Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TIHAMA (RED SEA COAST)
The flat and featureless Tihama is the chalk next to highland Yemen's mountainous cheese.
The contrasts are more than just geographical. With Africa being only a stone's throw
away, the flamboyant influence of that continent seems to be present everywhere. The
clothing is so bright that sunglasses are needed to look at it, the solid stone houses of the
mountains have turned into African-style mud-and-thatch huts, the weekly markets are
even more animated and the overall attitude is much more liberal. All in all, the final pack-
age is a fascinating contrast to the rest of the country - just don't attempt to explore it dur-
ing summer, when it becomes so hot that even the camels start dreaming about being polar
bears.
Throughout the worst of the troubles in 2011 the whole of the Tihama was, like virtually
everywhere in the country, closed to foreign tourists. At the time of writing the southern Ti-
hama (from Kamaran Island to Al-Makha) had just re-opened to tourists though for the mo-
ment very few foreigners have ventured back. North of Kamaran Island the security situ-
ation remains something of a question mark and travel permits were not being issued. We
were unable to conduct on-ground research for the Tihama for this edition and the informa-
tion contained here either dates from late 2009/early 2010 or has been researched remotely
via telephone and the internet.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Al-Hudayda
03 / POP 410,000
With its wide and clean streets, parks full of shady, snooze-enticing benches, pleasant pave-
ment cafes and a pedestrian-friendly seaside corniche, Al-Hudayda, capital of Tihama, is
one of Yemen's most European-flavoured cities and is an immensely popular spot for holi-
daying Yemenis. All this makes it an excellent base for further explorations of the Tihama.
