Last week I visited Failaka for the first time since a school trip back in 1989. I’ve been meaning to go back ever since, but because I get seasick, I kept putting it off. A few months ago though, my wife and I got accepted into the Failaka Institute for Knowledge and Arts Research (FIKAR) residency program, and that was the push I needed to finally go back.
FIKAR is a space dedicated to artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians, and researchers who want to explore and celebrate the history and stories of Failaka. I first found out about it when I met the founder (Sulayman Al Bassam) a few years ago and they’re now in season 3 which I’m excited to be part of.
For anyone who wants to visit Failaka but isn’t sure what to expect or even how to get there, I wanted to quickly share my experience.
Transport
I’d recommend taking your car since Failaka is big and you’re not going to be able to explore all of it on foot. You can walk around some of the abandoned buildings and visit an archaeological site, but not much else. There are two car ferry operators, Joan alKuwait and Ikarus Marine. I went with Joan since I was taking my dog and Ikarus doesn’t allow pets. The cost was KD30 for a round trip including the car and driver, and additional passengers are KD10 each.
Things to do
Once you get to the island you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into a post-apocalyptic movie scene. Imagine an abandoned neighborhood with no people, cars left decaying in driveways, and empty destroyed homes slowly being taken over by nature. I loved it.
Other than exploring the abandoned buildings, there’s a museum on the island with archaeological sites you can visit. We drove out to a live archaeological site in the middle of the island, and an archaeologist there was nice enough to give us a tour. There’s also Wanasa Beach, which has a restaurant and a place to rent bicycles and kayaks. And that’s pretty much it. One night is all you need on the island.
Stay
We stayed at FIKAR, but there are small houses you can rent and hotel rooms in the Heritage Village which you can book through Ikarus.
Finally, there is 5G service on the island, two bakalas and a gas station. If you have any question or curiosities let me know in the comments.
4 replies on “Visiting Failaka and What You Should Know”
I remember going there few years back and noticed there were used ammo leftovers from the war time scattered in the sand, but it’s a place that one must definitely visit once, if possible would like to visit again
How about the food, if we are going as a family of 5 with 3 kids. Is their any good food or can we set up a bbq ?
Are any of the rentable accommodations there decent?
80kd/night seems steep for what they are showing in that one picture on the Ikarus site
Yeah doesn’t look great but that’s the only options I’m aware of. Alternatively you can camp.