7 Hours Road Trip from Kota Kinabalu to Brunei

Just came back from Phuket, Thailand last week and working for 2 days, I off to Brunei again with my family to attend my cousin's wedding. (My 2nd trip for the year 2012) It has been so many years that all of us has anticipated for his big day and now it's finally arrived. Instead of taking flight, my daddy decided to take a long 7 hours drive from Kota Kinabalu to Brunei. He has been doing that for hundreds of time since I was a little gal. Even my aunty and cousin from Kuching, Sarawak, who took a flight to Kota Kinabalu decided to join us too for this long road trip.

Packed all the things and we are ready to go.

Brought along my leftover Brunei Dollar from my previos trip in case wanna buy anything there

This is not the first time my family and I experienced this kind of road trip because we ever drove all the way from Kuching, Sarawak and pass through expensive sultanate Brunei before arrive Kota Kinabalu for a week. The longest road trip I ever had in my life!

Stopby Papar to pump petrol fuel before going for a long long journey

Luckily my dad did pump his vehicle to the maximum because in Brunei, there is a limit amount of petrol fuel given to a Malaysian vehicle by the petrol station; some only allows $5 and even the max will be $20 only.

The stretch covered by this route known as "Borneo Overland Trail" can be both challenging and fascinating; challenging because it involves traveling through some of the more remote corners of Sarawak and Sabah where some of the roads are not being repaired or improved yet (Sigh! This is how our government treat those live in remote areas).

But I guess the most challenging part is where this route brings us across several state and international borders. Don't be surprised when the next thing you enter the border, you will be in one of Brunei District and once you enter another border, you are somewhere around Sarawak. Try imagine a drive from Kota Kinabalu to Brunei, you will need to passthrough 6 IMMIGRATION!

After 2 and half hours we reached the 1st immigration: Sindumin, Sabah

2nd immigration: Lawas, Sarawak

Just a few miles away, we reached the Brunei's border. Quite a long queue because besides inspect passport, they also require to fill in vehicle form.

The 3rd immigration: Temburong, Brunei Darussalam

There even a public bus if you are lazy to drive

Another Brunei's immigration: Puni

The thing you'll probably need the most is patience especially waiting for the lines to get into ferry crossings across the river which can accommodate 6-7 vehicle at a time.

The price list. Which will be more cost saving?
Paying in Ringgit Malaysia or Brunei Dollar? You do the maths

See, now back to Malaysia again. The 5th immigration: Limbang, Sarawak.

Finally the last immigration for this trip: Kuala Lumrah, Brunei and we're officially in Brunei.

There are actually up to maximum of 8 IMMIGRATION if continue the journey to Miri, Sarawak which we did came across in our past road trip. My family and I ever experienced road trip in Peninsular Malaysia too from Penang to Kedah, Perlis and reached Hatyai, Thailand but never encounter so many kind of immigration. Deng!

Once we saw this, we realised that we had reached my aunty's place finally.

7 hours ride is really damn tiring and exhausting journey but the most fascinating throughout this journey was we were enjoy each and every pretty interesting Sabah rural life all along the journey, and see the differences of some district which has developed within the past few years especially Temburong, Brunei. But probably the best part for a part-time traveller like me was "PASSPORT STAMP COLLECTION".

Just a 3 days visit and already occupied 2 pages of my passport