There seems to be a lack of detailed information online about this, so I shall just share it for the benefit of all. There are actually a number of bus companies which cover this route, but only Jesselton Express which does the entire KK to BSB portion. The others like Borneo Express drop you at Kuala Lurah, the border just outside of BSB, from where you will have to take a local purple bus to BSB, last bus being at 5-6pm, schedules, erratic. I am still in the process of contacting the other operators for information, as they certainly do not have websites. So far only Jesselton Express is the only one I have tried personally.
BUS FROM KK-BRUNEI
Company:
Jesselton Express (blue bus with yellow stripe as seen in picture)
Departure Time:
08:00 hrs either from KK or from BSB
Departure Point:
Carpark Around Old Courthouse/City Hall Building in Downtown KK
Bus Stop beside PGGMB Building, the tall tower facing the BSB Morning Market
Duration:
approx. 8 hours
Coach Details:
2-by-2 seating, Airconditioned, Luggage Bay
Price:
RM100.00 from KK (as of 11 July 2011)
B$45.00 from BSB (as of 26 Dec 2010)
This is NOT an express bus as commonly understood. It is more like the Filipino long-distance buses such as Partas and all, making stops along the way to pick up passengers notably in Beaufort, Sipitang, Lawas and Limbang, sometimes even at random rural roadside locations, before finally reaching BSB. One of the stops close to noon doubles up as a lunch stop, the duration of which depends on how much behind or ahead of schedule the bus is.
This journey is ideal for:
- Those who want the convenience of being on one transport and being assured they will not be left behind by a delay in the first of two legs of their trip.
- Those who are prone to seasickness as the journey from KK-Labuan and Labuan-Brunei sometimes encounters choppy seas.
- Those who just want to experience an overland route!
The drawbacks of this trip:
- More passport stamps than the Labuan boat route (one stamp when crossing from Sabah into Sarawak, 2 stamps when crossing from Trusan, Sarawak into Temburong, Brunei, 2 stamps from Temburong, Brunei into Limbang Sarawak, 2 stamps from Limbang, Sarawak into Brunei. Not a problem if you don't need to save passport pages though - some travellers will not be using their passport for a while after their trip concludes!
- If your trip falls on a long weekend, the start or end of a school holiday, or a festive period, your bus journey might end up longer than 8 hours! My last journey on 26 December 2010 took 1 hour longer than usual, due to the long queues at 2 out of 3 Brunei border crossings. Therefore if in a rush for time, try to avoid the times mentioned above.
BUS FROM KK TO BANGAR, RIVER BOAT FROM BANGAR TO BSB
Duration (Bus):
approx. 6 hours
Duration (Boat):
45 mins
Price:
RM50 for bus, B$6 for boat (as of 11 July 2011)
For those coming from KK, to add a bit more variety to your trip, you may also take the bus to Bangar town in Temburong, Brunei. As long as the bus arrives in Bangar by latest 4pm, you are perfectly alright. The bus will drop you immediately after crossing the big bridge into town, and from where the bus drops you, which should be facing some market-like stalls, just walk along the little side road with cars parked all along the side, and you will see a ferry terminal building. Inside are 2 counters selling tickets, at B$6/pax. Check for which departs earlier, and then write your name, passport no and nationality on the chosen counter's list, pay up and ask them to tell you when the boat is going to go, so they know there is a newbie around! =) Beware, last boats depart between anytime after 4 to 4.30pm.
Notes:
- Make sure to have some Brunei Dollars changed the day before. B$6 for boat ride, maybe B$3-5 for a quick meal, another B$5-10 for drinks and snacks maybe. To be safe, B$50 would be good to start with (better to get small change of B$10 notes instead of a big note). You can change more in BSB if you need to, although the 3 money changers i know in downtown BSB close by 5-6pm.
- If you arrive in Bangar before 3pm, you could even roam around the small town, and try some Temburong specialties (more on this in other posts). If hungry you can go for food at one of the coffee shops across the road.
- Compared to the direct to BSB option, this one saves you the last 4 passport stamps. Bagus!
BUS FROM KK TO BANGAR, RAINFOREST ADVENTURE, THEN RIVER BOAT FROM BANGAR TO BSB
For those who were already planning to do a rainforest trip in Brunei, Temburong is where you are headed anyway, so make arrangements in advance to save cost. If you head into BSB first, and then pay for a tour originating from BSB, your tour price includes the cost of your transport to and from BSB as well, which is a redundancy.
OVERNIGHTERS - For those who plan to do an overnight rainforest package, these usually start in the afternoon (at least with my company!), so it is perfect timing arriving in the afternoon. Arrange with your tour operator that your tour should commence and end in Bangar instead of BSB, and that they should deduct your tour price accordingly. If taking Jesselton Express, you should reach Bangar by 2pm or 3pm, the latter being the usual time tour guests from BSB arrive in Bangar on my company's overnight tours. Inform them to wait for you near the market beside the road - usually the guide or driver will be assigned to meet and greet. Then take your bus from KK-Bangar as outlined in the section above. Once you get off in Bangar, meet guide/driver, proceed with your stay in the rainforest, and when your tour is done 1 or 2 or 3 nights later, you will be driven out to Bangar some time in the afternoon, from where your tour ends, and you may proceed by river boat to BSB as outlined above.
DAYTRIPPERS - Arrange with your tour operator that your tour should commence and end in Bangar instead of BSB, and that they should deduct your tour price accordingly. If taking Jesselton Express, you should reach Bangar by 2pm or 3pm. From where you get off near the market beside the road you can either avail of budget accommodation right across the road in the Youth Hostel, a blue house, or walk slightly ahead to the junction, and the long single-storey building on your left is the Government Resthouse that does rent out rooms. Once decided on your accommodation, get hold of a phone, call your operator and tell them where you are so they can pick you there in the morning. Spend the night, enjoy the quiet atmosphere for a change, write your journal, rest or whatever else you fancy, and then the next day, get your dose of rainforest before returning to Bangar in the afternoon, where your tour ends, and continuing on by river boat as detailed above, to BSB. It would be a good idea to pack up in the morning and check out before going for your tour, so that you do not need to rush when you get back to Bangar in the afternoon. Do inform your operator in advance though, if your luggage is sizeable so that they have space in the car for that!
Some bits and pieces:
Found a blog entry about another bus operator complete with contact numbers, though I have not tried it before:
http://www.beautifulkk.com/articles/2011/04/20/borneo-express
Pronunciation Guide. Good luck! =)
Brunei is pronounced BREW-nigh and not BREW-nay
Temburong is pronounced Turm-BOO-rong, the Turm' as in with Term without the 'r' sound, and the emphasis being on the second syllable BOO. So far no non-Malay speaker I have encountered has gotten the pronunciation right! Most often heard is TEM-buh-rong, with the 'TEM' rhyming with 'dam'.
Bangar is pronounced Ba-Ngar, with the 'Ba' as in 'ba-ba black sheep'. It is often mispronounced Bang-Gar as in Big Bang!
Bandar is pronouned Bahn-Dar, 'Bahn' like 'barn' without the 'r', and 'Dar' rhyming with 'tar'. Often mispronounced Ben-dar.
Seri is pronounced Sir-ree.
Begawan is pronounced Buh-gah-wahn. 'Buh' like the Bur in Burma but without the 'r', gah rhyming with ha in hahaha, and wahn like want without the 't' ending. Often mispronounced BAG-guh-WHEN
