Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
vice from Marina Crescent (next to Starbucks). You need to book ahead and must arrive at
least 45 minutes before departure.
Getting There & Away
St, Salmiya)
Ferries to Failaka Island depart from Ras Salmiya (also known as Ras al-Ard).
The trip takes one hour, costs KD3 and leaves daily except Saturday at 8.15am, returning
at 12.30pm. A guide would be handy for interpreting the various ruins. If you take your
own vehicle it costs KD20 (rental car KD37) for the return fare. The ferry terminal in
Kuwait City can be reached via buses 15, 24 and 34.
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Fahaheel
POP 100,000
The traditional town of Fahaheel was, until quite recently, a distinct village in its own
right. It now merges into the city suburbs but retains a distinctive atmosphere, reminiscent
of its Bedouin roots. The fish souq and dhow harbour are more characterful, in many
ways, than their modern counterparts in the city centre. The oil refinery at neighbouring
Mina al-Ahmadi is one of the largest in the world.
The Hilton Kuwait Resort is just north of here.
Buses 40, 101, 102 and 502 run to Fahaheel. The town can be reached by car on the Fa-
haheel Expressway, 39km from the city centre.
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Al-Ahmadi
POP 742,011
Built to house the workers of Kuwait's oil industry in the 1940s and '50s, the town of Al-
Ahmadi, close to Fahaheel, was named after the emir of the day, Sheikh Ahmed. It re-
mains, to some extent, the private preserve of the Kuwait Oil Compnay (KOC). There are
some pleasant public gardens and performances in English at the Kuwait Little Theatre.
The
Oil Display Centre
(
is a
2386 7703;
www.kockw.com
; Mid 5th St;
7am-3pm Sun-Thu)
well-organised introduction to KOC and the business of oil production.
