Kampong Ayer Cultural & Tourism Gallery


A good place to start a visit to Kampong Ayer – and get acquainted with Brunei's pre-oil boom culture – is this interesting museum and cultural centre, directly across the river from the waterfront in BSB. Opened in 2009, the elevated complex focuses on the history, customs and crafts of the Kampong Ayer people, and a glass-enclosed viewing tower offers panoramic views over the surrounding 'streets' of stilt houses.

Signs beside the boardwalks in front of the gallery show the way to sites of interest in the stilt village beyond.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Kampong Ayer

0.06 MILES

Home to around 30,000 people, Kampong Ayer consists of 42 contiguous stilt villages built along both banks of the Sungai Brunei (Brunei River). A century…

2. Galeri Seni

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This waterfront building, constructed in the 1950s, houses the tourist office, plus a gallery space that opens periodically for temporary art exhibitions.

3. Tamu Kianggeh

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The covered market set amid canals to the east of the waterfront is a lively place in the mornings, when locals gather to buy ingredients – strange and…

4. Teng Yun Chinese Temple

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Colourful Teng Yun, built in the 1960s, is the oldest Chinese temple in BSB, and its interior is filled with gilded statues, joss smoke and hand-painted…

5. Taman Mahkota Jubli Emas Park

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On dry evenings, locals head to this pretty park on reclaimed land at the back of the Omar Ali Saifuddien mosque to walk, jog, fly kites and amble around…

6. Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque

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Named after the 28th Sultan of Brunei (the late father of the current sultan), Masjid Omar Ali Saifuddien is surrounded by an artificial lagoon that…

7. Royal Regalia Museum

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When called upon to present a gift to the sultan of Brunei, you must inevitably confront the question: what do you give a man who has everything? At this…

8. Taman Peranginan Tasek

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If you need a reminder that just beyond BSB's air-conditioned malls lies the Bornean jungle, this city park, with its background chorus of buzzing,…