Jemen Information

The magic of a journey to Yemen lies within the originality of the country and its inhabitants.

Of course this originality means an adventurous encounter. This means that that sudden changes, e.g. politically or in climate may occur during your stay. Please be aware that these changes have to be accepted.
 
 

As A Guest In Yemen...

...you will enjoy a friendly welcome wherever you go in the country, especially as a European tourist. But in interest of a trouble-free holiday please keep these advices in mind:

1. Adequate wardrobe: Light, cotton-made clothes like long, comfortable skirts or trousers, casual shirts or blouses (please avoid sleeveless clothes) are recommended. Please be sure to pack warm clothes as well since teperatures outside the warm coast-areas might drop to 0°C at night. There is no general need for female tourists to wear a veil. But we recommend to pack a light square of cloth since it is required inside every mosque.
2. Please avoid drinking alcohol in public.
3. Please ask for permission before photographing citizens. Taking pictures of local women is a taboo as well as photographing military facilities or employees.
4. Please avoid any discussion about religion.

All you need to set off into your holidays is a travelling-passport which should have a validity of at least six months and a visa.
You are not allowed to enter the country if your passport features an Israelian record.
 
 
 

Visa

There are two ways of obtaining a valid visa:
 
1. Via contacting the embassy of the republic of Yemen in your home-country. Please apply for your visa at least four weeks before departure.

Embassy of Yemen in Germany Budapester Str. 37 D-10787 Berlin Tel.: (030) 897 30 50 Fax: (030) 89 73 05 62 E-Mail: info@botschaft-jemen.de oder konsulat@botschaft-jemen.de Internet: http://www.botschaft-jemen.de Business hours: Mon-Fri 08.30-16.00 Consulate in Frankfurt/Main Tel: (069) 952 24 80)	Embassy of Yemen in Austria Wasagasse 6/10 A-1090 Wien Tel.: (01) 503 29 30 Fax: (01) 505 31 59 E-Mail: yemenembassy.vienna@aon.at Business hours: Mon-Thu 09.00-15.30, Fri 09.00-14.00
Embassy of Yemen in Switzerland 19 Chemin du Jonc CH-1216 Cointrin Tel.: (022) 799 05 10 Fax: (022) 798 04 65 E-Mail: mission.yemen@ties.itu.int Öffnungszeiten: Mo-Fr 09.00-17.30 Uhr	Embassy of Yemen in United Kingdom 57 Cromwell Road SW7 2ED London Tel: +020 7584 6607 Fax: +020 7589 3350

2. It is also possible to get a visa right after your arrival at Sanaa airport which is more comfortable. Costs are the same whichever way you prefer. In order to recieve your visa a travelling-confirmation is required which we will send to you right after booking.
 
Back to top
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tourist Traffic

The country is easy accessable via Yemen Airways. There is a regular non-stop commute between London/Frankfurt and Sanaa. Tourists from Austria or Switzerland are offered alternative routes via Frankfurt, Stuttgart or Munich. In average the flight-time from London to Sanaa is about eight hours. Frankfurt - Sanaa takes a little over seven hours, Vienna - Sanaa about nine and a half and Zurich - Sanaa about nine hours.
 
Back to top
 
 
 
 
 
 

Foreign Exchange

Prices for everyday-utilities and food are much lower than in Europe. We recommend to bring cash-money with you (ideally EURO in 50 and 100 banknotes) since encashing Travelers Cheques or using a credit-card might be difficult in some areas of the country. Exchanging funds is possible in all larger cities, please get in touch with our guides about the current exchange-rates. The current rate is
 
1 Euro = 230.537 Yemen Rial
1 Yemen Rial = 0.004338 Euro (08/2006)
 
Back to top
 
 
 
 
 
 

Climate

Temparatures are very enjoyable all over the year. But it is from October to February when the climate is probably the best of the year. The coastlines feature warm and comfortable weather all over the year and even in the deserted areas you will not need to struggle: Since the air there is very dry even the higher temperatures can be enjoyed by Europeans.
 
Back to top
 
 
 
 
 
 

Electricity

Voltage in Yemen is 220 V, 50-60 Hz. Short blackouts may occur. We recommend to bring power point adaptors.
 
Back to top
 
 
 
 
 
 

Food

The local food is excellent and rich in varieties. Lots of traditional restaurants offer delicacies from different regions from fresh meat over the freshest bread to especially tasty vegetables.
 
Back to top
 
 
 
 
 
 

Funduk

The Arabian word "Funduk" describes accommodation. Various places to stay are on offer from simple and clean hotels with shared rooms up to one-five-star hotels in the larger cities.
 
Back to top
 
 
 
 
 
 

Vaccinations

There are currently no warnings about any diseases which require a vaccination. We recommend to check back with your general practitioner.
 
Back to top
 
 
 
 
 
 

Communication

All larger cities feature internet-cafés, the voice-network (stationary and mobile) are fully developed. Yemeni prepaid-accounts are on sale starting from 7.000 Rial. European mobiles have good reception all over the country.
 
Back to top
 
 
 
 
 
 

Business Hours

Public bureaus, banks or the post-offices are closed on Thursday afternoon and on Friday due to the Islamic weekend. Shops are open from ca. 08.00 until 20.00. During Ramadan these times may vary and public life mainly begins in the afternoon and goes far past midnight. Bureaus and banks are opened from 10.00 to 15.00 in this part of the year.
 
Back to top
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tourist Season

It is recommended to see the country's south, Sokotra and Tihama from August to April. The mountain-area is enjoyable all over the year.
 
Back to top
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tips

Tips are considered as appreciation for good service (our guides will gladly help you orientating when it comes to tips). It is a common convention to give a small tip to your driver as well as your guides.
 
Back to top
 
 
 
 
 
 

Time

The republic of Yemen applies Arabian standard time: GMT + 3h.
 
Back to top