Brunei

Malay is the official language, and English is widely spoken and understood, a legacy of Brunei's long period as a British protectorate — hotel staff, tour guides, and most people in Bandar Seri Begawan communicate comfortably in it. Government buildings and street signs sometimes display the traditional Jawi script (Arabic letters used to write Malay) alongside the everyday Latin alphabet, but everything a traveler needs to navigate by is in familiar Latin script.

A prepaid SIM or eSIM from Progresif or DST is easy to buy at the airport or in town. Registration requires your passport, so bring it along. Coverage is solid across the coastal strip and thinner in the rainforest interior of Temburong.

Brunei was certified malaria-free decades ago, so it is not a concern here, but dengue fever is present — use mosquito repellent, especially around dusk. Tap water in Bandar Seri Begawan is treated and generally considered safe to drink; bottled water is cheap and widely sold if you prefer it, particularly outside the capital or in older buildings. Pharmacies are found in the capital's shopping malls and are well stocked, though opening hours are shorter than in neighboring countries. No vaccinations are required for entry, but routine travel vaccines are worth discussing with a doctor before you go.

This is general information, not medical advice — check with a travel health professional or your doctor before your trip.

Citizens of many countries — including the EU, UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and most ASEAN nations — can enter Brunei visa-free, with the permitted stay ranging from about 14 to 90 days depending on nationality. A limited number of other nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival at the airport or land border for a small fee, while everyone else needs to apply in advance at a Brunei embassy or high commission. Whatever your nationality, your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond your departure date, and immigration may ask for proof of onward travel and sufficient funds.

Visa and entry requirements change frequently. Verify current requirements with the official immigration authority or your country's embassy before travel.

• Dress modestly, especially at mosques and government buildings — cover shoulders and knees. Robes and headscarves are provided for women at the entrances of major mosques such as Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque and Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque.
• Remove your shoes before entering a mosque or a Bruneian home.
• Use your right hand for eating, and for giving or receiving items — the left hand is considered unclean.
• Alcohol cannot be sold or consumed in public anywhere in Brunei. Non-Muslim visitors over 17 may bring in a small personal allowance to drink privately at their accommodation, but public drinking, bars, and liquor stores do not exist here.
• During Ramadan, avoid eating, drinking, or smoking in public during daylight hours out of respect for those fasting.
• Be discreet with photography around government buildings and security personnel. Nurul Iman Palace, the Sultan's official residence, opens to the public only during the three-day Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house each year; the rest of the time it is admired from the outside.

Many of Brunei's public holidays follow the Islamic lunar calendar, so dates such as Hari Raya Aidilfitri and the Prophet's Birthday shift earlier each year and are set only once the new moon is confirmed. Friday is the main day of prayer, and many government offices and some shops close for a few hours around midday, so plan errands and museum visits for other times of the week.

• By ride-hailing app: Dart is Brunei's own ride-hailing service and, in practice, the only one — Grab and Uber do not operate here. It is the easiest way to get around Bandar Seri Begawan.
• By taxi: Metered taxis exist but are limited in number and rarely hailed on the street; ask your hotel to call one.
• By bus: City buses charge a flat fare of around BND 1 and run roughly from 6am to 8pm, though coverage thins out in the evening — not a reliable option for a late return.
• By water taxi: Small speedboats (perahu) cross to and around Kampong Ayer for a few Brunei dollars, fare negotiable.
• By ferry: Passenger ferries connect Serasa with Labuan in Malaysia, useful for onward travel by sea.
• Left-hand drive: Brunei drives on the left.

Bruneian food follows Malay and Islamic tradition — everything is halal, and there is no alcohol on any menu. The national dish is ambuyat, a sticky paste made from sago starch, eaten by twirling it onto a bamboo fork and dipping it into tangy fruit- or shrimp-based sauces; it is an acquired texture but worth trying at least once. For everyday eating, nasi katok — a cheap wrapped parcel of rice, fried chicken, and sambal — is the local favorite, sold from small roadside stalls for a dollar or two.

Snacking runs to grilled skewered satay, glutinous rice parcels called pulut panggang, and colorful bite-sized kuih cakes at markets, washed down with teh tarik, a frothy "pulled" milk tea. The best place to sample a spread of this in one evening is the night market in Gadong, where stalls fill a covered lot every evening with cheap, freshly cooked food.

Almost every visit centers on Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei's low-rise capital on the Brunei River, home to the golden-domed mosques, the royal palace, and Kampong Ayer. Just inland, Gadong is the capital's modern commercial heart — shopping malls, restaurants, and Brunei's best-known night market.

Along the coast to the west, the twin towns of Kuala Belait and Seria grew up around Brunei's oil industry — Seria is where the country's first well struck oil in 1929, and both towns make an easy stop for anyone driving the length of the coast.

To the east, separated from the rest of Brunei by a stretch of Malaysian territory, the Temburong district is reached through the small town of Bangar, the gateway to Ulu Temburong National Park and Brunei's best remaining rainforest.