Trip Planning
The TakeYourBackpack guidebooks are your all-in-one travel companion, featuring the best cities, national parks, hikes, beaches, and unique sites, along with essential tips on when to go, how to get around, exchanging money, and even local phrases to get you started — everything you need for a smooth, unforgettable backpacking adventure.
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Planning a backpacking route through Brunei can be tricky — you need to balance must-see places, travel times, budget, and how long to stay in each destination. Our free personalized Brunei itinerary planner creates a route based on your travel style, trip duration, and interests, so you can spend less time researching and more time exploring.
Personal tip: I normally search on good rating for atmosphere (for meeting people) and location (for easy exploring). Cleanliness as a bonus.
Travel Essentials
No vaccinations are mandatory for Brunei unless you arrive from a yellow fever risk country, in which case a yellow fever certificate is required. Make sure routine vaccines such as MMR and tetanus are up to date. Hepatitis A and typhoid are commonly recommended. Hepatitis B, rabies and Japanese encephalitis are worth discussing with a travel clinic if you plan longer stays or rainforest time in Temburong. There is no vaccine for dengue, which is present year-round, so mosquito protection matters.
vaccination requirementsWhen I first started traveling, I often spent part of my first day in a new country hunting for a local SIM card. While this can still be slightly cheaper, it also takes time and planning.
These days, it's much simpler to install an eSIM before leaving home. Once you arrive in Brunei, you can activate it immediately and have mobile data from the moment you land — which is especially useful for ordering transport or navigating away from busy airports.
There are many providers nowadays, and price differences are usually small. I personally go with
Holafly, as it offers excellent network coverage throughout the country and strong global coverage, so you can manage multiple countries from a single app.
HolaFly eSimCulture & Customs
Brunei is a conservative Islamic monarchy, and respect for the Sultan and the royal family is expected. Never criticize them, and stand when the national anthem plays. Use your right hand to eat, pass items or give money, and point with your thumb, not your index finger. Take off your shoes before entering mosques and homes. Mosques close to non-Muslims during prayer times, and robes are provided at the larger ones. Alcohol is not sold anywhere in the country. Non-Muslims over 17 may bring in a limited allowance (two bottles of spirits or wine and 12 cans of beer), which must be declared at customs and drunk only in private. During Ramadan, avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public in daylight. Women should cover their shoulders and knees, and couples of any kind should keep physical affection out of public view. For LGBTQ+ travelers, this discretion is a legal matter under Sharia law.
Trying traditional food is always a great way to experience the culture. Here are some must-try dishes for Brunei.
- Ambuyat: Brunei’s national dish, a sticky, almost flavorless sago starch paste. You twirl it around a bamboo fork called a “chandas” and dip it into sour “cacah” sauces made from binjai fruit or tempoyak (fermented durian). It is eaten communally, which is half the point.
- Nasi Katok: a small packet of plain rice with a piece of fried chicken and sambal, sold for around B$1 to 3. It is the country’s everyday comfort food and late-night snack. The name means “knock rice”, from people knocking on a seller’s door after hours.
- Kelupis: glutinous rice steamed with coconut milk inside a wrapped leaf. It is a staple at weddings and Hari Raya open houses, often served with rendang.
- Pulut Panggang: sticky rice stuffed with spiced shrimp or fish floss, wrapped in banana leaf and grilled over charcoal. It is a smoky night-market favorite.
- Beef Rendang: beef slow-cooked for hours in coconut milk and spices until nearly dry. It is a centerpiece of festive tables during Hari Raya.
- Soto: a fragrant noodle soup with beef or chicken in a clear spiced broth, eaten as a breakfast or lunch staple at local coffee shops.
Tap water in Brunei is treated and generally meets WHO standards, but many locals still boil or filter it before drinking. Travelers are advised to stick to bottled or filtered water, which is cheap and sold everywhere. A filter bottle is a good idea if you head into Temburong.
The main language in Brunei is
Malay. Backpacking is way more rewarding if you know a bit of the local language, so I'd suggest brushing up on the basics just in case your Malay skills have become a bit rusty.
Want to understand locals better?The complete Travel Guide for Brunei includes 52 essential words and phrases — greetings, thank-yous, ordering food, transport, numbers, and common local expressions you'll actually hear.
Get your local basic phrases 👉
Get the Travel Guide - is widely spoken in Brunei. Shop staff, hotel and hostel workers, and almost anyone under 40 in Bandar Seri Begawan will switch to it easily, because it is taught alongside Malay from primary school. In rural kampongs and Temburong villages older people may speak only Malay. A few words like “terima kasih” (thank you) and “berapa?” (how much?) go a long way, and an offline Malay pack in Google Translate covers the rest.
Money & Payments
The local currency of Brunei is BND ($).
Cash and cards both work easily in Brunei. ATMs from local banks such as BIBD and Baiduri are common in Bandar Seri Begawan, Gadong and Kiulap, as well as at the airport and in malls, but they are scarce in Temburong and rural areas. Withdrawals with foreign cards usually carry your home bank’s fees plus a possible local charge of a few dollars, so take out larger sums less often. Visa and Mastercard are accepted in malls, hotels, supermarkets and many restaurants, while night markets, buses, water taxis and small food stalls take cash only. The Brunei dollar is pegged one-to-one with the Singapore dollar, and Singapore notes are accepted everywhere at par, so they are the most convenient cash to bring. US dollars are easy to exchange, and euros less so. Licensed money changers in the city center and Gadong malls give better rates than hotels.
Tipping is not customary in Brunei and is never expected at food stalls, coffee shops or on buses. Mid-range and upscale restaurants and hotels usually add a 10% service charge to the bill. Rounding up a Dart fare or leaving a few dollars for a helpful guide is appreciated but entirely optional.
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Over the years, I've learned the importance of packing minimally. It's so much easier to jump on the back of a truck or squeeze yourself into the last spot of a minibus without that supersized backpack. If you're headed to a warm destination, leave your winter jacket at home; for colder regions, opt for thin thermal underlayers. Instead of packing your entire wardrobe, bring just three sets of clothes, as laundry facilities are available everywhere.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.