Cruising Around Kampong Ayer (Water Village)

We started our river cruise from this jetty to Kampong Ayer. Kampong Ayer or the Water Village is the largest water settlement in the world. It is a self contained community with its own mosques, schools, stores, fire, police and gas stations, etc. Dubbed as the Venice of the East, it has existed for more than 600 years. I would definitely recommend taking a small boat to explore the 30-40 villages (reports vary) on stilts along the banks of the Brunei River. There’s so much to learn here about the culture and history of the country. It’s also refreshing to be out on the water especially since it can get very hot in Brunei in February.

Please watch my video of Kampong Ayer here: https://youtu.be/0NhbtIfmku4?feature=shared

Eighteen and a half miles (30km) of wooden walkways connect the homes in the villages.

Ripas Bridge or Queen’s Bridge is a cable stayed bridge connecting the city center with Mukim Lumapas in the southern district.

Houses on stilts

The wooden stilts are subject to rotting and need to be replaced at least every sixty years.

Village mosque

One of several schools in the village.

Jettys are numbered so it’s easy to know where to get off.

Most homes on the river have sizable verandas where families sit and enjoy the cooler air, prepare their meals as well as hang their clothes to dry.

If you would like to experience living in a house on stilts, there’s a homestay and other accommodations at the village.

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien

To learn more about Brunei, check my post which lists the highlights of Bandar Siri Begawan, the nation’s capital. https://www.travelswithcharie.com/2024/04/highlights-of-bandar-seri-begawan.html

We were dropped off at this jetty which is so much easier to access than the one where we started from.

Our hotel arranged the tour for us which included a city tour and the cruise around Kampong Ayer. Please check my post about Bandar Seri Begawan for details.

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Images by TravelswithCharie

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