While tourists are not yet coming en-mass to Kuwait, there are at least a few cool things to do here, with a visit to Failaka Island being one of these few things.
Still a functioning island with a populace, it is also a living museum to the occupation of Kuwait, its aftermath and the overall Gulf War 1. I myself was to visit here as part of a YPT tour to Kuwait and then onward to Saudi Arabia that came hot on the heels of a trip to Socotra.
What the Socotra you say? Well that is a story for a whole other time.
What the Failaka Island?
Failaka Island, just 20 kilometers off Kuwait’s coast, holds a rich and complex history that spans several millennia. It was an important outpost during the Bronze Age, serving as a strategic trading point for Mesopotamian civilizations. The island’s history took a turn when it was colonized by the Greeks around 325 BC during Alexander the Great’s conquests, leaving behind Hellenistic ruins, including temples and homes.
Over the centuries, Failaka has seen invasions, traders, and settlements, transforming with each new ruler. Post-Gulf War, the island was largely abandoned, its once-thriving villages now standing in ruins. Today, Failaka stands as a haunting fusion of ancient relics and more recent conflict, offering a unique, desolate landscape where time itself seems to stand still. Whether you’re exploring Greek ruins or wandering through deserted Gulf War-era structures, Failaka tells a thousand-year-old story of resilience, conflict, and cultural fusion.
Prior to the Gulf War Failaka was popular among tourists before being all but abandoned after the war. Things though have since improved with the wreckage of the war now proving an extra pull to the island.
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The Skinny on Failaka Island
To get to Failaka Island from Kuwait, the journey typically takes around 1 to 1.5 hours by ferry. The ferry departs from Ras Al Salmiya and runs a few times a day. Prices for a round-trip ticket usually range from 15 to 30 Kuwaiti dinars (about $50 to $100 USD), depending on the type of service and the operator.
Alas the ferry is not always that reliable meaning that at times, including my time there a boat had to be chartered. And while it is not all that cheap it does mean that you do not need to worry about being stranded on Failaka Island.
What to do on Failake Island
While there is actually quite a lot to do on Failaka Island there are a only a few that are what I might call “Pioneer” or “Street Food Guy” worthy. Historical sites include the Greek ruins and the Kuwait heritage village, but in all honesty it is all about the Gulf War sites.
These include high swaths of abandoned buildings of the ghost town variety (including bullet holes), as well as numerous army vehicles that have been left to ruin, clear reminders of what the people of Kuwait went through.
Initially after the liberation of Kuwait from the brief Republic there was talk of removing said war remnants, before it was decided that here among other places would kept as a historical site.
Street food Failaka Island
While it is Guly War remnants that chiefly bring foreign tourists to Failaka, it should be remembered that this is primarily a beach resort of sorts. This means that aside from the beach there are hotels on Failaka, as well as restaurants, and even street food. Although by street food we primarily mean like ice-cream and shawarma.
Said restaurants are predominantly located next to the “port” and where you take the ferry back to Kuwait City. Mostly it consists of fast food and street food like the aforementioned shawarma, as well as burgers, hot dogs, soft drinks and the like.
It is also here that you get a feel for just different Kuwait is. The beaches here have hammocks, dance music blaring and indeed the vestiges of quite the party island. It is then though that you realize you are in Kuwait and as much as you’d like to there is no option to have a drink.
That though does not stop it being right at the top of the 5 best things to do in Kuwait City, which also double up as the only things to do in the city….