On this final information to go to Yemen mainland (Hadramout Governate) I put collectively a Yemen itinerary and present you all of the locations of curiosity and extra. I made a decision to go after I visited Djibouti earlier the identical 12 months and I had the very best Yemini meals there. You may suppose Yemen is totally unsafe. You may suppose that it’s unattainable to go to mainland Yemen however solely Socotra Island. That is all not true. On the time of writing the south (which is definitely the east) of Yemen, Hadramout Governate round Seiyun, is secure to go to. It’s additionally the situation of Shibam which is dubbed the Manhattan of the Center East and a UNESCO World Heritage Web site. This Yemen itinerary has a deal with the Hadramout governate.
Be part of me on this go to to Yemen and I’m certain you need to journey to Yemen as nicely. Except you don’t want journey or exit of your consolation zone. You want an open thoughts. I can’t cowl political concepts right here however simply what Yemen has to supply for a traveller and what to anticipate. One factor is bound: I used to be shocked by its magnificence and the hospitality of the Yemeni individuals.
How you can plan a visit to Yemen
Travelling to Yemen solo is feasible. This implies with no group, however you want a neighborhood company to rearrange a automobile with driver and information. You additionally want an company to rearrange all of the formalities. I used Kais from Yemen Touring Company who is very really useful, answered all my questions and effectively organized my journey to Yemen. Contact me for his WhatsApp quantity. I’ll cowl all of the specifics on tips on how to plan a visit to Yemen in a separate article.
Yemen itinerary pre-arrival day: Arriving to Cairo
A visit to Yemen isn’t like an everyday journey round Europe and it wants a number of planning. To keep away from my positioning flight messing up my schedule I opted to reach a day early in Cairo in order that I might have a day buffer. I flew in from Amsterdam with EgyptAir. I booked an affordable award ticked with my Aegean Miles & Bonus miles. One of the best Star Alliance program. I stayed on the Meridien Lodge Cairo Airport which I used earlier than. I simply stayed on the lodge all day working however if you wish to exit a day take a look at my Prime Day Journeys from Cairo article.
Day 1 Yemen itinerary: Flight from Caïro to Seiyun & Yemen immigration
Yemenia (Yemen Airways) makes use of terminal 1 at Cairo Airport which is the previous terminal and a bit chaotic. I believed it made sense to be there 2 hours earlier than the flight, however this resulted in me ready for 1.5 hours with nothing to do. There are 3 x-ray scans earlier than you board and the final one is on the gate. It went chaotic in a clean approach. Lastly, the airplane departed about 25 minutes late. The flight to Seiyun takes 3-3.5 hours. About an hour within the flight a scorching meal was served by the pleasant workers. Fairly customary: Rice with meat, some veggies, bread, and a small cake. Many of the flight is over the empty quarter, though simply countless desert, I loved trying down and see it go by. Simply earlier than touchdown I used to be fortunate to have a chicken’s eye view of Shibam, a UNESCO World Heritage Web site. It was a clean flight general.
On arrival in Seiyun immigration was clean however took a little bit of time. Attempt to deplane quick and be in entrance of the queues. Sure, two queues as man and ladies go individually. First cease checks when you have the visa paper and safety clearance. They then do one thing on a pc and scan the printed copies. At that time I received a bit confused as there have been 2 extra counters however on the identical time the, I feel, man in command of all the things got here to me “are you Mr. from Hollandi”. Then, he put me in entrance of all others. At cease two a photograph and fingerprints have been taken and cease three was the ultimate visa stamp into the passport. The whole lot collectively took in all probability 20 minutes. Baggage was quick and the driving force picked me up and we have been on our solution to Seiyun.
It was late afternoon, and I had a little bit of time left to purchase native garments earlier than checking in on the Hawta Palace Lodge. It’s an incredible lodge in an previous heritage conventional Yemen complicated. Examine the Hawta Palace Lodge web site for extra info. After some kebab and Yemeni espresso, I went to mattress early as a result of the following day could be an extended drive east.
Day 2 Yemen itinerary: Eastwards searching Tombs & Shrines
Wadi Hadramout is filled with vital tombs and shrines of prophets and students of the Islam. At present we’ll discover these, and the place to begin is the tomb of Hud (pronounce hood) about 2 hours drive east from Seiyun. Hud was a prophet in historical Arabia and talked about within the Quran. He was a peasant of the Advert individuals however when these individuals began to worship different gods Hud saved praying to the one true God. God then turned him right into a Prophet. The tomb is within the Hadramout valley. It’s a small white constructing with contained in the tomb of Hud. There’s a small city on the base of the mountain which annually involves life when pilgrims come for celebrations. Pilgrims from all world wide go to, even once I was there a big group from South East Asia was there as nicely. After an hour it was time to drive to Tarim. However first a cease for a scrumptious Yemeni lunch with stewed camel meat and rather more.
After lunch it was a brief drive to Tarim with a brief cease simply exterior of Tarim in Aynat to see the Sufi scholar shrines. Tarim city is the Sufi Islamic historic heart. It’s dwelling to the gorgeous Al-Midar mosque and it’s hanging white mud-brick Minaret which is the tallest of Yemen. The city is constructed from mud bricks which is widespread all through Yemen. I wandered round city for about 40 minutes however sadly the market wasn’t opened but once more after noon’s break. After Tarim I visited Al-Hosaisa which is dwelling to the shrines of two Sufi students each referred to as Ahmed. A big mosque of the identical title is positioned on the base of the mountain.
It was a little bit of a rush in Tarim and Aynat in order that I might be on time in Seiyun for the annual occasion Al-Houl. It’s devoted to the Sufi scholar Habib Ali Alhabshi. Folks from varied cities collect in a procession and I used to be fortunate to see it. I really like such surprises that you’re all of the sudden in the midst of native celebrations. After all of the teams handed by I visited the Seiyun souk and acquired some Yemen gold. Yemen gold is pure honey. Ensure that somebody who is aware of about it helps you purchase it, so that you get the very best. It isn’t low cost although however so good. As I used to be drained, I made a decision to only have some Kebab for dinner on the lodge. So many impressions already this primary day to course of so I went to mattress early.
Day 3 Yemen itinerary: Seiyun to Wadi Do’an with Shibam as spotlight
The precise concept was to go to the Sultan Al-Kathiri Palace the day gone by, however the museum was closed. This wasn’t an issue as a result of there was time right now, I simply needed to get up an hour earlier. Not so my factor however I needed to see the museum. The Sultan Al-Kathiri Palace homes a small archaeological museum, a customs museum, and a photograph gallery with previous photographs of Yemen. A small but informative museum which you shouldn’t miss. It was round 10AM once we lastly headed to, in my view, the spotlight of the journey: Shibam Hadramout, the Manhattan of Arabia. Shibam is a UNESCO World Heritage Web site since 1982 and I now know why: It’s an incredible distinctive place.
Shibam is a novel metropolis in Wadi Hadramout because it’s fully constructed from mud bricks as much as eleven tales excessive. These skyscrapers home round 7000 individuals and are constructed very shut to one another. The entire metropolis is surrounded by a wall. It’s superb to see that simply mud and wood beams are used to construct these homes. Automobiles can get in by the primary gate, however you’ll solely have the ability to drive as much as the mosque and the primary sq.. The alleys have to be explored on foot which you’ll be able to cowl all of them in 2 hours.
For those who stroll the alleys, you’ll discover loads of goats. They stay on the bottom flooring of most of the buildings. Once I arrived, the goats have been the one residing beings I noticed in Shibam, however this modified. I received invited to see the inside of one of many homes. They’re vibrant and never sandy as the skin! Every flooring has a number of rooms for the varied households residing collectively. The highest flooring typically is for the newlyweds which transfer down as soon as one other couple marries. As soon as again exterior within the alleys the entire metropolis got here to life as a result of it was lunch time. Abruptly there have been youngsters taking part in, outlets opened and ladies coming again with the goats from exterior the town. These Hadhrami girls put on pointy hats which is an attention-grabbing sight. All this actually gave an excellent impression of the life in Shibam.
Sure, there’s a viewpoint for Shibam on the different aspect of the valley. Scroll to day 5 for the Shibam sundown, it’s magical! After a small lunch it was time to drive to Wadi Do’an which is a 3-hour drive away but when checkpoints cease you this may final many hours extra. I didn’t expertise any delays with a most of 10 minutes at one army checkpoint.
Driving by Wadi Do’an there have been a number of picture stops of Sif cities of which essentially the most attention-grabbing was Al-Haijrain. A metropolis constructed across the tip of a mountain. On day 4 there could be rather more time to discover these cities and villages. It was round 5PM once I arrived simply earlier than sundown on the Haid Al-Jizil Resort Lodge. After a scrumptious oven rooster, I went by a few of the photographs of the previous days, linked to dwelling for an replace and went to mattress early as the following day could be an extended one.
Day 4 Yemen itinerary: A day in Wadi Do’an
The sundown from the Haid Al-Jizil Lodge have to be magical when the solar lights up Wadi Do’an and Haid Al-Jizil city which is constructed on prime of a rock. I say “have to be” as I’m not a morning particular person so I skipped this. After my typical breakfast (eggs, Yemini bread, inexperienced chili, and low) it was time for a hike from the mountain city into Wadi Do’an. The 1-hour lengthy stunning trek begins a couple of minutes’ drive from the lodge and takes you right down to Hawfah village. On the prime you’ll be able to see only a little bit of the valley under and the extra you stroll down the extra the valley opens with superb views. With the numerous picture stops it took about 80 minutes to succeed in Hawfah village.
Hawfah village is a lovely small mud brick village constructed on the base of the cliffs of Wadi Do’an. Strolling by the village you’ll get an excellent impression of how the individuals spend their time in the course of the day. From Hawfah village we drove a couple of minutes to Buqshan village to admire the Buqshan Palace. This palace, and one other subsequent to it, is a lovely coloured palace owned by a wealthy household. The household now lives in Saudi Arabia however returns annually and so they care for the village and people round.
Wadi Do’an could be very affluent and wealthy as a result of many profitable enterprise households going again a few years. Many now stay elsewhere, for instance in Saudi Arabia. One household, the Bin Laden household, you in all probability have heard of. Their household house is in Al-Rubat, and I used to be in a position to go to it travelling solo. Massive teams may appeal to the eye of individuals with unhealthy intentions. Though it’s deserted it was attention-grabbing to see. Will I be in one of many spy-satellite images now? Locals even invited me to come back to their home for lunch, however I needed to politely decline that as extra was on this system right now. Earlier than heading again to the lodge for lunch there have been a number of extra picture stops together with Rehab city. This mud brick metropolis, which can be constructed on the base of the sandstone cliffs is surrounded by fields of inexperienced palm timber. A gorgeous view.
After lunch and an hour having fun with the infinity swimming pool it was time for a final drive by Wadi Do’an. Different cities I visited embrace in no explicit order Al-Khuraiba, Haid Al-Jizil, Qarn Majed and some others. Within the night it was time, but once more, for a scrumptious oven rooster for dinner on the lodge. They solely serve this due to the dearth of tourism today. As soon as this modifications they may have a full-service restaurant once more. They was absolutely booked all year long, and I hope this quickly modifications once more as a result of the world is superb.
Day 5 Yemen itinerary: Street journey again from Wadi Do’an to Seiyun
After breakfast it was time to depart Haid Al-Jizil lodge at round 08:30AM. It might be a 3–4-hour drive again to Seiyun if there have been no delays at checkpoints. I feel I mentioned “cease” to the driving force about 20 occasions to {photograph} extra villages, native life, and simply stunning panoramas. Once more, all the things went easily, so I had a number of hours on the Hawta Palace Lodge pool after lunch. I had lunch in among the best eating places in Seiyun and eventually was in a position to style Saltah. It’s a dish from North Yemen however I needed to attempt it at the least as soon as.
After pool time it was time to go again to Shibam for the magical sundown at the very best viewpoint. It’s positioned midway up the cliff reverse Shibam. The entire sandy riverbed was full of children taking part in soccer, Hadrami girls coming again with goats once more, simply many individuals getting back from work. It was principally empty the opposite day, however within the late afternoon the entire valley received crowded. I watched the sundown, made a big gigapixel panorama picture, and simply admired Shibam. This was in all probability essentially the most memorable expertise in Yemen. It’s the true magical Arabia.
After sundown, it was a 15-minute drive again to the Hawta Palace Lodge for dinner. I went to mattress early as a result of I needed to rise up at 3AM to depart at 4AM to the airport. It’s one thing I attempt to keep away from in any respect prices however with only one choice for a flight from Seiyun to Cairo I had no selection. I survived.
Day 6: The top of this Yemen street journey itinerary
Each journey has and finish and so did my journey to Yemen. The flight to Cairo is at 07:00AM which meant I needed to wake-up already at 03:00AM which is one thing I actually hate. However I survived that after all. It was only a brief journey from the Hawta Palace Lodge to the airport. I believed it will be chaotic on the airport, however all the things went very clean. There are a number of passport and safety checks, however they’re quick and environment friendly. It was nonetheless earlier than 5AM once I was in ready space for the airplane to reach. The flight again was clean as nicely.
Yemen actually shocked me. I went in with an open thoughts, however it was simply superb. Having seen so many locations it typically occurs that locations are “regular”, however Yemen actually is totally different. The pleasant individuals, its historic websites, nature, and all the things generally is a good expertise. I might have liked to remain longer and discover the north of Yemen. This space from Aden to Sana’a nonetheless isn’t secure now. I have to return quickly for a second go to as soon as potential.
I hope this Yemen itinerary journey report conjures up you to go as nicely. Plan nicely and you’ll have an incredible time.
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