Is It Safe to Travel to Yemen in 2024?
Yemen is a diverse and stunningly beautiful country— green mountains, deserts, mud-brick villages, ancient ruins, and centuries-old traditions seep out of every street corner throughout this incredible country. But is it safe to travel to Yemen ? That’s one of the first questions on everyone’s mind when considering a trip to the country, and for good reason.
I’ve run over a dozen trips since 2019 when I first visited Yemen and I can speak a bit about the safety and security over there, how to help stay safe, and where it is generally okay to go. Please keep in mind, that this article is based on my personal experiences, not some form of official advice or seal of approval.
Is Yemen safe?
The Yemen civil war started in 2014, with regional actors and non-state actors very much part of the problem. The country has had a significant Al Qaeda presence, in fact, in 2015 Al Qaeda took and held the southern port city of Al Mukalla for 9 months. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is also responsible for several deadly acts of violence on tourists in Yemen.
Here is a selective list of tragic events where civilians and foreigners have suffered in Yemen. This highlights only a small part of the ongoing violence in the country.
2012
Unity Day Parade Rehearsal Bombing: A suicide bomber attacked a military parade rehearsal in Sana'a, killing around 90 soldiers and injuring more than 200 others. Many civilians were also present at the scene.
2013
Yemeni Hospital Attack: Militants attacked the Ministry of Defense compound in Sana'a, killing 56 people, including foreign medical staff from the Philippines, Germany, India, and Vietnam.
2016
Funeral Hall Airstrike: Saudi-led coalition airstrikes targeted a funeral hall in Sana'a, killing at least 155 people and injuring more than 500, mostly civilians.
2018
Dahyan Air Strike: A Saudi-led coalition airstrike hit a school bus in Saada, killing at least 40 children and injuring dozens more.
2020
Aden Airport Attack: Explosions rocked Aden airport as a plane carrying members of the newly formed government landed, killing at least 28 people and injuring over 100, including civilians and aid workers.
Yemen has clearly had problems assuring the safety and security of tourists, and terrorist groups have operated and do continue to operate in Yemen. Every Western government has strong travel warnings in place against travel to Yemen, and few insurance companies would cover your visit, let alone help with a possible extraction. So is it completely bonkers to consider visiting the country?
Not exactly.
While tourist visits are not exactly normal for the time being, with the exception of the semi-autonomous island of Socotra, travel to some regions within Yemen is possible with the help of a great team on the ground. I absolutely love working in Yemen, traveling in Yemen, and spending time listening to people’s stories in Yemen.
A crucial element to any visit to Yemen is having a guide and fixing team who know what they are doing, are extremely well-connected, know the local police and military in each region you visit, and have contingency plans in case things do not go as planned.
Work Only With Experienced and Trusted Local Fixers, Guides and Drivers
First off, having an experienced, trustworthy, and well-connected local fixing team is essential for travel in Mainland Yemen. Full stop.
These are the people who will be responsible for your safety and security, accommodation, transport, permits, paperwork, and visa. They are your first line of defense in the country.
If things go to hell, these are the people you must rely on to help you and protect you— don’t expect a foreign government to send some rescue squad to bust you out of a tricky situation in Yemen.
And don’t count on your insurance and rescue companies— being in a country with a pretty strong travel warning negates most of your coverage and even if it doesn’t, you can expect significant delays. Remember, even if your policy is valid, insurance is about financial reimbursement, not actually rescuing you should something happen.
I don’t have anything but positive things to say about my fixing team in Yemen. Kais Al-Qalisi and Wagdi Alawdi are true professionals, and beyond that, they have treated me like family. I feel safe, engaged, and well cared for. Kais is a pleasure to talk with, explore his country with and learn from. He’s worked in tourism, filmmaking, and journalism for the past eighteen years, so his network and experience are unmatched.
Kais phones the local police and military generals three times daily to assess the security situation according to our travel itinerary and would make changes at the drop of a hat if he sensed anything was risky or wrong.
We mostly slept in private apartments, which ensure privacy and security away from hotels, and at times we had an additional team member for security in a separate lead car. After having also done a good amount of traveling in Afghanistan, I can say his actions were highly professional, well-planned, and secure.
I also want to warn people about another agent named Abdulhameed from a company called Easy Yemen. I have now met four people who have traveled with his company and have had extremely negative experiences. He is notorious for creating forged documents, getting people into trouble, lying, passing on clients to others who are untrustworthy, and hiring drivers who physically molest women. I have personally had to help two separate groups of his clients in Yemen get away from him and this is not a country you want to have these kinds of problems in. The reviews are all over the internet.
Try to Blend in (Even a Little Bit Helps)
Wearing local clothing is an important part of keeping a low profile in Yemen. For women, it’s even more important to follow the Yemeni dress code. This means black abaya (body-covering loose black robe) and niqab (full-face veil with only the eyes visible). Regardless of your personal opinion on the abaya and niqab, this is how women in southern Yemen dress, and if you’re not prepared to follow suit I’d strongly re-think visiting Yemen during this time.
Yemeni woman wearing black abaya and niqab. Photo by Matt Reichel.
Muslim woman in Yemen. Photo from Wikipedia
As I was to learn from the women traveling with me, the zipper abayas offer a lot more “options” than the ones with snaps or buttons (zippers mean clothes underneath are kind of optional since the Abaya is essentially a onesie, but snaps and buttons leave gaping holes and you’ll have to wear a full outfit underneath).
You may see several types of niqabs on display in the abaya shops— some of the extra thin ones or mesh ones do not actually cover your face, rather they are for “indoor use with your husband” only I’ve been told. So, yeah, ladies, if you don’t want to be walking around town wearing these sexy bedroom-only niqabs, make sure your face is not visible through the niqab in a mirror in the shop.
For me— Yemeni men typically wear a fouta, which is a cloth man-skirt. They are not too hard to tie once you get the hang of it from a local and they come in all sorts of colors and patterns. Most are locally made and the designs are pretty cool. I’ve been using mine as a light blanket these days, but it was easy enough to get around in it throughout Yemen. Additionally, many men will also wear a kind of headscarf as well and locals can teach you how to tie it.
Yemeni men wearing fouta. Photo by Matt Reichel.
Organize Your Communications
For trips to “high-risk” destinations, I normally make sure to do two things immediately before and during my travels. First, I make sure I have a contact point back home who knows generally where I am and can relay information if need be, and second, I make sure to have a way to communicate with someone at all times.
Purchasing a local SIM card is not difficult in Yemen, and most places have pretty good cell connectivity, including internet access across the mobile network. However, it can take some time for your Yemeni SIM to be activated (a day or two) and not all foreign SIMs work on the Yemeni network (but many, perhaps surprisingly, do work without a problem). Having a local SIM is a great idea and an affordable way to stay in touch. Always be sure to have the numbers of your local contacts on your phone as well.
Another device I always carry on these kinds of trips is my Garmin InReach+. This is a satellite communicator and can send text messages, emails, and Facebook messages from anywhere outdoors. All you need is a clear line from the device to the sky and this thing works. While I’ve never had to use it for safety purposes in a “high-risk” country, it’s definitely a comfort to have with you. And be sure to keep this thing in your day pack or on your belt, not stashed away in your luggage somewhere.
Understand Regional Security and Border Zones
Knowing which parts of the country are safe for travel plays an important role in your travels to Yemen. Getting regular safety and security reports from the ground in Yemen is extremely valuable— as these reports can pull sources from the Yemeni police, local contacts, the UAE and Saudi military forces, etc.
At the time of wiring (2024) the following regions were stable and had a favorable security situation:
Al Mahrah Governorate— This region bordering Oman is one of the safest and most stable in Mainland Yemen. The regional capital of Al Ghaydah is quite safe, but general precautions should be followed.
Hadhramaut Governorate— The Hadhramaut is mostly safe with some possible exceptions, as some of the more remote regions within Hadhramaut should be fully investigated and confirmed before travel; however, areas like Tarim, Seiyun, Shibam, Wadi Doan, and Al Mukalla are generally okay. Be sure to check the situation in Al Mukalla, Shibam, and Wadi Doan before travel.
Socotra Island— Socotra is a semi-autonomous island several hundred kilometers off the coast of Mainland Yemen. Socotra is very safe and secure, and there is a significant UAE and Saudi military and humanitarian aid presence on the island.
Aden— the city itself has been relatively secure, given it is the de facto capital of the Southern Transitional Council government. However, travel outside of the city is not recommended in any direction. Therefore, Aden may only be visited safely by flying in and out.
A quick note about Houthi territory— since the war broke out, the Houthi rebel movement has controlled much of northern Yemen, including Sana’a, Ta’iz, and Ibb. Their territory is considered a military operational zone, and unless you receive explicit written permission from the Houthis, they do not welcome tourists within Houthi-controlled zones.
Attempting to sneak into Sana’a or anywhere else in their territory is foolish, and if you’re caught (and there’s a good chance you’d be caught), you may face significant and intense interrogation or worse. Don’t try it.
It’s also worth mentioning that these days AQAP has a presence largely concentrated in Abyan and Al Bayda’, as well as some remote parts of southwestern Marib and Shabwah Governorates. These areas should definitely be avoided.
Have an Emergency Extraction Plan Should Things Go Awry
So what happens when you have to get out of Yemen? What happens if you lose your passport and your embassy is not currently operational in the country (hint: guard it carefully)? There are a lot of things to consider when visiting Yemen, and knowing how to get out is very important.
As of July 2024, the airports in Seiyun and Aden are viable exit points, as there are many international flights to Cairo and Jeddah per week. Having a contact in Cairo or Jeddah who can pick you up from the border to help with tickets and transport is definitely useful.
Also, it's not a bad idea to carry a second or duplicate passport. And if you do, keep it separate from your normal passport. If you’re a dual citizen, that’s definitely a plus, as you can already carry multiple passports, which is something I do.
If you are not a dual citizen (or even if you are— I typically carry 3-4 valid passports at a time), depending on your country of nationality you may be able to apply for a duplicate passport to carry with you in case of an emergency.
I know Canadians can do this if the purpose of travel is work-related, and the duplicate passport is valid for only 2 years (mine has a note in it that it cannot be extended). Americans can get duplicate passports upon application quite easily, and they are valid for 4 years. Many EU nationals are also able to get duplicate passports as well.
I also always recommend checking the Yemen Conflict Observatory - ACLED for current situations before making any plans so you can see how safe it is right now. You can choose a date range and apply an events filter. Here is an example:
Yemen Conflict Observatory map for Yemen from 06/01/2024 to 07/12/2024
Book your trip to Yemen
Safest Regions to Visit in Yemen
Al Mahrah
Al Mahrah is Yemen’s easternmost governorate (like a province), bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia. Historically and culturally, Al Mahrah has more in common with the Archipelago of Socotra and Oman’s Dhofar region than the rest of Yemen. Before joining the Protectorate of South Arabia (which later became part of South Yemen along with the Federation of South Arabia), Al Mahrah had its own semi-independent sultanate that also included Socotra.
Al Mahrah is one of the safest regions of Mainland Yemen to visit these days, as it is under stable control by the Hady Government, and has a significant UAE and Saudi military presence. Forgetting politics for a sec, the result has been a greatly improved security situation.
The fishing village of Hawf, Yemen.
Coastal Mahrah
Nowadays you can’t travel to Yemen through the Oman border. But before that, I went through the Omani border at Surfait. The first town you enter in Yemen is Hawf, a small fishing village with white sand beaches, its fair share of plastic litter, and a few currency exchange offices and local provision shops.
It’s not a bad idea to exchange some cash here, or in the main city of Al Mahrah, Al Ghaydah, as having local currency is needed for most transactions.
From Hawf, the drive continues along the stunning Arabian Sea coastline towards the dusty city of Al Ghaydah. Local fishermen can be seen going about their daily life and it’s an easy two-hour drive to the city.
Al Ghaydah itself has most of the feels of a border city— lots of wholesale shops, a bustling souq (market), litter-filled streets, half-finished buildings, and plenty of traffic. Many people arrived here from other parts of Yemen during the war and lots have decided to stay. Being a border town, there is a degree of prosperity in Al Ghaydah, but overall it’s a pretty unattractive city. The central souq is definitely worth a wander, especially when all the shops come alive after dark.
Al Ghaydah is also a great place to purchase local clothing— I strongly recommend dressing local— it’s both appreciated and will keep you safer by drawing less attention, especially for women.
Dressing locally will also help get you through roadblocks, as you’ll want to blend in as much as possible in the car to avoid long checks and paperwork reviews. I don’t exactly “blend in” in Yemen— meaning I cannot really pass as a local— but on numerous occasions, I was told to put on a turban and take a sip of water as we passed through military roadblocks to avoid our car from being stopped.
This is less because getting stopped would be a problem, and more because sometimes roadblock checks can take a long time (the longest I experienced was about 40 minutes, but I met two American women who were held up for 5 hours by the UAE army at a checkpoint).
Camping out in Yemen’s Empty Quarter Desert.
Yemeni Empty Quarter
Al Mahrah is a great place to explore the Yemeni side of the Rub Al Khali— the Empty Quarter desert. As you travel north in Al Mahrah, the beaches lead to stone mountains, which in turn give way to sand and scrub desert. Here, Mahri bedouins raise their camels and goats in relative isolation.
They still speak to each other in Mehri, an ancient South Arabian language, and live a traditional life with their camels, tribal territories, Bedouin tents, small towns, and goats. With the right connections, it’s possible to really get into this area and explore.
I got to stay with a Mahri Bedouin family on the land for two days near the tri-border between Yemen, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.
The house was divided into men's and women’s areas and they had a bedouin tent pitched in their yard, just like their tent in the desert near their camel pen. We slept in our gender-segregated areas of the house, and while I was not allowed into the women’s section, the girls I was traveling with had a great time with the women that evening.
We bid farewell to the family and then set off along the desert highway to Hadhramaut, passing by a few dusty trucker towns along the way. The coastal road is nicer and goes to Al Mukalla, but slower, whereas the desert road leads directly to Tarim and Seiyun.
Sunset over Shibam at the viewpoint.
Hadhramaut
Hadhramaut is the cultural heart and soul of South Arabia. Historically, the Hadhramaut region includes pretty much all of the eastern half of Yemen, much beyond the borders of the Hadhramaut Governorate, which is today Yemen’s largest province.
The people of the region are referred to as Hadhramis, and they mostly live in densely built mud-brick towns within the valleys, centered along traditional watering stations and semi-fertile valley basins. Hadhrami society is still tribal (as is much of Yemen), they have an old Seyyid aristocracy— meaning people descended from the prophet Muhammed— and the town of Tarim has the highest density of claimed descendants of the Prophet than any other place in the world.
Hadhramis are by and large strict in their Islamic observance— the Hadhramaut is considered to be the most religious part of Yemen— they value education, and their influential diaspora can be found along maritime trading routes as far as the east African coast all the way to India and Indonesia.
Hadhramaut is a fascinating region to explore, but much more so than Al Mahrah, you have to be especially vigilant here. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has carried out attacks here against both government forces as well as tourists, and some of the remote parts of the province may still have a small AQAP presence (although most AQAP have been pushed out into rural areas of Shabwa, Abyan, Baydah and Marib).
The largest town in the Hadhramaut is Al Mukalla, a large port city on the Arabian Sea. When I first traveled to Hadhramaut in October 2019 it was still a bit too dangerous to visit Mukalla, so I drove through the area and continued north into the heart of the province. It is worth noting Al Qaeda held the city for over 9 months back in 2015.
Moving along to the most interesting parts of the Hadhramaut— the numerous valley towns of Wadi Doan and Wadi Hadhramaut (the namesake of the region). Nestled into the table-top Hadhramaut Mountains, semi-fertile valleys have been carved out by ancient rivers and streams, and the locals made their villages along the bottoms of these narrow valleys using local materials. Besides power lines and satellite dishes, not too much has changed from times past in these fabled valleys.
The town of Hajrain in Wadi Dawan.
Wadi Dawan
Wadi Dawan is my favorite of the valleys. Stretching tens of kilometers along a mostly evaporated riverbed, Wadi Dawan is simply spectacular and it’s easy to spend a couple of days enjoying the region.
The mostly empty Hayd Al-Jazeel Resort makes a good base for exploring the valley and tributary valleys. The resort itself is perched upon the top of the canyon and has sweeping views over Haid al-Jazil and nearby villages. It’s a beautiful, secluded, safe spot to unwind and soak in the beauty of Wadi Dawan.
As we drove down into Wadi Dawan from Seiyun, the first jaw-dropping mud town was Hajrain (the villages are all picturesque, but Hajrain is really beautiful). We decided to stop and walk around for a while, seeing as how the sun was low and the light beautifully golden.
While most of Wadi Dawan and the surrounding valleys should be visited by car for safety, there are two short hikes (three hours each) you can take from nearby the Hayd Al-Jazeel Resort down into the valley, one to Haid al-Jazil village and the other to the town of Hufa. Hufa itself is a fascinating town to visit, with mixed architecture and impressive mud buildings built snugly against the sandstone cliffs of the valley.
As Wadi Dawan is still not completely safe to travel at night, we’d return to the hotel just before sunset to enjoy dinner and some relaxation together overlooking the valley below. Haid al-Jazill is a nice break and stress reliever to gather your thoughts, do some reflection, journaling, meditation or yoga, whatever you please. It’s a beautiful property with its own little museum of artifacts, and wonderful picnic areas overlooking the valley (not to mention a pool). There’s a good chance you’ll have the entire hotel to yourself.
Curious locals look at the tourists in the ancient town of Shibam.
Wadi Hadhramaut
Continuing north from Wadi Dawan, you intersect Wadi Hadhramaut— the biggest of the valleys— running mostly east-west.
Wadi Hadhramaut is home to the UNESCO World Heritage village of Shibam, in addition to the Sufi religious study centers of Tarim and Einat, and of course Seiyun, the largest city in the region and home to Seiyun International Airport (one of the few airports still functioning in Yemen).
Seiyun itself does not have much in terms of places to visit, but if you need to pick up any supplies, do some shopping, exchange money, and check out restaurants, Seiyun is perfect for that. Seiyun is also a useful transit spot since the city has one of Yemen’s last remaining commercial airports, you can fly from here to Socotra Island (on Wednesdays) or to Cairo, Egypt.
Seiyun is also the jumping-off spot for a visit to Shibam. Shibam is, at least somewhat understandably, one of the main reasons people want to visit Hadhramaut.
The town is a remarkably well-preserved walled town of tightly constructed mud skyscrapers. It’s been dubbed the “Manhattan of the Desert” and while the highest building is about eleven stories, that’s an impressive feat considering everything has been built with mud bricks and wooden beams from the valley.
Shibam itself is a UNESCO World Heritage site, having earned the designation in 1982 and was subsequently added to the “cultural heritage at risk” list in 2015. The town has not fully escaped the war and due to its natural tourist draw, has been the target of several extremist attacks carried out by AQAP, including a suicide bombing in 2007 at a viewpoint that killed several South Korean tourists. In 2015 AQAP attempted to take over Shibam and detonated a car full of explosives at a checkpoint leading into the town but were thankfully repelled by Arab coalition forces.
All this being said Shibam is spectacular, but you should definitely be extremely aware of your surroundings when visiting and ideally travel with an armed guard. Wandering around the cobbled streets of Shibam is amazing, and you can experience bits of local life around every corner. The city is also full of goats and cats— goats are kept in many of the homes on the ground floors and they graze just outside the city walls.
If lucky, you can catch herds of goats being watched over or led around by local Hadhrami women wearing traditional conical straw hats. They look like witches in hats and black abayas and niqabs— but they most definitely do not like to be photographed, they will yell and throw rocks at you if you try.
We then hurried back down through the village to our waiting car and continued off to our private accommodation in Seiyun where we’d spend our last night chewing qat and smoking shisha together before catching an early morning flight to Socotra the next day.
Students and teachers pose for a photo in Sif, Wadi Dawan.
The Socotra Archipelago
The Socotra Archipelago, located off Yemen’s southern coast and close to the Horn of Africa, is one of the most intriguing places on the planet. It is incredibly biodiverse, and 37 percent of its plant species and 90 percent of its reptile species are not found anywhere else in the world.
The archipelago is home to white-sand beaches and craggy mountains populated with dragon blood trees, an endemic species with a distinctive shape reminiscent of inside-out umbrellas. Visiting Socotra is like stepping into another world, where natural beauty, unique wildlife, and rich culture create an unforgettable travel experience.
The archipelago’s main island is inhabited by roughly 70,000 people, which works out to about 18 people per square kilometer, so its natural environment is mostly untamed. This makes it an excellent spot for hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities.
Although the Socotra Archipelago is politically part of Yemen, it is in some ways a world unto itself and has remained mostly unaffected by the conflict on the mainland. If you’re interested in making a trip, check out Engage Socotra to book a trip.
Like most of the places on this list, the Socotra Archipelago is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and considering it’s the safest part of Yemen, I highly recommend visiting it. Learn more about Socotra.
Arher Beach, Socotra.
Dragon Blood Tree under the starry night sky at Diksam Plateau, Socotra
Conclusion
Yemen is undoubtedly a beautiful place to visit, boasting ancient historical sites, and a rich and diverse culture with distinct traditions, music, dance, and cuisine. The country offers stunning landscapes, from Socotra Island, renowned for its unique flora and fauna, to the beautiful coastal areas along the Red Sea and Arabian Sea.
But is it safe to travel to Yemen? Travel to Yemen comes with significant challenges and risks due to the ongoing conflict and security concerns.
While no one can guarantee your safety, proper preparation and the assistance of experienced and trusted local fixers, guides, and drivers can help minimize risks. Alternatively, you might consider visiting Socotra, which is the safest part of Yemen and one of the most unique places on Earth due to its endemic plants and species. If you have any questions or need further information, feel free to ask in the comments section below or email us. I'd be more than happy to help with what I can.
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