Yemen travel guide

It seems that most travellers to Yemen give the port city of Aden a miss. We're really not sure why. Sure it doesn't have the flash of San'a Old City, but who does? Aden has some of the best and most easily accessible beaches in the region (Elephant Bay), ancient cisterns which were a marvel of engineering (Tawila Tanks), a cool sea side fort (Seira fort) and even Zoroastrian ruins with amazing views over the town. All this placed in the dramatic setting of the belly of an extinct volcano. The best bit is most of the sights, sounds and excitement are all crammed in the crater making the city easy to negotiate on foot.

It is true that the architecture in Yemen can be quite stunning. Not to mention much of the geographic topography can be breathtaking as well. But when you manage to combine the two, it becomes otherworldly. The hilltop village of Kawkaban is like this. Only a short distance from the capital, San'a, Kawkaban could be done as a day trip, but then you will miss the sunrise and sunset that add further to the magic. Half of the town's buildings seem to teeter over the edge of the cliffs, fighting for amazing views over the valley floor below. To top it all off, the typical Yemeni hospitality make this place truly memorable.

The UNESCO list "Old Walled City of Shibam" is quite possibly the architectural highlight of Yemen. The 16th century fortified town is renowned for it's mud-brick skyscrapers, earning it the nickname "Manhattan of the Desert". One would assume that such a magnificent site would be inundated with tourists. But instead, due to difficulties getting there and a number of reported attacks on tourists, the site is all but deserted. All tourists must be accompanied by a (free) armed escort at all times when outside their hotel. This makes it a little difficult to mix with the generally friendly locals. But sitting on the hill as the last beams of sun reflect off the ancient town make it all worth while.

Yemen has long been a place of Islamic scholarly learning. And perhaps no place better exemplifies this than the dusty town of Zabid. With some disproportionate 80 mosques for the tiny town, it must certainly be in the running for most religious buildings per capita. Even today, there are several medressas attracting religious student from around the world. But for the average traveller, it is the old world markets, winding streets and magnificent carved brick walls that will leave you amazed. Sadly, the town is in danger of losing it's UNESCO listing due to "40% of its original houses have been replaced by concrete buildings". It is with great hope that the world will not lose this historic gem.

The icing cake buildings of the UNESCO listed "Old City of San'a" look almost good enough to eat. Wonderfully beautiful, each building has been pain-stakingly decorated as if in some ancient game of trying to beat the neighbours. Most fortunately, many of the building have been made into hotels, allowing for mush more than an outside glimpse. But the true glory comes from merely wandering around the labyrinth of streets. Some streets are occupied by a single old man whose face shows the history of the country, others overflow with shoppers in one of the best markets in the region. While it is rare to find beauty, history and life all in one place, San'a most certainly delivers all these more than any traveller could ever dream of.

Nothing compares to the Yemeni Island of Socotra. With 307 endemic plants and animal species, it is often called the "Galapagos of the Indian Ocean". It is an ecological paradise with a untapped, unspoilt raw natural beauty that will stun and amaze around every corner. From vast stretches of deserted beaches to massive cave systems to magnificent canyons to towering peaks, Socotra has it, and then some. And this is not a tropical paradise resort, this is bare bone commune with the Earth sort of place. Camping is the norm as your choice of waves or cricket sing you to sleep under a blanket of stars. Absolutely magical!!

The biggest surprise for many in Yemen is the lack of markets. Logic would dictate that being an ancient culture with a long history of trade there would have had to be some excellent bazars. But it's not until visiting the tiny town of Beit al-Faqi that travellers finally get their first taste of this. Without question, the Friday market in Beit al-Faqi is the best in the country. Although true, it is unlikely a traveller will find souvenirs, this is not what this market is about. This is not a tourist market, but pure and unadulterated Yemeni trading traditional. The sights, sound and smells combine into some sort for intoxicating concoction as you wander aimlessly past stall filled with who knows what.