Bahrain is a small Gulf nation that most people know nothing about. Its only two real claims to fame are that Michael Jackson once lived there and there’s a Formula 1 Grand Prix held there each April. Otherwise, it’s the little brother to every other new Gulf nation more or less. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a very rich country and has been preposterously overbuilt but it just doesn’t have the star power of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha or even Kuwait. However, a day in Bahrain is worthwhile.
I arrived into Bahrain via my ship, the Azamara Journey. I was to have a day in Bahrain to get caught up on all that’s changed in the last 9 years or so since my last visit. There have been many changes. In fact, it’s kind of ridiculous.
I went back and looked at my photos from my trip to Bahrain 9 years ago. It’s literally a different place. I remember there was a ton of construction when I was there last and now it’s pretty much all built up. In fact they reclaimed land from the sea and turned it into luxury apartments, office buildings and malls. You wouldn’t even know it ever looked any different.
Of course many of the buildings aren’t near capacity and much of it is for show especially to compete with Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, etc. Regardless, it’s impressive-especially the World Trade Center (above).
So what do you do with a day in Bahrain? I wasn’t really sure to be honest so I decided to take a tour of the Formula 1 track and do an off road Land Rover obstacle course. It might sound confusing but it was actually really cool-hopefully you saw my Snapchat when I was there!
The Formula 1 Grand Prix really announced Bahrain to most of the world back in 2004. It’s really the only reason many people have heard of it and it put Bahrain on the map. The track is still top notch and the views from the tower were fantastic.
It was a decent tour as we got to see the tower, media center, welcome center and even go where the King sits. But there was no action so it was just a tour. The real action came from the Land Rover experience.
To be honest, I thought I was going dune bashing when I signed up for this tour and was a little annoyed when I found out it wasn’t. However, it more than made up for it. We rode in 2017 Land Rovers with unreal suspension systems and went through a military grade obstacle course that was both fun and thrilling.
Our driver was the only female Arab who has a license to do this in the entire Middle East so that was pretty cool. Plus she was super nice and a lot of fun as driver. We went over all kinds of uneven surfaces; sand and even deep water and the Rover kept going. I had never seen or heard of such a thing so it was a cool, new experience. I don’t get those too often so they’re always welcomed!
I also took a night tour of Bahrain to see the city at night. I was honestly a little disappointed by the buildings, as they really weren’t lit up that nicely. However, the Grand Mosque and Bahrain Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, looked awesome at night!
This was easily the highlight of the tour and probably the day. The fort is gorgeous day or night but at night it really shines-especially with the glow of the city behind it. Walking around the fort, moat and perimeter is a fun way to spend an hour or so.
So that’s how I spent a day in Bahrain. It was a nice day for sure but I won’t be rushing to get back to Bahrain anytime soon. They’re supposed to have excellent nightlife. Citizens of neighboring Saudi Arabia and Qatar come in to play on the weekends if that’s your thing. Maybe next time for me!
Disclaimer: I have a business relationship with Azamara Club Cruises and receive financial compensation. Everything was written and experienced by me and has not been influenced in any way.
I found Bahrain a strange place. The oil money is a lot less than neighboring countries, in fact they rely on other nations to feed them oil I believe. How do they have the cash to build up how they have done in recent years?
Hi Claude, it’s my understanding that they get a significant amount of oil from Qatar but mainly Saudi through a pipeline they share. I was told they refine the oil into crude and that gives them the cash they need to stay afloat with the neighboring wealthy countries in terms of oil. However, Bahrain is a banking haven and that’s how they make the majority of their money. Once Lebanon became too dangerous back 30 years ago, the banks moved to Bahrain and have never left. Hope that answers your question.
Great fort pics. That’s really all I liked about Bahrain.
The fort is the best thing to see in Bahrain for sure I agree. However, the city itself is cool, although it looks like the other Gulf cities. As I said, I liked the Land Rover thing but in terms of sites, the fort is the only real draw to be honest.
Great, that palce is looking so beautiful and it have so many good things to enjoy. Amazing experience you shared and stunning photos you shared.