Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
will need a guide. It's best to explain to your guide how long and difficult you would like
to make your hike and let him suggest something suitable. One highly recommended route
is the three- to four-hour hike to the lookout point at
Bakour
. Longer hikes, over several
days, can also be organised and camping equipment supplied. Should you need them, don-
keys can also be hired. In general the countryside around Kawkaban consists primarily of
gentle plateaus interspersed with soaring peaks and the hiking is fairly easy, though this
also means that the scenery doesn't match places such as Manakhah. If the mere thought
of a hiking boot makes you puffed out, content yourself with a leisurely stroll through the
village to check out both the cisterns and the eagle-eye view off the edge of the escarp-
ment down to Shibam.
Sleeping & Eating
Hotel Jabal Kawkaban$
HOTEL
( 451427; r per person incl breakfast & dinner YR2000)
Simple dorm-style rooms full of soft cush-
ions and a warm welcome await. The manager is something of a one-man tourist office.
Kawkaban Hotel$
HOTEL
( 450154; fax 450855; s/d incl breakfast YR2000/2700)
It's real luck of the draw here as to whether
you get one of the dark and dastardly cell-like rooms or one of the spacious and comfort-
able double rooms. Either way the price remains fixed. Lunch costs an additional YR1000
and dinner YR800 each.
Hotel Al-Taj Tourism$
HOTEL
(Planet's Tower Hotel; 450170; r incl breakfast, lunch & dinner YR3000)
Slightly tatty rooms come with
larger than average bathrooms, a strangely forlorn atmosphere and a lobster and type-
writer on the wall!
Getting There & Away
From near the Grand Mosque in Shibam, there is a steep footpath leading 2.5km up to
Kawkaban.
Shared taxis use the circuitous 7km road to Shibam (YR150). For taxis further afield,
go to Shibam first.
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