Luagan Park in Labi Hills Forest Reserve came highly recommended by the expats living in Brunei. One thing that continues to surprise me about Brunei is just how green everything is. Despite the forest fires that raged through Borneo for a couple of weeks, the countryside of Brunei remained relatively untouched. I have to emphasize on relatively.
One of the things that I really love to do is stop at the parks in the country. Some of them are large, some small, some well maintained, and others are in disuse. Luagan Park is a mix of well maintained and in disuse but I will delve into that in a bit.
Getting To Luagan Park
Luagan Park is located on Jalan Labi and is part of the Labi Hills Forest Reserve. It is the same road that you take when heading to the Teraja waterfalls. This makes Luagan Park a place you would likely visit on the way or if you stay in Kuala Belait/Seria area of Brunei. The road is decent so driving there isn’t an issue.
The question which arises however is whether you would want to drive all the way there to see the park. My recommendation is that if you are heading to Teraja then this is a place that you should stop at.
If you aren’t then driving here would be more of a personal preference because it isn’t something that is an absolute must see. I will let you be the judge of whether you want to visit it or not based on our experience. Another excuse to head to Labi Hills Forest Reserve is if you like long bike rides.
Luagan Park In Labi Hills Forest Reserve
At the shelter in the middle of Lalak Lake in Labi Hills Forest Reserve.
It is extremely easy to miss Luagan Park if you aren’t too careful. While there are two parking areas on either side of the road, they are rather inconspicuous. One side has a toilet that you can use but other than that we noted no other facilities. The other side has a small parking space where around five cars can fit in. It doesn’t look like much and you can barely see the lake from where you park.
A small entrance takes you down a couple of steps before you finally catch sight of Lalak Lake which is the highlight of the park. I did not know what to expect but I must say that I was surprised. Lalak lake covers a large area of land and I got the impression that when we visited the water level was low. This was probably due to the heat and the lack of rain that we had been witnessing in the prior weeks.
A raised wooden platform is built and allows you to walk right to the middle of the lake. You will notice that there are two points where the wooden platform bifurcates into other directions. These however have been closed because they have not been well maintained. Compared to Lake Merimbun, Lalak Lake is definitely in better condition.
Other than walking to the centre of the lake there is nothing much to do. We visited it at around 3 pm and while the walk was hot thanks to the sweltering heat, it was short and the sheltered area provided enough respite. We sat there for almost an hour as we watched the fish jump out of the lake and the birds fly around. A part of me could imagine how beautiful and numerous the birds must be at dusk.
Would we visit again? In a heartbeat! Lalak lake is peaceful and pretty. I would carry a book along with some snacks and spend sometime here. That being said, I can understand that it isn’t something that everyone would enjoy.
Have you been to Luagan Park in Labi Hills Forest Reserve? What was your opinion? Would you visit again? Let us know in the comments below.
*This post contains Affiliate links