Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
details of your return journey home (date of departure, flight etc).
Take wads of photocopies of the permit (around seven or eight per day of travel), as
you'll have to dish them out at the checkpoints across the country.
If you significantly change your itinerary, you should inform the tourist police and/or
the travel agency within 24 hours. Alternatively, obtain another permit from the nearest
major police station. If it's just a minor change, you won't have any problems.
Note that if you are only flying around Yemen (and not using overland transport), you
do not need travel permits.
You should not attempt to visit closed areas. Fortunately, the police turn back the occa-
sional foolhardy visitor long before they can put themselves and other people into serious
danger, by trying to visit a closed area.
Police Escorts
At the time of writing, it was compulsory to take a police escort everywhere in Yemen ex-
cept Sana'a and Socotra (including while just walking around any towns). Again, your
tour company will organise this.
WOMEN TRAVELLERS
Yemen's attitude towards and treatment of foreign (and local) women is more relaxed than
its neighbour, Saudi Arabia, although things do seem to be becoming more conservative.
Female tourists can drive rented or private vehicles, and do not have to wear head cover-
ings although in all areas head covering is advised, if only as a gesture of respect (some
readers have reported stone-throwing, spitting and glares from local women and children
when not dressed 'appropriately'). Conservative dress is expected. Female toilets can be
hard to find, but many restaurants have 'family rooms' with toilet facilities.
Getting There & Away
AIR
Most international traffic arrives and departs from
Sanaʻa International Airport
(
http://sanaa.airport-
authority.com
)
.
Not many airlines outside the Middle East now serve Yemen. A few airlines,
particularly from Middle Eastern countries, also use Aden. Since 2010 both these airports
have been subjected to last minute closures for security reasons.
dozens of destinations across the Middle East, Europe (including Paris and Rome), Africa
and Asia. Yemenia has a reasonable safety record (see
www.airsafe.com
for details), al-
though in 2009 one of its planes crashed en route to the Comoros Islands, resulting in the
deaths of 152 people. Yemenia flights sometimes experience delays or cancellations (par-
