Naturally beautiful places in Brunei

1. Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque:

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque:
Brunei is one of the most religious countries of the world and Islam is the key religion here. Accordingly, some of the Islamic architectures are best known in the country for their exceptional beauty and design. The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is one of the most notable Islamic mosques in the country and is used for prayers of the Muslims in the country. People often term it as the most beautiful mosque ever made in the Asia Pacific region. The mosque is located in the capital of Sultanate of Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan which is also known as BSB. The mosque is also a famous tourist spot in Brunei. The mosque has been built after the name of the 28 th Sultan of the country, Omar Ali Saifuddein the Third. The Sultan initiated the construction of the mosque and the structure is the combination of different architectures together including Mughal and Malay styles with the design of an Italian architect. The entire mosque was completed in 1958 and a gigantic structure on the skyline of Bandar Seri Begawan. Though there are no exact figure is found about the expenses of building the mosque, it is estimated that around over 9 million dollars have been spent to build it. The artificial lagoon, the golden domes, the marble minarets and a courtyard has increased the beauty of the mosque.

 

2. Kampong Ayer:

Kampong Ayer:
Located on the Brunei Bay, Kampong Ayer is a water village in the country. In fact this is one of the most impressive villages in the country that attracts a good number of tourists for its emergence on salt water. The village is located near the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. The village accommodates around 10 percent of the total population of the country. The establishments of the village are located on the stilts on the Brunei River. The history of village dates back to the 15th century and a large number of descriptions has been found over the issue. Earlier, during the tides, the women of the villages used to sell different stuffs to maintain their livelihood. The houses in the village were beautiful in the past days and now they also look gorgeous as well. The houses of the village are mostly made with wood in support from light timbers. The village was located more outside of the river and now it is located in the current position for some specific reasons. Some new houses have been built in the land for the people by the King of Brunei for those who are reluctant to live in the water. There are around 42 villages found in the cluster of the water village and they contain everything including mosques, restaurants, shops, hospitals and even schools. This is one of the important tourist destinations in Brunei.

3. Istana Nurul Iman:

Istana Nurul Iman:
Brunei is filled with some special establishments which are often considered as the most wonderful architectures of the Islamic world. The Istana Nurul Iman is of those and the literal meaning of it stands as the Light of Faith Palace. This is the royal palace for the Sultan of Brunei. Besides, the palace also works as the seat for the government of Brunei. The palace is located on the riverside of the river Brunei. The capital city – Bandar Seri Begawan is located a few kilometers away from the palace. The palace is used for several purposes in line with serving as the governmental seat and mostly this is used for royal hospitality for the foreign guests and delegates. The palace has been designed by combining the Islamic and Malay cultures and religious beliefs. The name of the palace has been picked from Arabic and Malay language. Architecturally, the palace resembles the Islamic influences of Brunei and Malay while the interior of the palace is also similar to the exterior design. The large banquet hall is enabled to hold event for around 5000 people together. The construction of the palace was done in 1984 and the expenses surpassed one billion US dollars. The palace was considered as the largest residential palace in the world with its 1788 rooms, a large mosque, a spacious garage, five swimming pools and others.

4. Ulu Temburong National Park:

Ulu Temburong National Park:
Covering around 550 square kilometers of the country, the Ulu Temburong National Park is the first national park in Brunei. The park has been being protected since 1991 and is located in Temburong district in the eastern part of Brunei. The park is within the Batu Apoi Forest Reserve and thus it is being protected by the government. The park is protected in such a sophisticated manner that often it is termed as the Green Jewel of Brunei. In fact, the government takes the right care of the park and the greeneries are unspoiled till the date. The sultanate is very conscious about the park and has adopted different policies for the preservation of the national park. The park is also a great place for ecotourism in Brunei and located by the river Temburong and Belalong. The park is a lowland rainforest and thus the floras and faunas are special. The park also contains some mountainous regions and the river forming narrow valleys with the coastal regions have made the locality more gorgeous. The park is accessible only by boats from the capital of Brunei and the journeys are always adventurous to the traveler from home and abroad. But the inside of the park is highly connected with bridges, boardwalks and information boards for the travelers. The park is also enriched with different unusual and rare species which has made it as a great spot for the tourists.

5. Billionth Barrel Monument:

Billionth Barrel Monument:
Brunei is the country where some specific monuments have been installed marking different occasions. The Billionth Barrel Monument is one of them and was set to commemorate the billionth oil production in the country from this single location and as the first oil producing place. Brunei is one of the leading oil producing countries in the world and most of its economy is based on the oil production from different parts of the country. The Billionth Barrel Monument is located in Seria in Brunei. But the place was not like this before and the monument establishment has been established to remember the contributions of the locality in the economy of Brunei in 1991. The production of billionth barrel of oil from the area has contributed on naming the monument. In fact, this was an onshore field of Seria to produce crude oil whereas most of the oil fields are located on the deep sea. The location for digging oil was discovered in 1929 by Brunei Shell Petroleum and currently there is no oil productions are done anymore from the oil well. Though the town of Seria is now termed as the oil house of Brunei, it was not the source of oil until the well was discovered. After the invention of the well, a massive change took place in this part of the country.

6. Brunei Museum:

Brunei Museum:
If the tourists in Brunei want to learn something about the country, the Brunei Museum is the perfect place for them to provide with a wide range of information and artifacts of the country. The museum is situated on the top of a hill at Kota Batu which is adjacent to the capital of Brunei – Bandar Seri Begawan (around 4.5 kilometers away from the capital city). A good number of artifacts of different eras have been preserved here and this is the largest museum in the country. The Brunei Museum exhibits the relics of 16th century and the histories are preserved well in the ethnography and archaeology. The surrounding view from the museum is highly attractive and especially the evening scenes of Brunei River from the museum compound are eye-catching indeed. Construction for the museum began in 1968 and though it was opened for the public in 1972, the construction works were done by 1970. The museum was inaugurated by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The picturesque location beside the Brunei River was selected for the museum so that it becomes the center of attraction for everything and it has been so immediate after its inception. The issues of natural history, archaeology, ethnography etc. are the key theme of the museum. It should be noted that almost all the artifacts are masterpieces collected from different other museums.

7.  Tasek Merimbun:

Tasek Merimbun:
Renowned for the dark-colored water, Tasek Merimbun is the biggest lake in Brunei. This is the only lake where a good number of fauna, reptiles and other marine species are living in. The lake is about 70 kilometers away from the capital city, Bandar Seri Begawan. The shape of the lake is like English alphabet ‘S’. The lake is also surrounded by a Heritage Park named Tasek Merimbun. The attractive Heritage Park covers around 7800 hectares of lands. The water color is dark because of the falling of leaves on the water. The lake is a great place for tourists in Brunei and hiring boats to visit the lake is a very usual thing exercised by the visitors. There are two islands found on the lake and one of them is a great place for family picnic. The smaller island is located on the center of the water body and accessible through wooden walkways. The researchers could use the chalet facility for their research works. The potential importance of the lake and locality was detected in the 1960s and in 1967 the decisions were taken to make it a sanctuary for wildlife. With the patronizing of the government and some of the locals, the location has become one of the most attractive places in Brunei.

8. Jerudong:

Jerudong:
Jerudong is one of the places in Brunei where the visitors will have some charming views for them. The place is located in the North West part of Brunei. In fact, this is a suburban area with a population over 20,000 in the South West of Brunei- Muara district. The area is around 24 kilometers away from the capital city, Bandar Seri Begawan. The locality is also famous for some other reasons and the Jerudong Park Country Club is one of them. Usually amusement parks are built for profit making and business. But the visitors will have something different here. The amusement park is free for the visitors. This is the largest artificial recreational center in Brunei Darussalam and the establishment began the 1970s and covers around 100 acres of lands. There are three playing fields and the members from royal family also took part in different games and sports on the fields. The park is considered as a family recreational center. The park is also used for serving different other purposes like wedding, concerts or for serving any other issues. Besides, the visitors need not to follow any queue for boarding on the rides and it is almost trouble free. The water park is also another important place to visit here and remains crowded always.

9. Kuala Belait:

Kuala Belait:
Located on the western border of Brunei and close to Sarawak, Kuala Belait is the second largest city of the country. The naming of the city has some histories and some say that the name has been adopted after the Belait River. This is the administrative city for Belait district in Brunei. The literal meaning of the city is – the mouth of the Belait River and in fact the city is located on the opening of the River. The city is locally known as Belait as well and sometimes as KB Town in English. The city has a very good transportation system and there are vehicles for both water and land routes. In the beginning on the 20th century, the city was a small fishing village and the natives were fishermen. Some of the locals shifted to the west of the Belait River from the place to form a new town in this locality. With the discovering of the oil in the locality, some modern facilities had been installed here so that the oil fields could be of easy access from the city. With the establishment of the Sanitary Board in the 1930s, the small village turned into a small city and gradual development began there. But the locality experienced some terrible impacts during the Second World War when the regions were occupied by the Japanese soldiers. There are different villages in the town of Kuala Belait and the tourist attractions are beautiful indeed.