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Socotra (
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Haraz Mountains (
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Jabal Bura (
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Kamaran Island (
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Daily Costs
Basic living costs in Yemen are low. A simple meal in a cheap local cafe can be had for
US$2 to US$3 or double that at a posher restaurant. Budget hotels are US$10to US$15;
mid-range hotels average US$20 to US$40. Bus travel is cheap.
What sends the cost of living right up is the fact that at present, due to the unstable se-
curity situation, you can only travel in Yemen as part of an organised tour for which
you're looking at a minimum of US$100 per day - often more.
IS YEMEN SAFE?
The first question on the mind of every visitor to Yemen is almost certainly: 'is it safe?'. The simple answer, as of
April 2013, is No. Since the political demonstrations of 2010 Yemen has been virtually at war with itself. At one
point much of the country was completely out of central government hands and there was heavy fighting
throughout Yemen including in the capital, Sanaʻa. Today things are better, but far from perfect. A degree of se-
curity has returned to Sanaʻa, parts of the nearby mountain areas, the island of Socotra and one or two other areas,
and the first brave tourists are starting to return. However, in early 2013 Yemen was still considered highly dan-
gerous and Lonely Planet does not recommend travelling there given the unstable security situation. For more in-
formation,
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.
On the Ground Research
Due to the highly dangerous security situation throughout Yemen we were unable to conduct on-the-ground re-
search anywhere in the country. This chapter is a combination of information dating back to 2010, and remotely
researched information obtained via the telephone and internet in 2012. For Sanaʻa, around Sanaʻa and parts of
the Haraz Mountains, on the ground research was conducted by a Yemeni tour company.
