The sprawling Kampong Ayer

Kampong Ayer is a part of Brunei's national heritage and goes by numerous names and monikers. Around 13,000 people live in the floating hamlet in Bandar Seri Begawan, which spans the Brunei River. Modern conveniences like power, WiFi, and cable TV are available in Kampong Ayer. Many locals use vehicles to get to work and leave them overnight in a neighboring parking lot by the lake. Locals still prefer using water taxis for transportation, and they value the sense of belonging that comes with living in the same neighborhood over the water as the original Bruneians do.

Tourists can stay in a homestay or, as an alternative, can take a self-guided walking tour of Kampong Ayer starting at the Kampong Ayer Cultural & Tourism Gallery. For just BND0.50, passengers can board a water taxi at the city's waterfront and travel one minute to the Gallery, where they can pick up a tour map at the front desk. You can either request a tour to the surrounding mangrove forests to see Brunei's riverbank species, such as proboscis monkeys, monitor lizards, and crocodiles, or you can simply hail a water taxi from the same dock to return to the waterfront! One of the most popular reasons for traveling to Brunei is to get lost in the labyrinth and take pictures of this traditional way of life.