Brunei, situated in Southeast Asia on the island of Borneo, is easily accessible with a variety of ways to enter the land. Its northern coastline sits along the South China Sea, while the land is bordered by Sarawak, Malaysia. Once you are in Brunei there are several options for domestic travel as well.
Due to its remoteness, most people arrive in Brunei by air but there are several options to choose from.
By plane: Brunei’s main airport is Brunei International Airport (BWN). Though it is small, the airport is sanitary and functional. BWN is the hub of Royal Brunei Airlines, which offers flights daily to Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and London. Upon departure from Brunei by plane be prepared to pay a departure tax; fees vary depending on where you are traveling to.
With traveling to Brunei needing multiple connections from Europe and North America, flight times can be long. Flying in from Los Angeles typically takes 18 hours, from New York up to 24 hours and from Europe approximately 15 hours.
By car: Driving into Brunei is possible from Sarawak, Malaysia. There are two entry points: Miri at Sungai Tujuh and Limbang at Kuala Lurah. Drive-through immigration checkpoints are at these points by the border and queuing can take time. It is also possible to take your car across the border across the Pandaruan River between Malaysia and Brunei on a ferry ride. Brunei immigration procedures take place at Puni, less than 3,000ft from the ferry dock.
By bus: Running between Miri (Sarawak, Malaysia) and Kula Belait in Brunei is the Miri Belait Transportation Company. Bus change is required at the border checkpoint of Sungei Tujoh. It is not unheard of for the bus to refuse to take passengers to the border as some find the fee of the toll bridge to be too high. You may need to switch to a taxi to complete that leg of the journey.
There are also buses to Bandar Seri Begawan starting from Kuala Belait that require a switch in Seria. Travel can take as long as six hours and it’s advisable to start your journey early, as there are a limited number of buses operating daily.
By boat: The Serasa Ferry Terminal in Muara is the main operating ferry terminal of Brunei, with a number of ferries traveling daily from/to Labuan, as well as one a day from/to Sundar and Lawas, in Sarawak. It’s important to note that the ferry terminal is a way from the town of Muara, which is where the container port is, and about 25kms from Bandar Seri Begawan. From the ferry terminal to Bandar there are public buses available.
Border crossings: Brunei/Malaysia crossings at: Sungai Tujoh/Miri Sarawak, Kuala Lurah/Limbang, Puni/Limbang and Labu/Lawas.
The most commonly used border crossings into Brunei from Malaysian Sarawak are at Puni/Limbang and Labu/Lawas. There are also crossings at Sungai Tujoh/Miri and Kuala Lurah/Limbang.