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 yr and I had the most effective Yemini meals there. You may assume Yemen is totally unsafe. You may assume that it’s inconceivable 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 give attention to the Hadramout governate.
Be a part of me on this go to to Yemen and I’m positive you wish to journey to Yemen as nicely. Except you do not need journey or exit of your consolation zone. You want an open thoughts. I cannot cowl political concepts right here however simply what Yemen has to supply for a traveller and what to anticipate. One factor is certain: I used to be shocked by its magnificence and the hospitality of the Yemeni individuals.
How one can plan a visit to Yemen
Travelling to Yemen solo is feasible. This implies and not using a group, however you want a neighborhood company to rearrange a automotive 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 advisable, 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 the best way 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’d have a day buffer. I flew in from Amsterdam with EgyptAir. I booked an inexpensive award ticked with my Aegean Miles & Bonus miles. The perfect 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 try my High 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 outdated terminal and a bit chaotic. I assumed 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 easy means. Lastly, the aircraft departed about 25 minutes late. The flight to Seiyun takes 3-3.5 hours. About an hour within the flight a sizzling meal was served by the pleasant workers. Fairly commonplace: 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 move by. Simply earlier than touchdown I used to be fortunate to have a fowl’s eye view of Shibam, a UNESCO World Heritage Web site. It was a easy flight total.
On arrival in Seiyun immigration was easy however took a little bit of time. Attempt to deplane quick and be in entrance of the queues. Sure, two queues as man and girls go individually. First cease checks when you’ve got the visa paper and safety clearance. They then do one thing on a pc and scan the printed copies. At that time I acquired a bit confused as there have been 2 extra counters however on the similar time the, I believe, man answerable for every part 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 had been taken and cease three was the ultimate visa stamp into the passport. All the things collectively took most likely 20 minutes. Baggage was quick and the motive force picked me up and we had been on our method 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 a tremendous lodge in an outdated heritage conventional Yemen complicated. Verify the Hawta Palace Lodge web site for extra data. After some kebab and Yemeni espresso, I went to mattress early as a result of the subsequent day could be a protracted drive east.
Day 2 Yemen itinerary: Eastwards looking Tombs & Shrines
Wadi Hadramout is filled with vital tombs and shrines of prophets and students of the Islam. At this time 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 historic 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 stored 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 yearly involves life when pilgrims come for celebrations. Pilgrims from all all over the world go to, even after 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 outdoors of Tarim in Aynat to see the Sufi scholar shrines. Tarim city is the Sufi Islamic historic heart. It’s residence to the attractive 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 residence 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’d be on time in Seiyun for the annual occasion Al-Houl. It’s devoted to the Sufi scholar Habib Ali Alhabshi. Individuals 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 a sudden in the course of native celebrations. After all of the teams handed by I visited the Seiyun souk and purchased some Yemen gold. Yemen gold is pure honey. Make it possible for somebody who is aware of about it helps you purchase it, so that you get the most effective. It isn’t low-cost although however so good. As I used to be drained, I made a decision to simply 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 past, however the museum was closed. This wasn’t an issue as a result of there was time right this moment, 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 outdated photographs of Yemen. A small but informative museum which you shouldn’t miss. It was round 10AM after we lastly headed to, for my part, 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 a tremendous distinctive place.
Shibam is a singular 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 picket beams are used to construct these homes. Vehicles can get in by way of the principle gate, however you’ll solely be capable of drive as much as the mosque and the principle sq.. The alleys have to be explored on foot which you’ll cowl all of them in 2 hours.
If you happen to stroll the alleys, you’ll discover loads of goats. They stay on the bottom flooring of most of the buildings. After I arrived, the goats had been the one residing beings I noticed in Shibam, however this modified. I acquired invited to see the inside of one of many homes. They’re vibrant and never sandy as the surface! Every flooring has just a few 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 outdoors within the alleys the entire metropolis got here to life as a result of it was lunch time. All of the sudden there have been youngsters taking part in, retailers opened and girls coming again with the goats from outdoors town. These Hadhrami ladies put on pointy hats which is an fascinating sight. All this actually gave a superb impression of the life in Shibam.
Sure, there’s a viewpoint for Shibam on the different facet 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 could final many hours extra. I didn’t expertise any delays with a most of 10 minutes at one navy checkpoint.
Driving by way of Wadi Do’an there have been just a few photograph stops of Sif cities of which essentially the most fascinating 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 after I arrived simply earlier than sundown on the Haid Al-Jizil Resort Lodge. After a scrumptious oven hen, I went by way of a few of the photographs of the previous days, related to residence for an replace and went to mattress early as the subsequent day could be a protracted 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 ordinary 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 all the way down to Hawfah village. On the prime you may 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 photograph stops it took about 80 minutes to succeed in Hawfah village.
Hawfah village is a good looking small mud brick village constructed on the base of the cliffs of Wadi Do’an. Strolling by way of the village you’ll get a superb 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 good looking coloured palace owned by a wealthy household. The household now lives in Saudi Arabia however returns yearly they usually 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 most likely have heard of. Their household house is in Al-Rubat, and I used to be in a position to go to it travelling solo. Giant teams may entice the eye of individuals with unhealthy intentions. Though it’s deserted it was fascinating 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 this moment. Earlier than heading again to the lodge for lunch there have been just a few extra photograph 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 ravishing view.
After lunch and an hour having fun with the infinity swimming pool it was time for a final drive by way of Wadi Do’an. Different cities I visited embody 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 hen for dinner on the lodge. They solely serve this due to the shortage of tourism nowadays. As soon as this modifications they are going to have a full-service restaurant once more. They was once 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: Highway journey again from Wadi Do’an to Seiyun
After breakfast it was time to depart Haid Al-Jizil lodge at round 08:30AM. It could be a 3–4-hour drive again to Seiyun if there have been no delays at checkpoints. I believe I mentioned “cease” to the motive force about 20 instances to {photograph} extra villages, native life, and simply stunning panoramas. Once more, every part went easily, so I had just a few hours on the Hawta Palace Lodge pool after lunch. I had lunch in probably the greatest 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 very least as soon as.
After pool time it was time to go again to Shibam for the magical sundown at the most effective viewpoint. It’s positioned midway up the cliff reverse Shibam. The entire sandy riverbed was full of children taking part in soccer, Hadrami ladies coming again with goats once more, simply many individuals getting back from work. It was largely empty the opposite day, however within the late afternoon the entire valley acquired crowded. I watched the sundown, made a big gigapixel panorama photograph, and simply admired Shibam. This was most likely essentially the most memorable expertise in Yemen. It’s the actual 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 possibility for a flight from Seiyun to Cairo I had no alternative. I survived.
Day 6: The tip of this Yemen highway 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 in fact. It was only a brief experience from the Hawta Palace Lodge to the airport. I assumed it could be chaotic on the airport, however every part went very easy. There are a number of passport and safety checks, however they’re quick and environment friendly. It was nonetheless earlier than 5AM after I was in ready space for the aircraft to reach. The flight again was easy as nicely.
Yemen actually shocked me. I went in with an open thoughts, but it surely was simply superb. Having seen so many locations it typically occurs that locations are “regular”, however Yemen actually is completely different. The pleasant individuals, its historic websites, nature, and every part on the whole is a superb expertise. I’d have cherished to remain longer and discover the north of Yemen. This space from Aden to Sana’a nevertheless isn’t secure now. I have to return quickly for a second go to as soon as doable.
I hope this Yemen itinerary journey report evokes you to go as nicely. Plan nicely and you’ll have a tremendous time.
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