ly ste) ait ° ee AY: LY. a aT Ye ie Biel ani cri SN CEC longer on local detail TEU Ur Wie I)Hilary Bradt The first Bradt travel guide was written in 1974 by George and Hilary Bradt ona river barge floating down a tributary of the Amazon. It was followed by Backpacker's Africa, published in 1979. In the 1980s and '90s, the focus shifted away from hiking to broader-based guides to new destinations — usually the first to be published on those places. In the 21st century, Bradt continues to publish these ground-breaking guides, along with guides to established holiday destinations, incorporating in-depth information on culture and natural history alongside the nuts and bolts of where to stay and what to see. Bradt authors support responsible travel, with advice not only on minimum impact but also on how to give something back through local charities. Thus a true synergy is achieved between the traveller and local communities. Second edition published May 2012 _ First published 2008 Bradt Travel Guides Ltd, IDC House, The Vale, Chalfont St Peter, Bucks SL9 9RZ, England www.bradtguides.com, Published in the USA by The Globe Pequot Press Inc, PO Box 480, Guilford, Connecticut 06437-0480 ‘Text copyright © 2012 Tamara Thiessen, ‘Maps copyright © 2012 Bradt Travel Guides Ltd Photographs copyright ® 2012 Individual photographers (see below} Contributing edilor to 2008 edition: Kara Moses Project Managers: Elspeth Beidas, Janet Mears and Anna Moores ‘The author and publisher have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information in this book at the time of going to press. However, they cannot accept any responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience resulting from the use of information contained in this guide. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior consent of the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Bradt Travel Guides Ld in the UK or to the Globe Pequot Press Inc in North and South America. ISBN: 978 1 84162 390 0 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is avatlable from the British Library Photographs Alamy: Holger Leue (HL/A); Daniel Austin (DA); Scott Bennett (SB); Brunei'Tourism (BT); Ulrike Bauer (UB); Corbis: Sergio Pitamitz (SP/C), Ahmad Yusnifepa (AY/C); Dreamstime: Bmlazrhoven (B/D), Gualtiero Boffi (GB/DT), Oriori (O/DT); FLPA: Theo Allofs/Minden Pictures (TA/FLPA), Tom & Pam Gardner (T&PG/FLPA), John Holmes (JH/ELPA), Chien Lee/Minden Pictures (CL/FLPA), Imagebroker (1/FLPA), Image Broker/Imagebroker/FLPA (I/1/FLPA), Frans Lanting (FL/FLPA), ‘Thomas Marent/Minden Pictures (IM/FLPA), Colin Marshall (CM/FLPA); Nicolas Guyot (NG); Natural Visions: Heather Angel (HA/NV), Jeff Collett (JC/NV}, Anne Norris (AN/NV), Brian Rogers (BR/NY)}, Slim Sreedharan (SS/NV); Shutterstock: James Harrison (JH/Sh), kkaplin (kk/S), Hugh Lansdown (HL/Sh), Marcin Niemtec (MN/Sh), old apple (oa/Sh), warmer (w/Sh); SuperStock ($8); Tamara Thiessen (TT); TIPS Images: Guido Alberto Rossi (GAR/TIPS), Reinhard Dirscherl (RD/TIPS}; Wikimedia Commons (W) Front cover Silver leaf monkey (TM/FLPA) Back cover Aerial view of Semporna (GAR/TIPS); traditional Orang Ulu wasrlor and Kenya woman in Sarawale ($8) Title page Nepenthes bicalcarata (UB); Kuching detail on the roof of Tua Pek Kong Chinese Temple, Lundu (DA); Kek Lapis Sarawak cake (DA) Maps David McCutcheon; colour map base by Nick Rowland Eros ‘Typeset from the author's disk by Wakewing, High Wycombe Production managed by Jellyfish Print Solutions; printed in IndiaChapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Introduction Background Information Geography 3, Climate 4, History 5, Government and politics 9, Judiciary and law 12, Economy 13, People 15, Language 22, Religion and spirituality 23, Culture 27 Natural History Biodiversity 33, Geology 34, Ecosystems and flora 35, Fauna 45, Deforestation 60, Conservation 62 Practical Information When to visit 69, What kind of holiday? 69, Highlights 70, Suggested itineraries 72, Tourist information 75, Tour operators 76, Red tape 79, Embassies and consulates 80, Getting there and away 82, Health 84, Safety 91, Women travellers 91, Disabled travellers 92, Families 92, Single travellers 93, Gay and lesbian travellers 93, What to take 94, Money 95, Budgeting 95, Getting around 97, Getting your bearings 101, Accommodation 102, Eating and drinking 105, Public holidays and festivals 111, Shopping 113, Arts and entertainment 114, Sports and other activities 114, Photography 119, Media and communications 119, Business 121, Living in Borneo 121, Studying in Borneo 123, Cultural etiquette 123, Travelling positively 125 Brunei Darussalam History 132, Getting there and away 135, Local tour operators 137, Bandar Seri Begawan 137, Excursions from Bandar Seri Begawan 152 Kota Kinabalu History 163, Getting there and away 164, Getting around 166, Tourist information 168, Where to stay 168, 33 69 129 BI 159 163