ALONG THE FRANKINCENSE ROUTE INTO THE FORMER PDRY
We offer bespoke Yemen Tours for private travel parties and lone wolves alike. As a traveller-oriented boutique operator, tailored trips and bespoke adventures are our bread and butter. Get in touch for more info on our customised journeys to Yemen!
DAY 1 – Seiyun
Meet-and-greet at Seiyun International Airport (thrice-weekly flights from Cairo) and introductory briefing about the region, the route and the set of rules to observe while travelling in Yemen.
Time permitting, the rest of the day will be devoted to a slow-paced sightseeing around Seiyun, a laid-back Yemeni town located in the middle of the legendary Hadhramaut Valley.
Overnight in Seiyun.
DAY 2 – TARIM
Full-day excursion to the pre-Islamic city of Tarim – widely regarded as the theological, juridical, and academic centre of the Hadhramaut Valley – and visit to the ancient shrines in the nearby town of Einat.
In the late afternoon we’ll then head back to Seiyun to enjoy a leisurely stroll around the old town crowned by a traditional Yemenite dinner in the company of our guides.
Overnight in Seiyun.
DAY 3 TO DAY 4 - SHIBAM
Transfer to Shibam, a magnificent historical city known as the Manhattan of the Desert because of its vertigo-inducing mud skyscrapers.
From Shibam we’ll head further west across Wadi Dawan, a spectacular dale that used to be the drawcard of the local tourism industry back in the heydays of the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen, more prosaically known as South Yemen, the only Soviet-aligned country in the Arabian Peninsula.
We’ll spend two days in the area visiting the mountain town of Al Hajrain, the kaleidoscopic architecture of Bait Bugshan, and the naturally fortified village of Haid Al-Jizil.
Overnights in Haid Al-Jizil.
DAY 5 - Hadhramaut
Today we will slowly head back towards Seiyun stopping in a few traditional Hadhramauti villages along the way.
Late-afternoon arrival in Seiyun and evening photo tour of the town’s awe-striking architectural highlights.
Overnight in Seiyun.
DAY 6 - Farewell to Yemen
After sharing a final Yemenite meal together, we'll take care of your transfer to Seiyun International Airport.
End of the tour.
DAY 1 — Hadiboh
Meet-and-greet at Hadiboh International Airport and transfer to our hotel of choice in Hadiboh, the capital of Socotra.
The best connection to Socotra is the weekly flight from Abu-Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. We offer a free-of-charge booking service for all flights to/from Socotra. Please contact us to learn more about your options.
Hadiboh walking tour and visit to two major natural attractions located in close proximity to the town: Ayhaft Canyon, an Eden-like green wadi besprinkled with crystal-clear freshwater pools, and Delisha Beach, a pristine strip of sand plunging into the blue waters of the Indian Ocean.
Dinner and overnight in Hadiboh.
DAY 2 to DAY 7 — Socotra
We’ll spend the next six days exploring the many natural and cultural wonders of Socotra, one of the last untouched paradises left on our spoiled planet: pristine white-sand beaches, otherworldly landscapes dotted with alien natural forms (such as the endemic Dragon’s Blood Trees), paradisiac blue lagoons, impervious rocky cliffs, deep wadis covered with lush vegetation, coral reefs full of thriving marine life, stunning plateaus and impressive cave systems.
The list of attractions you will visit with us in Socotra includes (but is not limited to): Dihamri Marine Protected Area, Diksam Plateau, Qalansiyah Beach, Homhil National Park, Fermahin Forest, Hoq Cave, Haggier Mountains, Shu’ab Beach, Durhur Canyon, Zahek Dunes.
During our time on the island, we’ll also have the unique chance to meet with Socotri fishermen, herders and village dwellers alike, who will share with us their food, their home and the mystic secrets of their culture.
Being this a Soviet Tours trip, we will also go hunting for the few USSR’s remnants scattered around the island: from 1967 to 1990, Socotra was, namely, part of the South Yemen aka the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, which was a Marxist–Leninist one-party state supported by the Soviet Union (in fact, the only communist state on the Arabic Peninsula). To protect the island from any potential invasion from the mainland, the USSR installed several dozen old and rusty T-34 tanks (from the heroic days of the Great Patriotic War), along the island’s northern coast.
Meals and overnights in different rural locations across Socotra.
DAY 8 — Farewell to Paradise
Transfer to Hadiboh International Airport for your flight back home.
If you are fit enough you can also prolong your stay in Socotra and undertake the challenging but extremely rewarding trip to the outer islets of the Socotran Archipelago, namely Abd al Kuri and Samhah; please contact us to learn more about this option.
End of the tour.
