A visit to Al Areen Wildlife Park and Reserve Bahrain

I’m constantly on the look out for places and events, that could serve as a learning experience for my son. So when my parents came over last year, we all set out to visit this much popular place in Bahrain named Al Areen Wildlife Park.

Located in Al Markh and spread across 7 square kilometres, Al Areen Wildlife Park and Reserve was established in 1976, and became the first Arab initiative for the preservation of endangered wildlife. The national park is home to over 82 species of birds, 25 species of plants and 45 species of mammals.

Best time to visit– Oct to Jan

Opening hours– 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (extends upto 6.00 pm during winters)

Ticket price– 1 BD for 3 yrs and above, Free for 2 yrs and below (Update- rates may change during seasonal time. 2 BD per person in Dec 2021)

Food and shopping– Available at the entrance. One small shop for souvenirs.

Buggy ride– 10 BD for 4 people

So after a brief stop at the ticket and refreshment area, we entered the campus and right away spotted a beautiful pond with Pelicans in it. They were calmly swimming in circles, around a fountain, ducking in and out of the water, as though trying to grab a bite.

As we walked ahead, we spotted different species of ducks walking in groups, near the garden.

To visit the inner campus, Al Areen offers bus tours on an hourly basis, which comes with a presentation (in Arabic and English) of the different species and their environment. We hired a buggy, however and were lucky enough to get a closer look and enough time to stop and observe the animals.

We were first greeted by the African antelope- Addax and then some Asian Gazelles. Then came something that really caught our attention- the largest birds on earth- the mighty ostriches!

I have never seem them before and here was one right in the middle of the road, walking free, with his head held high. It was really huge and I almost felt threatened!

With much courage, I managed to capture a picture of his friends, who were sitting in a group, away from the road.

We also met some caged Langurs on the way. One monkey, a Popa Langur is fondly known as Lulu and interacts with visitors in the friendliest way.

The Bird Oasis

Our next stop was the Bird Oasis, which was like a habitat in itself and had ducks, geese, swans, peacocks, crowned cranes, frogs, different kinds of fowls, and the beautiful flamingos, all in one compound.

It was a nice place to explore, and as we walked amongst these amazing creatures, I marveled at the ease at which they seemed to coexist.

We hit the road again and passed the Ibex, different varieties of gazelles, Nilgai and some more antelopes. The buggy ride ended here and we were asked to walk to the wild animals complex to complete our tour.

Wild Animals Complex

The wild animals complex had multiple glass cages, whose inhabitants comprised of the Indian leopard, black panther, bears, cheetah, hyenas, racoons, lion, jackals, giraffes, zebras and a chimpanzee. Most of the animals seemed quite bored in their limited environment.

The chimpanzee though, gave us quite a show. It seemed to like kids and would put up a funny performance, as soon as one came near him.

When we stepped out of this complex, we came across more cages near the kids park area that had various species of vultures, eagles and the Ibis. Although it was beautiful to get the opportunity to see these mostly huge and magnanimous creatures (the birds and the animals we saw before), we felt sorry for them too. They all seemed lost and lonely in their restricted areas.

We also spotted a camel farm, further ahead and some emus as well. I had heard quite a bit about the camel rides here, but the weather unfortunately was not in our favor.

Dark clouds slowly encompassed the park, followed by lightening and thunder. The silent complex instantly turned alive and the sleeping lion we were visiting, suddenly jumped to his feet and roared with full strength.

All of us stood there, stunned and filled with awe as we looked at each other and smiled.

The experience had indeed turned magical and though we couldn’t finish exploring the whole park, this visit will definitely remain a memorable one.

Updated in December 2021

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