6-Day Itinerary for Travelling in Brunei Darussalam

Brunei is not a country you can bring a bottle of wine into and casually drink at dinner. Alcohol cannot be legally sold anywhere in the country. Non-Muslim adults over 17 may bring in up to two liters of spirits or wine and twelve cans of beer for private consumption only, declared at customs on arrival, but drinking in public or in a restaurant is illegal regardless of what you’re carrying. Plan your evenings around that fact rather than discovering it at the airport.

Day 1: Arrival and City Exploration

• Before you fly, complete Brunei’s mandatory e-Arrival Card online and make sure you’re carrying proof of travel medical insurance covering your full stay; customs officers can and do ask for it. Visa-free stays run anywhere from 14 to 90 days depending on your nationality, so check your specific country’s allowance rather than assuming the maximum applies.
• In Bandar Seri Begawan, the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, built in the late 1950s and still one of the most photogenic mosques in Southeast Asia, and the newer Jame’Asr Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque, completed in 1994 to mark the sultan’s 25th year on the throne, make a good paired visit since they represent two very different eras of Bruneian design.
• Istana Nurul Iman, the sultan’s residence, is widely cited as the largest residential palace in the world by floor area, though it’s only open to the public a few days a year during Hari Raya; don’t plan a visit around it unless your dates happen to overlap.
• Taxis exist but are scarce and expensive by regional standards. Grab operates here and is the far more reliable option; download it before you land rather than hunting for a taxi rank.

Day 2: Royal Regalia Museum and Kampong Ayer

• The Royal Regalia Museum houses the coronation regalia, ceremonial chariot, and gifts received by the sultan over decades, and it’s a genuinely useful primer on how the monarchy actually functions day to day, not just a room of jewelry.
• Kampong Ayer, the water village built on stilts over the Brunei River, houses tens of thousands of residents and has done so continuously for centuries, making it one of the largest stilt settlements still functioning as a real, populated neighborhood rather than a preserved relic. A river taxi tour run by a local boatman, negotiated on the spot at the waterfront, is the standard way to see it, and it’s worth asking to stop at a stilted house that welcomes visitors rather than only cruising past.

Day 3: Ulu Temburong National Park

• You cannot visit Ulu Temburong independently. The Forestry Department does not hand out access permits to individual travelers, so this has to be a guided day tour booked through a licensed operator, typically running 125 to 180 Brunei dollars per person depending on group size and inclusions.
• The full journey takes around two hours each way: a roughly 45-minute speedboat from Bandar Seri Begawan to the town of Bangar, then a drive of about 30 minutes to a riverside village, followed by a traditional longboat further upriver into the park itself.
• The canopy walkway climbs high above the rainforest canopy on a network of aluminum walkways and towers, and it’s the single best view of unbroken Bornean rainforest you’ll get without a multi-day trek. Bring insect repellent, sunscreen, and shoes you don’t mind getting wet.

Day 4: Jerudong Park and Gadong Night Market

• Jerudong Park, once a lavish amusement park bankrolled by the sultan in the 1990s, has scaled down significantly from its original scope but still runs rides and is a fine half-day if you’re traveling with kids; don’t expect the scale it had in its 1990s heyday.
• Gadong Night Market is the better food stop of the day. Nasi katok, a simple fried chicken and rice plate wrapped in paper that’s become something of a national dish, costs next to nothing and is everywhere for a reason. Pair it with roti tisu, a thin, crispy folded pancake served with condensed milk, for dessert.

Day 5: Temburong District Beyond the Park

• If you didn’t fully explore Temburong on day three, use this day for the longhouse and river-village side of the district rather than a repeat of the canopy walk. Indigenous communities in the interior, including Iban longhouses, can sometimes be visited with advance arrangement through a specialist operator, though this requires more lead time to book than the standard canopy tour.
• A slower river cruise back toward Bangar in the late afternoon light is a good way to close out the day without cramming in another activity.

Day 6: Relax and Departure

• Muara Beach, on the coast near the mouth of Brunei Bay, is a more realistic recommendation than some of the lesser-known stretches sometimes listed for tourists, since it has actual facilities and is an easy taxi or Grab ride from the city.
• Leave a wide buffer for the airport. Brunei International Airport is small and check-in moves slowly during peak departure windows, so arriving with only the standard two-hour cushion has caught travelers out here before.

Transportation Summary:

• Grab is the most reliable way to move around Bandar Seri Begawan; street taxis are limited in number and not metered consistently.
• Public buses exist and are inexpensive but run infrequently outside daytime hours, so they work better for planned trips than spontaneous ones.
• Longer trips into Temburong District always require a guided tour rather than independent travel, both because of permit rules and because the multi-stage boat and road journey is not something to improvise on your own.