Example Itinerary
Classic Brunei
- Duration
- 4 days / 3 nights
- Price Per Person
-
Terms & Conditions
Price is based on double or twin hotel room occupancy and includes accommodation, transfers, car/driver, English-speaking guide, activities and entrance fees, breakfasts and some casual lunches while touring. Flights and optional special activities will be quoted separately. Most personal expenses, including dinners, alcoholic beverages, spa treatments and gratuities can be paid on the spot while traveling. Prices may vary depending on season, choice of accommodation and other factors.
- Interests
- Wildlife
- Destinations
- Brunei
This four-day journey showcases one of the most intriguing Southeast Asian destinations – the Sultanate of Brunei. With a population of just under half a million, this tiny nation boasts enormous wealth in both oil reserves and pristine forests. Over the course of your trip, you'll be introduced to the colorful capital of Bandar Seri Begawan and its opulent mosque and palace, explore the forests and waterways of Temburong National Park, spot diverse wildlife on a river safari, and see a unique community that lives overwater.
This itinerary is an example. It’s designed to inspire you and provide you with thoughtfully curated ideas. You can choose to do this exact itinerary or completely personalize it. All trips are 100% bespoke.
Highlights
- Virgin Rainforest: Due to the Sultan’s ‘no cut’ policy in the 1990s which stopped deforestation, much of Ulu Temburong National Park’s virgin rainforest was preserved. Cruise the river and walk atop the canopy to explore the area’s rich biodiversity.
- Kampong Ayer: A traditional stilt village that rests over the Brunei River, Kampong Ayer dates back more than 600 years and is home to around 3% of the country’s population. Explore the unique self-contained community which has its own schools, clinics, post offices and gas stations.
- Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque: Almost more an attraction than mosque, this grandiose structure was spared no expense in its construction, boasting imported Italian marble pillars and floor, English crystal chandeliers, Saudi Arabian ornate carpets, and a dome of pure gold.
Day-by-Day
Day 1
MapBandar Seri Begawan
Touchdown in Brunei's capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan. You will be met at the airport and transferred via private car to your hotel. After freshening up, step out to see the city. Marvel at the Istana Nurul Iman – the sultan's palace. Regarded as the largest palace in the world, this immense modernist complex is closed to the public and best-viewed from vantage points not far from Bandar Seri Begawan. For a close-up look at royal treasures, you'll visit the Royal Regalia Museum, which houses outfits, artifacts and gifts belonging to the royal family, then enjoy the remainder of the day at your leisure, shopping in Bandar Seri Begawan city center or enjoying the luxury facilities at your hotel.
Hotel Options
Day 2
MapBandar Seri Begawan
This morning you'll head to Kampong Ayer Water Village, an overwater settlement of some 39,000 people, with more than 1,300 years of history. Walk the wooden boardwalks between stilt houses or zip around its districts in a water taxi. Next, take a River Safari to spot the curious proboscis monkey with its mottled fur and potbelly. The mangroves of Brunei are home to many species of wildlife, including crocodiles, migratory bird and butterflies.

Day 3
MapBandar Seri Begawan
Go on a full day adventure at the beautiful Ulu Temburong National Park. Tucked deep into a forest reserve, a combination of speedboat, 4x4, and traditional longboat along the River Temburong is required to reach the national park. The long journey is worth it: the protected park is 50,000 hectares of pristine rainforest and an ecological jewel. Walk through the canopy on suspension bridges and wooden walkways, spot the diverse wildlife, and visit the ethnic Iban and Dayak people. This indigenous group live in Native Longhouses, a unique timber dwelling. If you wish, take on the rapids with some downstream rafting before returning to the city.

Exclusively Asia
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, in the continent that our north American founders Catherine and Jay have adored and explored for decades, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
Travelogues
An Asia-focused magazine brought to you by Remote Lands - a platform for adventure, luxury, and authenticity from experts and explorers around the continent.
A Day in Brunei – the Smiling Sultanate
- Author
- Jay Tindall
Brunei may not be the most exciting destination with no bars or nightlife, but for a short visit it offers plenty to do and see and its people are amongst Asia’s friendliest.
City on Stilts: A Journey through Kampong Ayer
- Author
- Richard Collett
With more than 40,000 residents and just moments from Bornean rainforest, Kampong Ayer in Brunei is less of a water village and more of a city on stilts.
5 Interesting Things You Can Do in Bandar Seri Begawan
- Author
- Travelogues
Brunei isn’t a large country, and using the capital as your travel base allows visitors to see the best of the nation’s hotels, nature, and diving.
What Others Say
Here is a small selection of the kind words our clients have said about us recently.

A Couple from New York
We must express our many, many thanks to Remote Lands for all of the help and for planning such a wonderful, successful trip!

Jessika and David, Los Angeles
There was an authenticity to the type of experience set up for us that made every city we visited special and gave us countless moments we will never forget.