Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TEMBURONG DISTRICT
This odd little exclave (that means a part of a country physically separated from the rest of
the nation; feel free to take that to the next pub quiz night) is barely larger than Penang, but
happens to contain one of the best preserved tracts of primary rainforest in all of Borneo.
The main draw is the brilliant Ulu Temburong National Park, accessible only by longboat.
The speedboat ride from BSB out to Bangar, the district capital, is the most fun you can
possibly have for B$6. You roar down Sungai Brunei, slap through the nipah-lined water-
ways and then tilt and weave through mangroves into the mouth of Sungai Temburong.
Want to get depressed? Go to Google Earth and look at the outline of Temburong Dis-
trict. It's easy to spot: at the Brunei frontier, Malaysia's logging roads - irregular gashes of
eroded earth - and trashed hillsides give way to a smooth carpet of trackless, uninhabited
virgin rainforest. Until not long ago, almost all of Borneo looked like this.
Bangar
Little Bangar, perched on the banks of Sungai Temburong, is the gateway to, and adminis-
trative centre of, Temburong District. It can be visited as a day trip from BSB if you catch
an early speedboat, but you'll get more out of the town's easygoing pace if you stay over
and explore the area, which has some fine primary rainforest and nine longhouses, not all
of them very long.
Sleeping
Temburong District has a number of homestays used mainly by tour operators and locals
with cars. In addition to the options listed below, there are also five or six guesthouses
scattered around town. They're all acceptably clean and comfortable and otherwise nondes-
cript.
Lukat Intan Guesthouse $$
( 864 3766, 522 1078; lukutintan@hotmail.com; B$30-50; )
Run by a friendly
older couple, Lukat offers spic and span rooms and personable service; you get breakfast
with your stay and they're happy to give you free rides to the Bangar jetty.
GUESTHOUSE
Rumah Persinggahan Kerajaan Daerah Temburong $
GUESTHOUSE
