait to Seria ($ 1), where you may change to another bus to Bandar Seri Begawan ($ 6). It takes approximately 5 hours to complete the journey. Every hour, buses leave the airport.
• To/from Limbang: Between Bandar Seri Begawan and Limbang in Sarawak, there are no direct buses. You may, however, take a local bus from Bandar bus station to Kuala Lurah on the Malaysian border, cross the border to Tedungan in Sarawak, and then take a bus to Syarikat Bas Limbang in Limbang. If you’re traveling from Limbang to Bandar, do the reverse. Several times a day, buses leave from the Limbang bus station with the destination “Batu Danau.” Taxis are also accessible on both sides of the border, although the fare must be negotiated with difficulty. You may also go to Temburong by bus from Limbang, but there are no direct buses from Bangar; all buses (destination “Pandaruan”) stop at the Pandaruan ferry landing, which currently serves as a Malaysian immigration checkpoint. Take a boat over the river and a cab to Bangar, which is 5 kilometers away.

The Serasa Ferry Port in Muara is Brunei’s major ferry terminal, with multiple daily boats to and from Labuan, as well as a daily ferry to Lawas and Sundar in Sarawak. You may even travel to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, in one day by changing boats at Labuan. 

The container entrance is situated in Muara, which is a short distance from the ferry port. Bandar Seri Begawan is approximately 25 kilometers from the terminal. Getting there: Purple buses (numbers 38 and 39) run between the ferry port and BSB. Buses are inexpensive ($1), although they may take up to two hours, including delays and transfers. You may also take the bus or a cab.

From Brunei to Sabah, there is a vehicle ferry service.

To leave Brunei, you must pay a tax (“cukai kepala”) (currently $2 per ferry trip). If you didn’t get a tax coupon while buying your tickets, inquire at the counters/travel agency.

A “highway” runs down the shore from Bandar Seri Begawan (the capital). It becomes a double and therefore only driveway, although it is adequate for all cars up to Kuala Belait and the Malaysian toll bridge in Sarawak to the west).

There is also a minor route that leads to Labi and beyond, passing through the forest. Although the scenery is beautiful and a 4×4 is essential, the route is currently closed to municipal homes a short distance from Labi. At the junction, there’s a handy shop where you can stock up.

Because vehicle ownership and usage are so prevalent in Brunei, there are just 40 taxis in total. There is minimal possibility of obtaining a free taxi along the route, particularly at peak hours in the morning and afternoon when hired by businesses, since there are around ten waiting at the airport and eight in the Belait area. If you need a cab, you may make a phone call. Only a few cabs are available at the capital’s major taxi station, which is situated north of the bus terminal.

There is no taxi business or law that needs a metro, therefore none of the cabs have one. For the most part, drivers have set rates for most journeys, but fares may vary between drivers or they may quote you a price for an unusual route.

Another option is to rent a vehicle to drive to Brunei for the day or for a few hours. Try inquiring at one of Muara’s ferry terminals. Before consenting to board the vehicle, discuss the fee.

There is a network of purple minibuses of varying sizes in and around Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital. Due to the high proportion of private vehicle ownership in Brunei, only a small percentage of Bruneians utilize these buses, which mostly transport foreign employees. The bus speed is restricted to 50 km/h, yet it is a very efficient and dependable mode of transportation.

In general, the bus system in and around the city spreads from the central bus station. Although there are authorized bus stations along each route, passengers are picked up or hired at the discretion of the driver in unofficial locations. Working in an unofficial capacity simplifies travel and encourages cronyism. Unfortunately, getting information regarding bus routes and timetables is challenging. There are 13 routes with a fee of $1 paid by the driver. The passenger may tell the driver where he or she wants to depart. The driver may sometimes urge passengers to exit at their designated places and miss a portion of the trip, much to the dismay of passengers who wish to ride the bus. This also indicates that there isn’t a set time for anything. It is common to have to wait for a bus for 30 to 45 minutes.

There is also a rare long-distance bus that passes via Tutong between BSB and Seria.

Many eco-tours go by boat to the Temburong region and then to a local “community home.” Then a motor boat (driven by locals) takes you upstream to the Belalong National Park, a refuge in the Borneo rainforest. At the park headquarters, there is a canopy walk as well as a research facility.

Jerudong Park used to be a good theme park with a lot of attractions. Unfortunately, a downward spiral of carelessness, decreasing admission, and unsustainable maintenance expenses led to the closure and sale of the majority of the key attractions, including the three roller coasters. This has given the area a melancholy air of “the circus city departed last week.” Most visitors come at night to escape the heat of the day. There is a tiny restaurant complex outside the park, but quite nearby, that is open at night, but just a few stalls are still operating. Local media announced intentions to rebuild the park and add additional attractions.

Brunei has excellent diving. Brunei, in addition to corals and fish, is home to numerous wrecks and a plethora of nudibranch species, making it one of the finest locations in Southeast Asia for macro photography. The water temperature is usually about 30 ° C, and visibility is usually between 10 and 30 meters, but this may vary during the monsoon season. Because the diving here is not overdeveloped, the locations, particularly the coral reefs, remain in pristine condition.

Blue Water Wreck, an 80m trawler that gets its name from the blue water surrounding it and is fully intact, is a popular diving destination. Cement Wreck, a 2,687-ton Japanese ship that collided with a sandbar while carrying cement in 1980. She is 92 meters long and has a sleeve length of 15 meters. The freighter is easily penetrated and is at a vertical posture in the bottom section at 30 m. In 1949, while on its way to Manila, the Australian Wreck was struck by a mine in front of Brunei and sunk. The shipwreck is 85 m long and 33 m wide, and it is situated in 33 m of water. Experienced divers will appreciate investigating the shipwreck’s innards. Rig Reef is a decommissioned oil platform. There are 9 structures to investigate, each of which seems to house a dominating group of fish.

Dive costs are affordable, ranging from $ 35 to $ 45 each dive, depending on the number of dives and if you carry your own equipment.

Bruneians like eating, and due to the high number of foreign employees in the nation, there are many great restaurants in Brunei that offer a broad range of cuisines.

There is also a native cake, which consists of rice, beef curry, or chicken and may be very hot. This is very cheap when compared to other meals available for purchase, such as local dishes like chicken rice. However, with few veggies and too much fat, this is hardly a healthy choice.

The ambulity, Borneo’s unique gastronomic experience, is another choice. It is a sago-based sticky starch paste that may be dipped in a salt sauce.

Brunei is a dry nation, which means that alcohol is not sold anywhere in the country and that drinking in public is illegal. Non-Muslim tourists, on the other hand, are permitted to carry up to two liters of alcohol (wine or spirits) and up to twelve cans of beer every 48 hours, and there is a large variety of duty-free stores over the border in Malaysia to meet this demand. Alcohol, on the other hand, must be reported upon arrival in Brunei when passing through customs.

Many high-end restaurants allow customers to bring their own alcohol and do not charge corkage, however this is technically prohibited and it is advisable to maintain a low profile if you wish to drink in a public place. Many restaurants at the lower end (particularly Chinese eateries) provide illegal alcoholic drinks under euphemisms such as “special tea.”

Try the teh tarik, a sweet milk tea, as well as the variety of coffee (kopi) offered in eateries.

The local currency is the Brunei Dollar ($). You may hear Ringgit used to refer to the dollar, but be sure the participants are not referring to the Malaysian Ringgit (MYR), which is worth less than half a Brunei dollar.

The Brunei dollar is pegged to the Singapore dollar at a 1:1 ratio. Both currencies are legal tender and may be used interchangeably, thus there is no need to exchange money if you are visiting from Singapore. (Similarly, excess Brunei dollars may be exchanged for Singapore dollars at par.) Many shops, however, refuse Singapore notes with apparently tiny rips, and warnings to that effect are placed on the cash register. In case of emergency, the Malaysian ringgit (RM) will be accepted, although the exchange rate may not be in your favor. The Brunei ringgit is not accessible in the country’s banks, although it may be acquired through money changers.

Brunei’s ringgit is split into 100 cents. There are notes ranging from $1 to $10,000 (by hand if purchasing a Rolls-Royce) and coins ranging from 1 to 50 cents. The 2004 series of bigger notes, as well as the smaller notes, are printed on vividly colored polymer notes.

Brunei is about on level with Singapore in terms of expense, which implies it is roughly twice the cost of neighboring Malaysia. You may save money by dining at local eateries rather than the more costly restaurants in hotels. Once extremely restricted, cheap lodging has increased in recent years, and you can now obtain a good bed for about $ 30 per night.

Brunei’s culture is primarily Malay (representing its heritage) with significant Islamic influences, although it is considerably more conservative than Indonesia and Malaysia. Bruneian culture is influenced by Malay civilizations found across the Malay archipelago. There have been four eras of cultural, animistic, Hindu, Islamic, and Western influence. Islam had a significant impact and was accepted as Brunei’s ideology and philosophy. The Malay language is Brunei’s official language, although English is also widely spoken since it is taught as a required subject in most schools.

Alcohol is not sold or consumed in public in a Sharia-compliant nation. Non-Muslims are allowed to carry a certain quantity of alcohol from their place of departure overseas for personal use.

The media in Brunei is considered to be pro-government. Freedom House has designated the nation as “Not Free,” and press criticism of the government and monarchy is uncommon. The press, on the other hand, is not overtly antagonistic to other viewpoints and does not restrict itself to reporting on the administration. In 1953, the government approved the formation of Brunei Press PLC, a printing and publishing firm. The English-language Borneo Bulletin is still being published by the business. This publication started as a weekly community newspaper and transitioned to a daily publication in 1990. In addition to The Borneo Bulletin, the local Malay newspapers Media Permata and Pelita Brunei are distributed daily. Brunei Times is an independent English newspaper that has been published in the country since 2006.

With the advent of digital television utilizing DVB-T, the Brunei government now owns and manages six television channels (RTB 1, RTB 2, RTB 3 (HD), RTB 4, RTB 5, and RTB New Media (gaming site)) as well as five radio stations (national FM, Pilihan FM, Nur Islam FM, Harmony FM and Pelangi FM). Cable television (Astro-Kristal) and a private radio station, Kristal FM, have been made accessible by a private business. It also offers an online campus radio station, UBD FM, which broadcasts from Brunei Darussalam Institution, the country’s first university.

When it comes to narcotics, Brunei, like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, has extremely stringent regulations. To a certain extent, drug trafficking carries a required death penalty. Murder, abduction, and unlicensed weapon possession are among the other offenses that carry the death penalty. For rapes, as well as less severe offenses such as unlawful entrance, overstaying your visa for more than 90 days, robbery, corruption, and vandalism, Brunei employs caning (for men only). Caning is not the same as a slap on the wrist. The heavy rattan cane’s strokes are very unpleasant. They may take weeks to heal and leave a permanent scar. These laws also apply to foreigners.

If you are found eating or drinking in public during the Islamic month of Ramadhan, you will face a hefty punishment in the hundreds of dollars. In addition, throughout the day, all restaurants, including non-halal ones, stop serving dine-in customers. Visiting Brunei during Ramadhan is best avoided.

The basic line is that you should be aware of their rules and follow them.

Brunei is a highly safe nation, comparable to Japan in terms of personal safety, but you should always exercise caution.

If you’re driving in Brunei, keep an eye out for impatient and/or hazardous drivers; be especially cautious at night and early in the morning, since some drivers race on the roads illegally.

Because to excellent food safety regulations, eating out is usually safe. However, only boiling or bottled water should be consumed. Mosquito bites may transmit dengue fever or malaria in this area of the globe, so take precautions.