Kampong Ayer Water Village

Approaching by boat, the water village reveals itself as a contiguous city of wooden houses, mosques, schools, clinics and shops all built on hardwood stilts driven into the riverbed, with a network of narrow timber walkways connecting the clusters and larger wooden bridges linking the major districts.

The settlement has existed for centuries and was historically the commercial heart of Brunei before the discovery of oil transformed the capital; some structures are over 150 years old and the Kampong Ayer Mosque, with its distinctive green domes and a minaret visible above the tree canopy, has been a landmark since the early 1900s.

Brunei's oil wealth has been channelled into modernising the village: concrete walkways now replace older timber bridges in the main districts, electricity and piped water are universal, and many houses have been rebuilt in brick and tile while retaining the stilt foundation system that defines the community.

Approximately 30,000 people live in Kampong Ayer, making it one of the most densely populated areas in Borneo; the village has its own mosques, a primary school, two clinics, a police post, and small shops selling everything from groceries to mobile phone accessories.

The water taxi service linking Kampong Ayer to the mainland waterfront operates continuously from early morning until late evening and costs less than a dollar per crossing, making it a genuine working transit system rather than a tourist attraction — although visitors use the same boats as residents.

Most visitors arrive by water taxi at the main jetty, walk the length of the accessible walkway network and return, a circuit that typically takes one to two hours; for those who wish to go deeper, a homestay programme run by the Kampong Ayer Cultural and Heritage Association allows overnight stays with local families.

The Brunei River surrounding the village is tidal and brackish, with water levels rising and falling by approximately one metre with each tide; at low tide the mudflats are exposed and the stilts of the outermost houses stand clear of the water, while at high tide the water reaches the underside of the walkway planks.

Approximately 30,000 people live in Kampong Ayer, making it one of the most densely populated areas in Borneo; the village has its own mosques, a primary school, two clinics, a police post, and small shops selling everything from groceries to mobile phone accessories, all accessible by the raised concrete walkway network that has replaced older timber in the main districts.

It is the largest water village on Earth and has been continuously inhabited for centuries, offering a rare and unmediated insight into a way of life that has otherwise disappeared from the region.

The community is accessible, working and unpretentious — the water taxis are the same ones used by residents, and the walkway network is open to all visitors without ticketing or guided tour requirements.

Its proximity to the capital means it can be visited as a half-day trip combined with the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque across the water, creating a compelling contrast between traditional and modern Brunei.