Join one of our tours in Yemen and Socotra!
Considered a destination from a fairy tale by all travelers, Yemen is the Mecca for intrepid adventurers, the one destination that has always awed each and every visitor for its rawness and untouched culture combined with a jaw-dropping architecture and mesmerizing valleys.
Years of an unfortunate war, however, have isolated Yemen even more, making it a nearly impossible destination to reach.
Until now.
Against the Compass is finally offering group expeditions to the Yemeni mainland, more specifically, to the eastern region of Hadramut, home to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Shibam, among many other wonders.
Yemen is the most legendary Arab country.
Join our upcoming expedition to discover it!
Our scheduled group tours for Yemen and Socotra
As of today, the only region only one region of the Yemeni mainland can be visited: Hadramut.
You can visit Hadramut on a 6 or 7-day tour.
We will be adding the new destination of Socotra before the end of 2025.
Upcoming Yemen Tours
These are all our scheduled tours to Yemen
what travelers say about us
Need to know for your Yemen tour
How to get a visa?
You don’t need to visit the embassy but we can arrange everything for you online.
Which nationalities can join our Yemeni tours?
We can get a visa for all nationalities, including US citizens.
Sample itinerary for our Yemen tours
Here’s the standard 7-day tour we offer on most of our expeditions:
Day 1 – Arrival in Seiyun
- The flight from Cairo to Seiyun departs at 9:30 am, arriving in Yemen by 3 pm.
- If the flight departs on time, we’ll drive to a viewpoint to see Shibam over sunset. Then, we’ll have a welcome dinner and head to the bazaar to buy Yemeni clothes.
- Overnight in Seiyun.
Day 2 – Seiyun and Tarim
- Day 2 in the morning is a Friday, so it will be a bit quiet but still, we’ll first travel to Tarim, the center of Islamic Sufism in Yemen, and the city of 500 mosques, home to very nice buildings and shrines.
- We will have lunch and then, we’ll head for Seiyun, visiting the honey market (Yemeni honey is considered one of the best types of honey in the world) & jambiya shops (Yemeni dagger).
- Overnight in Seiyun
Day 3 – Shibam & Wadi Doa’n
- In the morning, we’ll go to Shibam, the Manhattan of the Desert, and do a proper visit inside the town, including climbing one of the buildings.
- Then, we’ll do a scenic drive to Wadi Doa’n, the most spectacular valley in Yemen, stopping in places like Al-Hajjrain, and Sif.
- After checking in at the hotel, if we have time, we’ll do a small trek to one of the nearby villages.
- Overnight in Haid Al-Jizil.
Day 4 – Full day in Wadi Doa’n
- After breakfast, we’ll drive to the end of the valley, to Ribad town, Osama Bin Laden’s family hometown, while stopping in different villages.
- Then, we’ll head back to Haid Al-Jizil to visit Buqshan village, home to staggering mud-made palaces.
- Overnight in Haid Al-Jizil
Day 5 – Mukhallah
- Easy morning, driving to the coastal city of Mukhallah, the capital of Hardamut and part of Al Qaeda territory from 2015 to 2016.
- We’ll check in at the hotel, followed by lunch in a seafood restaurant. Then, we’ll visit the old city of Mukallah.
- Overnight in Mukallah.
Day 6 – Drive to Al-Ghaydha
- If we start the day early, we will have the possibility of visiting the fish market of Mukhalla.
- Then, we’ll start our drive to Al-Ghayda, stopping in the fishermen’s villages of Sayhoot and Khiseet, lunch in Khiseet.
- After lunch, we can visit Qeshin Town, the town of Sultan Ben Afrar of Al-Mahra Governorate & Socotra Island.
- Dinner & overnight in Al-Ghaydha.
Day 7 – Border with Oman and Salalah
- After breakfast, travel to the border with Oman, at our own pace, stopping when necessary and wherever is interesting.
- We will cross the Oman border at Surfeet, arriving in Salalah around 3 pm. End of the tour.
Safety DISCLAIMER
Before joining a tour to Yemen, please read the information about the risks and dangers of the trip:
The traveler is expressly informed that the activities included in the travel itinerary are adventurous and/or take place in conflict zones, which entail dangers and imply the risk of physical, and psychological injuries, and/or death for the traveler.
Due to the characteristics of the destination and/or activities, the specific risks and dangers of the trip are, by way of example but not limited to, those listed below:
War; terrorism; political instability; arbitrary detentions, gunfire in the activity area; and/or violent crime.
Regarding the potential dangers of the destination, travelers are advised to consult the travel recommendations for the destination country provided by their country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For example, in the case of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), these recommendations can be accessed on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/yemen
FCDO advises against all travel to Yemen, and that includes the island of Socotra, due to the unpredictable security conditions and the lack of consular assistance.
