Getting Around Yemen: Transport Guide

By Air

There are regular and frequent flights inside Yemen. The national carrier operates on both domestic and international flights.

By Road

Road travel in Yemen is extremely hazardous. Avoid overcrowded buses and minivans. Do not travel in bad weather or at night. There is often no railing between the road and the valley’s bottom. Visitors can travel only by bus, taxi and service taxi. White service taxis are identified by their horizontal stripes. Routes are fixed but schedules are not. Service taxis travel between cities but not within cities. They depart only when they are full. Private taxis drive around major cities (San’a and Aden). Always negotiate the price beforehand.

Travel agencies handle car rentals. Rented cars usually come with drivers. Make sure that the price of the rent includes the driver as well. A driver is a must because while driving along Yemeni roads you are subject to Islamic and tribal laws, so it is safer to have a driver who knows the customs. Make sure that your driver does not chew "qat" (a narcotic) while driving. Drivers here constantly disobey traffic laws and sometimes end up in the custody of local tribes.

Buses travel along the major asphalt roads. They leave the terminal towns between 6a.m and 9 am in the morning and on shorter and more frequented routes between 1p.m and 3 pm in the afternoon. Buy your tickets before from the bus terminal or offices before boarding the bus. Ticket offices are open one hour before departure.

Bigger towns have plenty of mini buses (dhabar) that drive along defined routes within the cities and stop to pick up passengers from the roads. Service taxis run on fixed routes but they have no definite timings and only leave when they are full. Buses also run on main taxi routes, but the taxis also run on unpaved roads, unlike the buses. Private taxis are easily available for moving around within bigger cities.

You can get a lift in Yemen except on the asphalt roads where buses and taxis commute. The Yemenis are usually suspicious of strangers in remote areas so it may be difficult to get a lift there. But if you do, then always offer some money, wherever you are.