Yemen Travel

How to Get a Tourist Visa to Yemen:

in January 2010, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Yemen announced that they will no longer be issuing visas on arrival to the country. A report released by the Ministry stated that in an effort to fight terrorism and strengthen security measures to prevent the infiltration of terrorist elements into the country, the granting of visas at airports to foreigners will be cancelled .That has left many individuals confused – they are keen to visit Yemen yet unsure of how to get a tourist visa to the country. There are several ways this can be done, one of which involves the embassies abroad in the individuals’ residential countries. These Yemeni embassies can issue tourist visas for whoever applies which is then procedurally followed up by a standard security check. Some other embassies may ask you to bring special documents such as an invitation from Yemen or a “no-objection entry paper” stamped by the Ministry of the Interior .

These methods are tried and true and can prove beneficial for many visitors but what about those that just can’t make it to a nearest Yemeni embassy? Do they miss out on the wonders of Yemen? The short answer is no! The simplest yet safest method to gain a tourist visa to Yemen is through a friendly travel agent.

Applying for a Tourist Visa :

will issue a tourist visa for their clients wishing to take advantage of complete tour packages that typically include accommodation for the period of stay in Yemen, a tour guide and itinerary for the sightseeing and tourist attractions around the country. Furthermore,  is committed to making sure that their clients will depart Yemen safely at the end of their tour.

Important notice:- 

Those staying in Yemen for more than two weeks , must register at the nearest police station during no later than 14 days from date of arrival , otherwise ,a penalty fine of  YR5000 will be charged at their departure from Yemen. This applies for all non-Yemeni national  including Arabs .

Tourism :

God the Almighty has singled out Yemen with varied terrain depicting a beautiful and comprehensive picture and natural map its visitor including plains, high mountains, basins and fertile valleys as well as  hills, highlands, beaches, desert,  and climate with diverse coastal , desert and mountainous characteristics. This land and climate diversity led to cultural diversity included the social habits of people ,their clothing, heritage them popular, In addition to the diversity of antiquarian  output of each region resulting from the long period of history and civilization down time; This renders Yemen  a unique and peculiar country by virtue of  the things it possesses more than many countries.

Tourism in Yemen is a promising sector, since Yemen is the cradle of civilizations and Yemen possesses a variety of varied tourist natural factors of history, ruins, the cultural heritage, and natural fundamentals that make it a tourist landmark. This is evidenced by the diversity of architecture, which makes it provide wonderful architectural models unparalleled in the world. Its possession of a diverse coastal strip is another evidence. There are very magnificent places for recreation and Scuba diving  since this beach lies along two seas : the Arab Sea and the Red Sea . Yemen also possesses islands and archipelagos endowed with the nature dazzling features.   

By Plane :

Air access to Sana'a International Airport (SAH) (15 km from the city center) is available with The following airlines serve Sanaa International Airport:

·         Emirates Airlines  From Dubai

·         Aribian Air lines  Sharjah 

·         Turkish airlines  from Istanbul

·         Royal jordonian  from Amman

·         Qataria Air Lines  from Doha

·         Saudi Airl Liens From Jeddah and Riyadh

·         Lufthansa from Frankfurt

·         Gulf Airlines from Bahrain

·         Egyptian Air  from Cairo

When To Go 

A good time to visit Yemen is from October to April. However, since Yemen has many different terrains, including mountains and coastal areas, the climate varies from region to region. In the higher altitude areas, the weather can get very cold, especially at night. The weather here is very warm during the summer months, but gets cooler from October to March. On the coast, the weather is very hot and dusty for most of the year, making it an ideal destination for water sports and nature exploration. Overall, there is very little rainfall and very high temperatures in most of the country, making it easy to visit any time of year .

Yemen Events and Entertainment

Yemen being a relatively poor and a small country does not have too many events for entertainment to its visitors. However, there are a few of them. Some of the important public holidays in Yemen are National Unity (22 May), 1962 Revolution Day (26 September), 1964Revolution Day (14 October) andIndependence Day (30 November).Eid al-Adha, a four-day long festival, is the most important festival in the Yemenis culture and it is celebrated with much faith and enthusiasm. The festival is celebrated according to the Lunar Calendar.

Eid-al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, is another auspicious celebration in the country which is marked by offering prayers, following rituals, donating food and clothes etc. Both these festivals should be avoided if planning a trip to Yemen.