Asia
Yemen
Ancient Arabia's living wonder: gingerbread tower-houses, the alien flora of Socotra, and millennia of history. A dream for a safer future.
- Currency
- Yemeni Rial (YER)
- Language
- Arabic
- Best time
- October – March
FCDO advises against all travel to Yemen
See which areas are affected
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — the definitive source. Check it close to your travel dates.
Flight cancelled or delayed because of this? Your rights under UK261 / EU261 →
Why Yemen
Ancient Arabia's living wonder: gingerbread tower-houses, the alien flora of Socotra, and millennia of history. A dream for a safer future.
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Yemen is one of the oldest inhabited lands on earth, a place of gingerbread tower-houses, walled desert cities and the extraordinary, otherworldly island of Socotra with its dragon's blood trees.
Its heritage is staggering: the mud-brick skyscrapers of Shibam, the ancient medina of Sana'a and terraced highlands that have been farmed for millennia. This is Arabia at its most authentic and untouched.
An important note: Yemen is affected by ongoing conflict and is not currently safe for general tourism. We share its wonders to inspire a future visit, when peace and stability return to this remarkable land.
Yemen in pictures
Cities and regions worth your time
4 destinations in Yemen — pick a base or link them into a route.
Tap a type to filter the list and the map — tap it again or “All” to see everything.
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Sana'a
CapitalOne of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on Earth — a fairy-tale skyline of gingerbread tower-houses.
about 2 days
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Socotra
A remote Arabian Sea archipelago where alien dragon blood trees and 825 endemic species earn it the title 'Galápagos of the Indian Ocean'.
7–10 days (5–7 nights on-island)
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Walled City of Shibam
The 'Manhattan of the Desert' — a walled Yemeni town of soaring mudbrick tower-houses rising from the valley floor.
about 1 day
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Zabid
A whitewashed Yemeni town that was once a great seat of Islamic learning, its old university among the oldest in the world.
about 1 day
All our Yemen guides
- Sana'a capital
- Socotra island
- Walled City of Shibam
- Zabid
Weather & timing in Yemen RIGHT NOW 15°C clear
Best Nov–Jan · Shoulder Feb–Mar, Oct
Units
Next 7 days
Forecast · Met Office · updated 13 Nov · Powered by Met Office data
Typical · climate data
Best time to visit
October – March
Units
Spring (Mar–May)
What to expect — Daytime highs average about 26°C with overnight lows near 13°C, and it stays largely dry.
What's best — Warm.
Summer (Jun–Aug)
What to expect — Daytime highs average about 28°C with overnight lows near 16°C.
What's best — Warm.
Autumn (Sep–Nov)
What to expect — Daytime highs average about 25°C with overnight lows near 12°C, and it stays largely dry.
What's best — Warm.
Winter (Dec–Feb)
What to expect — Daytime highs average about 23°C with overnight lows near 9°C, and it stays largely dry.
What's best — Warm.
- WMO Severe Weather Information Centre · official warnings from national meteorological services worldwide, on one WMO map
- India Meteorological Department: cyclone warnings (RSMC New Delhi) · Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea cyclones
- WMO World Weather Information Service · official city forecasts supplied by each national service
Know before you go
The practical back-matter — safety, drones and the essentials, in one place.
Safety
Official UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office guidance is the definitive source — check it close to your travel dates.