Golden Days In Brunei
A stopover in the fascinating Royal Sultanate of Brunei on the great island of Borneo is easily arranged in conjunction with your visit to Eastern Malaysia's Sabah or Sarawak. Brunei is a unique melting-pot in which east and west, ancient and modern, city and countryside all meet in an exotic fusion of cultures and lifestyles.
Golden Days can tailor a Brunei holiday to your needs, whether on a stay-put, multi-centre or a tour basis - in combination with other Asia destinations or just as a stopover.
   
Canopy Walkway - Ulu Temburong National Park   Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque   Kampung Ayer
BRUNEI - Abode Of Peace

Once the hub of a great trading empire that at its peak held sway over vast areas of Borneo and beyond, Brunei later fell prey to marauding pirates and exploitation by commercial and colonial adventurers. Today the staggering oil wealth of this tiny sultanate has made 'Negara Brunei Darussalam' (Brunei, 'abode of peace') the envy of South East Asia.

  

Tucked into the South China Sea shore, Brunei's two wedges of land - less than the size of Luxembourg and linked by boat or air - are divided by Limbang, ceded to Sarawak's White Rajahs in 1890. Their coastal lowlands and river valleys rise to an often hilly interior,

   much of which remains covered in lush jungle. Here you'll find some of South-East Asia's finest forests (Brunei's oil riches have mitigated the impact of logging) and experience the opportunity to explore a natural world where relatively few visitors yet venture.
Canopy walkway tower in the rainforest in Ulu Temburong National Park
BANDARD SERI BEGAWAN - The Capital
Brunei's capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, built where the wide Brunei RIver flows into Brunei Bay, is known locally as 'BSB' or simply 'Bandar' - meaning 'town' in Malay. This was at one time the Sultanate's principal port (its oldest parts stand on the waterfront). Today's thriving modern city can be comfortably explored in a day, with a river cruise a 'must'. Among the many sights are:
THINGS TO SEE
• The 500 years-old Kampong Ayer is a Malay-style wooden village built on stilts over the river. Oldest of the capital's sights, this is the world's biggest stilt community and a complex maze of traditional wooden houses spreading out over the river
• The 1970s Sultan's Palace
• The golden dome of the marble Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque
• The Royal Regalia Building

  • The Istana Nurul Imam, the Sultan's official residence and seat of government - said to be the world's largest residential palace
• The Brunei Museum and the 16th century Mausoleum of the Sultan Bolkiah in nearby Kota Baru, the original site of the capital
• The Night Food Market along the Kianggeh River
• The opulent Yayasan shopping mall. 		  THINGS TO BUY
Brassware • Silverware, • Cotton sarongs made of the local Kain Tenunan fabric, brocade woven with countless gold threads • Gold jewellery • Weaving and basketry.

THINGS TO EAT
Try the barbecued fish and local rice desserts like kalupi and kueh koci.
   
Jame’Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque        
   
Shopping for Silk   Couple watching a Paramotor   Gold columns at the Royal Entrance Hall
Among a choice of comfortable modern accommodation choices available in Brunei are the Sheraton Utama, Brunei Hotel, Riverview Hotel, and The Centrepoint are the leading hotels, while the impressive new Empire Hotel & Country Club on the nearby coastline offers a magnificent 5-star luxury venue with superb golfing.   If time allows arrange to explore a little further afield - to Temburong, home of Brunei's remotest and most mountainous region. The Temburong District is a 'hidden' Brunei for those keen to leave the 'beaten' tourist tracks. You can travel upriver by boat through mangrove swamps to the main town of Bangar, 30 miles from the capital.   From here a road follows the river to Batang Duri and the Batu Apoi Forest Reserve (setting of the Ulu Temburong National Park, reached by longboat), whose diverse ecosystem spans both lowland and montane forest, with fauna including sun bears, gibbons, macaques, langur monkeys and civets. The Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre has visitor accommodation.