Best Bruneian Bandar Seri Begawan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, Water Village Kampong Ayer, Temburong Rainforest and Brunei Deep Sultanate Heritage Tour Destinations
Browse more guides: Brunei travel | Asia destinations Best Bruneian Bandar Seri Begawan: Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque (1958), Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque (1992), Kampong Ayer Water Village (Magellan 1521), Ulu Temburong Rainforest, and the Deep Sultanate Heritage Trail When I first crossed the Brunei River into Bandar Seri Begawan on a wooden water taxi paying 1 BND (about 0.77 USD), I had to recalibrate everything I thought I knew about Southeast Asia. The Sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah, has reigned since 5 October 1967, which makes him the world's longest-serving current head of state by a margin of more than a decade. The skyline over the river is not high-rise glass; it is a 52 metre minaret topped with a 24 carat gold leaf dome, and across the water 30,000 people live in stilt houses connected by 38 kilometres of wooden walkways. This is the only sovereign Malay Islamic monarchy on Borneo, the smallest country by area on the island, and one of only seven countries on Eart...