BBYB 2020

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ATTRACTIONS & ACTIVITIES

Temburong

Ulu Temburong National Park

Dubbed the ‘Green Jewel of Brunei’, the Ulu

Temburong National Park is Brunei’s only national

park, a successful example of the Sultanate’s forest

protection policy. Spread over a whopping 50,000

hectares of land, the rainforest plays resident to the

ever elusive Proboscis monkeys and thousands of

other unique species of flora and fauna. To get to the

park, visitors have to ride a water taxi from the main

jetty in the capital to Bangar in Temburong.

To properly experience the park, visitors are

encouraged to stay overnight at the Ulu Ulu Resort

– conveniently located in the middle of the park –

for an early head start: itineraries in the park often

start with an early morning canopy walk to enjoy

views 180-feet above the jungle floor. Apart from

a stunning bird’s eye view of tree tops and Bukit

Belalong in the distance, lucky visitors may also spot

swinging gibbons, hornbills flying overhead or even

flying squirrels. Apart from the canopy walk, the

resort organises jungle hikes towards waterfalls and

kayaking down a river.

Sumbiling Eco Village

Situated in Batang Duri, Sumbiling Eco Village is a

nature lodge. The lodge, also a dropping off point

for longboat rides taking visitors to Ulu Temburong

National Park, is located right on the banks of an

upstream section of the Temburong River. The lodge

is distinct for its minimalist design and structure,

with huts built with bamboo in addition to a mix of

recycled and new wood.

Apart from well-furnished rooms, the lodge also

provides riverside tents set up using eco-friendly

wood suitable for “glamping” – glamour camping.

The tents are equipped with comfortable amenities

for a good night’s sleep and provided are properly-

walled, common bathrooms. Additionally, the

lodge organises optional excursion including a

night walking tour, a daytrip to the Ulu Temburong

National Park and a Rainforest Discovery trek at the

nearby forest.

Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre

The Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre (KBFSC) is

a research platform incepted when Universiti Brunei

Darussalam along with the Royal Geographical

Society (RGS), London carried out a joint jungle

expedition into the Belalong forest back in the early

1990s. Through the centre, over 70 researchers of

various fields and backgrounds conducted research

in Kuala Belalong. Furthermore, the centre has been

conducting educational programmes for students

of various levels as well as government sector

employees since 1992. KBFSC has hosted groups of

study exchange students from other countries such

as Japan and Malaysia to explore and learn about

the rich biodiversity of the rainforest.

KBFSC’s core mission is to generate, describe and

disseminate knowledge in Science and Education

related to the vast diversity of Brunei’s tropical

rainforests, including all the varied life forms and

ecosystem processes. Research professionals with

an interest in the rainforest are welcomed to the

centre.

Kuala BelalongMini Park

Opened in 1993 and situated within the Temburong

Civic Centre Padang is the Kuala Belalong Mini Park.

This mini park features a waterfall, a beautifully

landscaped garden and a natural pond mainly used

for radio-controlled boat racing. Huts are peppered

throughout the park displaying photos of His

Majesty’s visit to Temburong aswell as findings from

the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre. Universiti

Brunei Darussalam has often used the mini park to

conduct field research as the park is a key rainforest

research centre.

Bukit Patoi Forest Recreational Park

Situated within the Peradayan Forest Reserve – a

reserve15kilometresawayfromBangartown–isthe

Bukit Patoi Forest Recreational Park. The park covers

a land area of 1,070 hectares and encompasses

predominantly primary lowland Dipterocarp and

Kerangas trees. A diverse range of wildlife unique

to Borneo such as gibbons, silver langurs, mouse

deer (kancil), civet cats, several species of hornbills

as well as a myriad of rainforest birds claim the park

as their residence.

The park features a 1.6-kilometre trek that winds up

and down Bukit Patoi’s mountainside to the peak,

where visitors can find an open and flat rocky summit

that can double as a helipad at 310 metres above

sea level. Trekkers are also rewarded with stunning

views of the lush green tropical jungle, a mountain

range in the distance, the South China Sea, villages

and sprawling agricultural lands.

Pulau Selirong

Located southeast of Brunei Bay and on Temburong

district’s most northern tip is the Selirong Island or

the Selirong Forest Recreation Park. The park covers

2,566 hectares of predominantly unspoilt mangrove

forest of the Rhizophora (locally referred to as Bakau

Minyak) genus. Distinctively known for its massive

root systemswhich slowdown tidal water, the park’s

environment is conducive for oysters to flourish.

Primates such as macaques and the colugo – an

arboreal gliding mammal unique to Southeast Asia

– as well as a variety of bird species and mangrove

snakes call the mangrove ecosystem its home. The

deep mangrove channels accommodate a variety of

fish, crabs, prawns, cockles, barnacles, mud-skippers

of above average sizes and monitor lizards.