Kuwait
December 22 - Arrival in Kuwait and the Towers
I woke up around 6 a.m. and found a woman from the reception standing nearby. She mentioned that if I wanted, I could check in again at the lounge, and that she was leaving (probably a shift change), but after that, she left. Well, I didn’t even notice when I fell asleep, and clearly, it had been more than the allowed 4 hours, so it was time to get up slowly. I quickly washed up, had breakfast with a freshly made scrambled egg (it was amazing, the first time I’ve seen something like that!), grabbed a banana, and went to explore the second lounge. It seemed to have fewer food options, the outlets weren’t as convenient, and it wouldn’t have been comfortable to lie down there. In general, I liked the first lounge much more.
I didn’t make it to the third lounge this time, so I began preparing to leave. On my way out, I stumbled upon the “Visa Issuance” counter in the terminal. A few confused people were standing in line, and it wasn’t clear what to do next. After noticing my confused expression, a staff member explained that I needed to wait, make a copy of my passport (there was a free copier in the hall), fill out a form, and wait. I showed my ticket, issued at 1:30 a.m., and told them I was still waiting—it was already 6:30 a.m. by this point.
While filling out the form, the numbers were being called quickly, and when only three people were left before my number, my second ticket (I had taken one for the regular visa and one for the e-visa just in case) was called. But then, the staff shift changed. The number of workers increased, but the work stopped. The employee who took over was finishing up with the previous family and didn’t seem eager to help me, then just left. The new staff member didn’t do much either, and eventually, my ticket disappeared.
At that point, a crowd of visitors arrived, and an Indian staff member started handing out a roll of printed tickets, “to simplify the process.” Some people gave me their tickets, and chaos followed. Eventually, when work resumed, they processed the three numbers ahead of mine (no one showed up for them!), and my main number finally appeared.
When I approached the counter again, the same nervous employee barely acknowledged me with a “hello,” barking, “Where’s the passport copy?” Thankfully, I had it ready. After a few tense moments, they handed me a terminal to pay 3 dinars, issued my visa, stamped my German passport, and sent me to the next counter to have my photo taken and fingerprints scanned.
By 7:30 a.m., I was finally free and ready to head out and find a car.
At the exit, “passport control” is almost nonexistent – they check twice that I have a visa, passport, and stamp, and that’s it. There are no queues either.
The rental offices are right in the arrivals hall, and I quickly find the Hertz counter where they hand me the keys. No international driver’s license was needed, just a regular European plastic driver’s license was enough. A brand-new 2025 white Hyundai Accent with only 600 kilometers on the odometer is mine! It’s so new that the seats still have plastic covers, there are paper inserts in the footwells, and all elements still have protective films. The rental agent and I drive out of the parking lot because he needs to hand the parking ticket to another employee, but this means I don’t even have time to figure out where to go next. I manage to get to the nearest shopping mall and take a break there, plugging in wires, checking the internet, and trying to figure out where to go.
The decision comes quickly – to the old market and shopping rows. But as soon as I get there, it becomes clear that parking is a real hassle – everything seems to be paid, and there are even queues at the entrance to the barrier. So, I have to improvise and remember that there are towers nearby. I head towards them, and it turns out there’s a huge, excellent free parking lot, a nice waterfront, and a view of the towers. I get out for a walk – there are hardly any people, and the weather is cool – fine in a sweater, but it would definitely be cold in a T-shirt, probably around 15 degrees. I also decide to go up the towers; the ticket costs the same 3 dinars (as the visa).
At the top, it’s nice, but the view is heavily affected by either haze or smog—I’m not sure what it is, maybe just in winter… In any case, combined with the not-so-clean windows, I can barely make out the outlines of the skyscrapers, even though they’re not that far away.
The old market could have been reached on foot, but according to the map, there aren’t many landmarks on the way, so I decide to drive a couple of kilometers closer. There’s another shopping mall near the fish market, and there I can take a stroll. At the entrance, there are huge water clocks — an mesmerizing sight. Not that I was planning to buy anything at the fish market, but I was amazed by the giant shrimp, the size of my hand, and just the variety of fish and crabs. I also found an ATM there, which accepted my card and gave me some money for a 1 dinar commission (while the ATMs at the airport flatly refused to read my card).
By the way, I also found a big supermarket there, and I did a tour of it, and I couldn’t help but be delighted when I saw a honey cake with a sign saying, “Imported especially for you”. Perfect! I was also surprised by the abundance of American products, as well as fresh peanut butter—right next to it was a machine that made it!
So, I was heading to the market (Souks Mubarakiya), but on the way, my attention was also caught by the beautiful building of the central bank. Right next to it stood the Grand Mosque of Kuwait, but I wasn’t allowed in, as tourist visits are only permitted before 11:30 a.m. and after 4:00 p.m., and by the time I was leisurely strolling, it was already 11:40 a.m.
But the souks were right there, and they are entire quarters: rows of perfumes, rows of fruits, rows of toys, and so much more. The only thing I didn’t see at first was food, so I popped into the Iranian restaurant Shater Abbas, which was recommended on Reddit… Well, I had lunch, but the “Kebab Sultani” turned out to be two kebabs made from different meats—one was too fatty, and the other was too dry. I guess I prefer street food over this type of meal.
I didn’t feel like traveling far, and by the time I got back to the hotel, it was around 4 p.m., and I didn’t even realize when I fell asleep—apparently, the not-so-comfortable flights were taking their toll.
December 23 - Farms Instead of Failaka Island
The lack of a plan is making itself felt – instead of getting up early, I’m lounging in bed until about 8 a.m.. I eat the only edible thing I have – a Twix-like chocolate bar from the German IKEA and set off on my journey. First, I drive to the ferry dock to figure out how the logistics of getting to Failaka Island work. To my surprise, I find out that the ferries only run once a day, and, most importantly, they spend only an hour on the island! The girl at the counter bluntly told me that people usually need to stay overnight there. I took the schedule, and upon closer inspection, I found out that there are only two days in December when the ferry stays on the island for two hours, but those were earlier in the month, so now there’s nothing to catch. Well, it looks like I’ll have to postpone the island trip until better times.
Next, I set the navigator directly to the Wafretto cafe near the border with Saudi Arabia, which I had seen recommended on Reddit. The road was generally good, resembling a highway with a smooth 120 km/h speed limit. I exited almost immediately after the sign “Saudi Arabia - 11” and passed a specially built bridge over the highway for camels to cross. An interesting technical solution, indeed. Along the road, I also couldn’t help but notice all the oil refining facilities, stretching for miles in some places. It makes sense, though — Kuwait is famous for its oil, and there were even oil rigs as part of the interior in the lounge.
At the Wafretto cafe, which seems to position itself as some sort of hipster coffee shop with breakfasts (?), there wasn’t much regular breakfast food available. Even the coffee and “non-coffee” drinks live up to the hipster reputation. I opted for a hot chocolate and some French toast with salted caramel and whipped cream (about 3 dinars each, plus a bit of change—so the “breakfast” came to 9 dinars, nearly 30 euros). But I wouldn’t recommend it. There was supposed to be a view of a pond, but I didn’t really look for it and didn’t find it.
Next, I wanted to visit a “farm,” but it seems I miscalculated somewhere… Of the ones I marked, one is only open on weekends, the second one opens at 2 p.m., and the “Heritage Village” (Heritage Village on Google) is also only open on weekends. I tried a couple of random “farms” from Google Maps, picking those with operating hours and reviews, but that didn’t help: at one, when I asked “uh… tourist?” they confidently replied “no tourist,” and at the other, everything was closed, and the security guard gestured with two fingers—either meaning “from 2 p.m.,” or “in two hours,” or something else… But in any case, I didn’t want to wait that long. So, for a change, I stopped at a supermarket, bought some water for 0.2 dinars, and decided to head back to search for caches on the military base.
The military base turned out to be an American military base, and I wasn’t allowed in, so there’s not much to tell here. I continued on towards another farm (which was supposed to be open!), but it was on the other side of the country, near the border with Iraq. As they say, for a mad dog, a hundred miles is nothing.
But on the way, I decided to stop by the Jahra Nature Reserve, and it was totally worth it! Ideally, you’re supposed to make a reservation online, but I didn’t manage to figure out their website. There are two options available: a “tour” or renting a site. The tour seemed the obvious choice—taking you around the area, and you can stop at lookout points for a bit. The price is around 3 KWD for foreigners, and 2 KWD for locals. I tried to bargain, and in the end, they took me on the tour for free 😀.
Even though they don’t offer many tours, it was enough for me—I saw a couple of gray flamingos, a bunch of ducks and swans, and some random birds (seagulls?). The driver also pointed out an eagle in the distance that flies in from Russia for the winter. On the way back, a green snake almost got run over by the car. All in all, I highly recommend it—it’s a fantastic place and really different from the stereotypical “desert” image of Kuwait. If I understood correctly, there’s water here year-round, though I have my doubts—it’s over 50°C in the summer, so everything must dry up…
On the way, I stopped at a gas station for the first time. Since oil is extracted in huge quantities here, gasoline is incredibly cheap — to be precise, it costs 25 cents or 85 fils (there are 1000 fils in one Kuwaiti dinar) per liter. I filled up 24 liters for 2 dinars, about six euros. It’s amazing, especially compared to what I paid just a few days earlier in Germany, where it was 1.8 euros per liter. A whooping 7x difference!
But the gas station had its own little adventure — turns out, they don’t accept cards at all. Only cards from local banks are accepted, and foreign ones are a no-go. I didn’t have much cash on me and wasn’t planning to spend it so quickly, so after a bit of back-and-forth with the gas attendant, I was told to wait for the manager. Luckily, the manager, may Allah bless him, turned out to be friendly, and after asking how much I had filled up, he just waved it off and let me go with a smile.
After that, I did manage to get to the Albohayra farm, although the northern road was in much worse condition than the southern one. On two out of three lanes, the asphalt was so bad that it was scary to cruise at 120 km/h. But I made it, and here I am at the “farm”.
I should probably take a moment to explain—I’m not sure why these places are called “farms,” but as I understood, they’re more like entertainment complexes. You can pick strawberries (if it’s the season), see some animals (a mini-zoo), look at flowers, eat, and there’s just so much more. Of course, they have some garden beds too. Unlike the closed southern places, here everything is open and very pleasantly organized.
The area is quite large, and they have everything. The entrance to just look around is free, but there are some areas with an extra charge: a mini-zoo and a “barn,” which differs from the “zoo” only in the size of the animals—here they had a camel and several alpacas. There’s also a covered greenhouse with farmer shops (you can buy fresh carrots, jams, honey, even cosmetics), which gradually transitions into a food court with burgers, kebabs, pizzerias, and everything else you could wish for. I was lucky enough to visit almost at sunset, so the fields were bathed in beautiful sunlight, and with the windmills and the phone booth “à la UK”, it was truly picturesque. So, I wandered around, saw the animals, and had a meal — I’d say it’s a great place, and they’ve really done a good job organizing leisure activities.
On the way back, I drove in the dark and crossed a giant bridge that spans the entire gulf. Probably, if there’s no smog or haze, the views would be much better, but visibility wasn’t great, and it’s hard to take photos while driving. Still, I don’t regret it, especially since it was only about 15 minutes off the main highway.
Before heading to the hotel, I decided to stop by a date shop I had marked on the map, but it turned out to be an entire date district — several dozen large stores, all selling various types of dates. I bought some for a snack.
December 24 - Small Sights of Kuwait
Today, I didn’t feel like driving too much, so I decided to check out the remaining small attractions. First thing in the morning, I went back to the Towers and bought a magnet, as it turned out there were no magnets anywhere else. On the way, I stopped at a gift shop looking for postcards, but had no luck. After that, I went to the mosque, this time at the right time, so they let me in and allowed me to walk around the grounds. It’s definitely monumental, but I was more impressed by the Syrian and Chechen mosques. Here, the size didn’t feel as striking, and aside from the huge colorful columns, there didn’t seem to be anything particularly special…
Next, I went to the Lego store, which was right next to the date shop I visited last night. It seems this wasn’t a fully “official” store, I mean, it was official, but the stamp was just “Lego certified store,” not the round one with the location specified… A bit confusing.
The hill is usually recommended for sunrise or sunset, but I went in the afternoon. Overall, it’s quite a noteworthy spot—high up, offering a good view of the surroundings… or at least it could have been, if it weren’t for the haze. One thing that did ruin the experience was the massive amount of garbage along the road. Even though Google calls this a “hiking area”, I’m not sure I’d want to hike here, so I limited myself to the view from the rocks. For some reason, a blog referred to it as Kazmah Cliffs, but I’ve never seen that name anywhere. All the signs and maps call it Mutla Hill/Views.
After the rocks, I returned to the capital and took a walk through Shaheed Park. If we believe the reports calling such places a “must-see,” it’s no surprise that Kuwait remains “boring”. The park is just a park—some art installations, a jogging track, a few monuments, and a museum (which should have been open but was closed). Honestly, if you have nothing else to do, it’s fine, but I definitely wouldn’t consider it a major city or even country attraction. While in the park, I discovered that there seems to be a free underground parking lot, but I parked on the street amidst a lot of other cars.
Finally, before my trip, I had read about the Winter Wonderland festival, and today was my last chance to visit it. But even getting in turned out to be a quest—tickets are only available via an app, which by default is in Arabic, and to register, you need a local (or German) number… but the confirmation code comes via WhatsApp! I had a German number, but no WhatsApp on it. Eventually, I was taken to the senior staff, who thought for a long time about what to do with me, and then contacted the admin, who pulled my code from their database. Instead of paying 5 dinars in-app, they let me in for 2 KWD in cash.
The entire “festival” consisted of a bunch of rides and food and coffee stalls—basically the same as “Tollwood”, but in profile. Though with an entrance fee and fewer people, the place wasn’t crowded. I had seen photos of ice sculptures and was hoping to see them, but the closest thing to “ice” was… an ice rink! And some plastic snow mounds at the exit, yep, haha 😂. While I was wandering around, the sun was setting, it was getting quite chilly outside, and I decided to head back to the hotel. I guess this will be “my Kuwait” — cold, with haze and birds on the lakes.
Since I hadn’t made it to the waterfront by the hotel in the morning, I went there now. From across the bay, there’s a view of part of the skyline, and you can see everything. Local families are sitting on benches and in the grass, having picnics (in the dark, with a view, yeah). A couple was walking by with a bag of cat food and feeding the cats, of which there seemed to be quite a lot. Maybe they’re so many because people keep feeding them? Coincidence? I don’t think so 🙂
December 25 - Road to the Airport
I had a flight to Saudi Arabia booked for 10:40 a.m., so I headed to the airport first thing in the morning and continued my exploration of the Kuwait Airport’s business lounges. But I had to spend more time exploring than I planned because my flight was delayed by a couple of hours. After that—read the continuation in my Saudi Arabia post =)
Summary of Kuwait
I got the car with 600 kilometers on the odometer and returned it with 1350 kilometers. So, I drove 750 kilometers across the country, from the border with Saudi Arabia to the border with Iraq.
In terms of finances, it turned out to be relatively expensive, key expenses:
- 370 euros for flights Munich-Istanbul-Kuwait (for New Year’s holidays!)
- 240 euros for the hotel in Kuwait for three nights.
- 140 euros for car rental with Hertz for three days.
- 40 KWD (~120 EUR) for food and groceries.
- 12 KWD (~36 EUR) for the visa, tower entry, and the mini-zoo at the farm.
I think I saw enough, as I had planned. But, for example, I couldn’t make it to the island, which is a shame. Do I agree with the claims I often saw in my trip preparation, like “Kuwait is the most boring country in the world”? I completely disagree. Yes, tourists are rare here, and there aren’t many “tourist attractions,” but it’s not like there’s absolutely nothing to see. Here’s a brief summary:
Kuwait City:
- Towers and the waterfront – a nice place for a walk, fresh air, and a beautiful view.
- Shaheed Park – a decent option for a walk if you don’t have a car. But if you have a car, there’s no need to go out of your way; there are more interesting places.
- Souk Al-Mubarakiya – a cool old district where you can get lost in narrow alleys and stroll through traditional market rows.
Nearby areas:
- Kazmah Cliffs / Mutla Hill – a trash-filled desert, and with the haze, the view is non-existent. Better not to go.
- Jahra Nature Reserve – the gem of Kuwait, an unusual local nature spot with water, flamingos, and many other birds. I definitely recommend it.
- Failaka Island – unfortunately, I couldn’t visit due to the absurd ferry schedule. It could have been an ideal half-day trip, I think. Staying overnight there seems a bit too much.
Farther areas:
- Albohayra Farm – an interesting half-day entertainment (maybe a full day if with the whole family), probably a very traditional Kuwaiti pastime. Unlike the southern farms, at least this one was open and operational.
- Farms in Al Wafrah and the “historical village” – you need to check the hours and days of operation. If you don’t come on weekends, there’s absolutely nothing to do in the entire village—just tumbleweeds.
Regarding the weather. You’ve probably heard that Kuwait is one of the hottest countries in the world, and in summer, it can reach around +50°C. Probably. But why would anyone go there in summer? During my December visit, my Kuwait actually felt cold, I would even say. It was around +19°C during the day and +9°C at night, which is definitely better than Germany at the same time, but still noticeably cooler than other countries in the Persian Gulf. Throughout my stay, I never felt the need to swap long pants for shorts, and I only took off my long-sleeved sweater during the day when the sun warmed it up a little. And there was barely any sun due to the constant haze/smog—I still didn’t figure out what it was.
…To be continued