Bahrain’s Tree of Life.

We have been hearing about the Tree of Life since we arrived in Bahrain over three years ago. We used to say that we were waiting for a visitor to come so we could enjoy it with them. But three years later, with our departure looming, it became apparent that we weren’t going to have any more visitors. So, we decided to just throw caution to the wind and go check it out ourselves.

I have to say, that I greatly appreciate that you can type in practically anything to Waze, and it can find it. The Tree of Life was no exception, even when we had to follow "Dirt Road”.

As there are essentially two seasons in Bahrain, you should note the differences in when you choose to visit. If you visit in the “fall/winter” months, you will get to see campsites and carnivals set up all around the tree. This is Bahrain’s version of desert camping. It’s not what we experienced in Egypt or Jordan, where we camped out under the stars in pristine deserts, but it’s what they have here.

In the “spring/summer” months (from what I’ve heard) it’s far less crowded. The tents are gone and there are far less people. But you have the HEAT!

Whenever you chose to visit, note that regardless of what season you choose, you will be surrounded by power lines and pipelines. They dot the desert everywhere here.

For our adventure, we chose to visit in February and timed it to catch the sunset. We also caught the crowds and the rows of campsites and the three-wheelers and motorcycles racing about. It was quite the party.

Here are the facts:

TripAdvisor listed it as #16 out of 42 things there are to do and see in Bahrain. Of course, they have the Avenues Mall as #6, so rank things as you see fit.

Why should you go see the tree of life? Well, to be blunt, it’s a large very old tree growing in the middle of the desert. But the mystery behind it is basically WHY is a large very old tree growing in the middle of the desert? How is it surviving? How is it thriving?

There are lots of theories - the God of water is feeding it, it’s the site of the Garden of Eden, or it has managed to tap into an underground spring that has kept it alive for over 400 years. I’m not sure which theory is more fantastical, but there’s truth there somewhere.

So, whether you choose to wait to share it with visitors, or you just grab the family and go, go check out the Tree of Life.