Exploring Brunei: A City Guide To The Country's Best Destinations

Brunei is a small, oil-rich sultanate located on the northwestern coast of Borneo, the third-largest island in the world. The country has a population of around 455,858 people, 76% of whom live in urban areas. Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital and largest city in Brunei, with a population of 64,409 people. Other major towns in the country include the port town of Muara, the oil-producing town of Seria, and Kuala Belait.

Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital and largest city of Brunei

The history of Bandar Seri Begawan can be traced back to the establishment of a Malay stilt settlement on the waters of the Brunei River. It became the capital of the Bruneian Sultanate from the 16th century onwards and was renamed in 1970 to honour Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the 28th Sultan of Brunei and the father of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. The city was formerly known as Brunei Town.

Bandar Seri Begawan is home to Istana Nurul Iman, the largest residential palace in the world, and the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, Brunei's iconic landmark. It is also home to Kampong Ayer, the largest 'water village' in the world, nicknamed the 'Venice of the East'. The city was once the host of the 20th Southeast Asian Games in 1999 and the 8th APEC Summit in 2000.

The Brunei-Muara District, which encompasses 563 square kilometres, is the smallest of Brunei's western districts and is home to Bandar Seri Begawan. The area features low hills, marshy coastal plains, and narrow alluvial valleys along key rivers. Bandar Seri Begawan is easily accessible from Bukit Kota, a 133-metre hill near the eastern boundary of Brunei's western area.

The city sees heavy precipitation throughout the year, with the northeast monsoon blowing from December to March and the southeast monsoon from around June to October. The wettest day on record was 9 July 2020, when 662 millimetres of rainfall was reported at the airport.

Bandar Seri Begawan is a major hub for historical and religious sites, including several notable mosques and the Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. The city also hosts several museums, including the Brunei Museum, the country's largest archaeological site.

The economy of Bandar Seri Begawan includes the production of furniture, textiles, handicrafts, and timber. The Gadong commercial area is a popular shopping destination, offering a range of shops, restaurants, and cafes. The city is also home to several notable schools and universities.

Several countries have established embassies, commissions, or consulates in Bandar Seri Begawan, including Australia, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Kuala Belait, the capital of the Belait district

Kuala Belait: The Capital of the Belait District

Kuala Belait, officially the Kuala Belait Town, is the administrative capital of the Belait District in Brunei. The town is located on the western coast of Brunei, at the mouth of the Belait River, which is the longest river in the nation's four major river systems. The Malay word 'kuala' refers to an estuary, so the town's name translates to the mouth of the Belait River.

History

Before 1909, Kuala Belait was a small fishing village with little development. Oil exploration began in the Belait District in 1911, and some oil was discovered in Labi in 1914, but it had minimal impact on the village's growth at the time. However, the discovery of oil in Labi convinced prospectors that further deposits could be found along the higher banks of the Belait River. In 1927, the village had transformed into a thriving town, serving as a port for transporting machinery and supplies for oil prospecting, mainly managed by the British Malayan Petroleum Company (BMPC). The same year, the government recognised its growing significance and established it as the headquarters of the Belait District.

Economy

The Belait District is commonly associated with the country's oil and gas industry, with many offshore installations and pipeline connections. Kuala Belait is located near the onshore Rasau gas field and has various facilities supporting oil and gas production. The town became a key entry point to the upper reaches of the Belait River, and its importance as a strategic hub for the oil industry increased significantly with the discovery of large oil reserves in Seria in 1929.

Demographics and Infrastructure

Kuala Belait is the second-most populous urban centre in Brunei, after the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. The town has experienced significant growth and development due to the booming oil industry. The population of the town proper was 4,259 in 2016, but the greater area has a population of over 30,000. The town has primary and secondary schools, as well as post-secondary institutions offering technical and vocational qualifications. The town also has tourist attractions, including Silver Jubilee Park, the Belait District Museum, and the Belait Beach.

Seria, a town in the Belait district

Seria, officially known as Seria Town, is a town in the Belait district of Brunei. It is located about 65 kilometres (40 miles) west of the country's capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. Seria is a centre for the country's oil and gas industry, with the first commercial onshore oilfield in Brunei being discovered in the town in 1929. Seria is located within a mangrove swamp and is surrounded by the Seria oil field, which has been in continuous production since 1929. The town sits atop this oil field and is home to the headquarters of the Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) Company Limited. The Seria Refinery, the only refinery in Brunei, is also located in Seria, along with the Seria Crude Oil Terminal, the New Gas Compression Plant, and the New Industrial Area.

The town's name, Seria, was derived from the name of the river near where oil was first discovered in 1929. In the past, Seria was known as Padang Berawa, or 'Wild Pigeon's Field' in the local language. This name referred to the area between the Bera and Seria rivers. The word 'berawa' is of Indonesian origin, meaning low ground that is usually flooded with water and filled with aquatic plants—an accurate description of Seria's landscape in the past.

Seria has a population of 3,625 as of 2016, although the mukim (a second-level administrative division in Brunei) of the same name, which encompasses Seria and is one of only two towns in the Belait district, has a population of 21,214 as of the same year. Seria's bazaar, which officially opened in 1954, has a variety of retail establishments, fresh food markets, supermarkets, banks, tourist information centres, and restaurants serving Malay, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, and Italian cuisine. The town also has two mosques, the main and oldest being Masjid Pekan Seria (Pekan Seria Mosque), and several Christian churches, including St. Margaret's Church and the Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception.

There are several tourist attractions in Seria, including the Seria Mosque, the Oil and Gas Discovery Centre, the Sungei Seria estuary, and the Billionth Barrel Monument, a monument built in 1991 to commemorate the billionth barrel of crude oil produced from the Seria oil field. Seria is also identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area due to its diverse bird population and habitats such as tidal mudflats, mangroves, and beach forests.

Tutong, the town of the Tutong district

Tutong was formerly a part of the Melanau administration in the 14th century before joining the Bruneian Empire in the 15th. In 1900, the town consisted of four or five simple houses with several small shops. The earliest government building was constructed in 1910, followed by a school being opened in 1918. Oil exploration within the district began in 1913, and by 1923, Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) already had eight exploratory holes drilled. The Brunei-Tutong road was officially opened in 1927. The town was first incorporated in 1929 as a Sanitary Board area and was responsible for monitoring cleanliness and development in the town.

Tutong is the administrative centre of the Tutong district, which is the third-largest and most populated district in Brunei. The district is also home to the Tutong River and Tasek Merimbun, the country's second-longest river and the only ASEAN Heritage Park in Brunei, respectively. The district borders the South China Sea to the north, Brunei-Muara District to the northeast, Sarawak to the east and south, and Belait District to the west. Covering 1,166 square kilometres (450 square miles), it is the third-largest district in Brunei. The 137-kilometre Tutong River, the district's primary river, flows from the interior in the south to the South China Sea.

The district's primary industries include forestry, fishing, and the production of rice and rubber, with shifting agriculture being practised by the non-Malay indigenous population. The agriculture sector has received a lot of attention in the effort to diversify the economy, as it has a lot of room to develop. The Tutong District has set aside 3,804.15 hectares for agricultural development zones, which include Sungai Paku, Kupang, Maraburong, and several other localities.

Tutong Town is home to the Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque, which serves the town's Muslim residents and several surrounding villages. The town also has a sports complex offering facilities for various sports, including football, athletics, swimming, tennis, badminton, and basketball.

Tutong is a great place to visit, with its charming town surrounded by small hills and beautiful blackwater lakes. The town also has a lively market every Thursday morning, where you can find local handicrafts, food, and fresh produce. There are also many natural sites to explore, such as Bukit Ambok in Kampong Suran, Pulau Tanjong Maya, and the scenic Wasai Bedanu in Kampong Kiudang.

Muara, a town in the Brunei-Muara district

Muara, officially known as Pekan Muara or Muara Town in Malay, is a port town in the Brunei-Muara district of Brunei. The name Muara comes from the Malay term for river mouth, which is fitting as the town is situated next to a large river entrance into Brunei. The town is approximately 28 kilometres (17 miles) from Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei, and has a population of 2,102 as of 2016.

Muara is home to Muara Port, the country's primary deep-water port. The port has undergone extensive improvements since 1973, with extensions to the wharf and the addition of covered storage warehouses. The site also includes facilities for dedicated container operations, with a quay length of 250 metres and a maximum draft of 12.5 metres. The port is part of the Maritime Silk Road, connecting China to various countries in Southeast Asia, India, and East Africa.

The history of Muara is closely tied to the development of the Brooketon Colliery coal mine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1883, the area of Serai Pimping began extracting coal to fuel passing steamships. This led to the establishment of the Brooketon settlement in 1889, named after Charles Brooke, the White Rajah of Sarawak. The coal mine employed hundreds of miners, and as a result, Muara underwent significant transport and infrastructure development. A wooden railway was constructed to transport coal to the deep-water anchorage, and wharves and jetties were built to accommodate steamships and barges.

However, the coal mine faced financial difficulties due to the decreasing price of coal during the world economic recession, eventually closing in 1924. During World War II, the Japanese occupied Brunei and attempted to reopen the coal mine, but these efforts were unsuccessful. After the war, under the rule of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin III, Muara was transformed into a deep-water port to support the country's development.

Today, Muara is a bustling town with a range of attractions and amenities. Muara Beach, stretching along the coast of the South China Sea, is a popular destination for locals and tourists. The beach offers clear white sand, picnic areas, a children's playground, and food and drink stalls on weekends. Muara is also home to the Royal Brunei Navy base, located in the Tanjong Pelumpong area.

In terms of transport, Muara is connected to other parts of Brunei through roads such as Jalan Muara, which links the town to Bandar Seri Begawan. The Muara-Tutong Highway connects Muara to Jerudong and Tutong, and the town is served by the Eastern Line's purple buses. While there are currently no railways or light rail facilities in Muara, there are plans to further develop the port and enhance its connectivity.

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