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Djibouti to Yemen and Suadi Arabia
We are forced to look for an alternative route other than Egypt. So we are looking into crossing from Djibouti to Yemen and ride through Saudi to Jordan. We went to the Saudi embasy in Dar Es Salaam and they said no problem, we need to aply in Addis Ababa. We will keep you updated as we go. Is there any one who has done this route before?
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I have similar plan. But i've heard it's quite hard to get Saudi Arab VISA. If they'll give you one, then very probably the transit VISA only.
Does anyone know if there's Saudi embassy in Tehran, Iran? And how long it usually takes to apply Saudi visa in Teheran? Margus |
I'm a Canadian working in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. I hate to be a pessimist but, anything any Saudi bureaucrat tells you should be taken with a grain of salt.
The response of "no problem" may have been seen as the quickest way to get you out of his hair so he could continue chatting on the phone & generally getting thru the day by doing as little work as possible. |
i've read that there is a cargo ship taking cars and bikes and pagengers from Eritrea to Port Sudan, to Jeddah and Suez, costing round $300 for bike plus 2 people from Eritrea to Jeddah, Footprints' East Africa tourists guide. When in Addis, we will try to get all our visa up to Jordan and will let you know if it worked out for us.
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Just to let you know that we have made it across from Djibouti to Yemen.
We crossed into Djibouti and rode about 10km and then camped in the Desert. The next morning we went to Djibouti City and went straight to the harbour. At the security check point we explained that we need to speak to the Harbour Master as we needed info on a ferry or cargo boat going to Yemen. They were very helpful and directed us to the second in-charge at the Port Captain's Office. We were told that about 3 or 4 cargo boats leave every day for Yemen to either the port of Aden or Al Mukha. They spoke to one of the cargo boat captains and within 4 hours we were loaded on board and ready to sail (with 2800 sheep) to Port Al Mukha in Yemen. The trip took 16 hours and can cost you anything between US$100 to US$200. We paid US$100 for 2 people and one motorbike. Yemen is very beautiful and the people are very friendly. |
So the reverse trip should be doable as well?
Experiences, anyone? Regards Lars |
Yes, defenately won't be a problem. We went from Yemen to Muscat,Oman, all the way brand new asphalt roads with petrol at least every 250km or less. Petrol in Yemen half the price than in Oman.
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You mean there is a road connecting these two countreis with border post? Or it's still neede to go via Saudi? Margus |
Margus, yes, the Michilin map does not show, but there is a brand new tar road all the way from Sana'a to Oman. Border post and everything. No need to go through Saudi. We're in Dubai now, going to Iran and Turkey next.
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Margus, yes, the michilin(or any other) map does not show, but there is a brand new tar road from Sana'a to Oman with border post, no problem. people friendly there.
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Hello jc
As I am planning as well a trip from Switzerland to Yemen/Oman I am very much imterested in your experience/info (I heard already about the new road running from Tarim through Thamud/Ruma to the Oman border post of Shahan): Visa for Yemen: rumours here indicate that you will only get group visas organised by a local (Yemen) travel agency. What is your experience on this? Travelling within Yemen: permits required ? Is local guide or travelling in convoy or military escort required for certain itineries? Camping (sleeping in Camping car): Possible/impossible or not recommended Thanks for your info Hans |
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I'd certanly like to know the information about country itself as Hans asked too! Thanks alot, Margus |
@ all those interested in Yemen/Oman road connection:
Just today I found (and purchased) a road map showing the one in question: Jemen 1:850'000, size 70x100cm, Reise Know How Verlag, Bielefeld, Germany,ISBN 3-8317-7095-6, Cost: 9 Euro |
About Yemen. The road we drove had lots of police check pionts, on one strech every 10km! Nobody speaks english, wich helped us.
I got someone in Sana'a to whrite in arabic our names, where we from, where are we heading and so on. Just showed that to the police and they smiled and waved us on, no problems. There are no campsites in Yemen, we did not see any, would not recomend free camping. We stayed in hotels, wich is very cheap. If you are interested in seeing some photos, I will mail you some. Sana'a and especialy Taizz is very interesting with beatifull mountains. We are currently in UAE, found ourselves a job to get some money again, will be staying for 2 or 3 years before moving on to.......? wherever! Our website is jc4ever.com greetings johan |
Hi Johan,
we just thought about that, what you did! Travelling via Yemen and Oman!! We are now in Kenia and thinking about, to follow your route. Maybe see you there??!! We are travelling around the world with our old Teneres. So we need a good mechanic, before we continue to Iran. Do you know one?? If we do that!! ------------------ Best wishes :-) RalEva http://www.Motorradnomaden.de around the world on 2 motorcycles The homepage has a translation service!! |
If you're stuck in Oman I know some friends there ass well. I can help you out when you are here, not many good machanics here. Let me know when you are near.
Advise, spent more time in Yemen than Oman and UAE, it is a lot cheaper and more interesting. |
Dear travellers,
it was very easy to get by dhow from djibouti to yemen!! a visa for oman you get in 1 hour in sanaa!! on the way from yemen to oaman you need a permit, you get it free in sanaa at touristpolice!! on the way to oman is plenty petrol, water and food available!! from sayun hadramaut to the border is ca. 650 km!! ------------------ Best wishes :-) RalEva http://www.Motorradnomaden.de around the world on 2 motorcycles The homepage has a translation service!! |
Hi,
I forgot, this new road from Sanaa to the Border of Oman is complete asphalt, only the first 50 km in Oman you have dirt road, than asphalt again. In a few months it is completely tarred!! The road is not in the Michelin map, but in fact you don't really need a map, just follow the tar road!! ------------------ Best wishes :-) RalEva http://www.Motorradnomaden.de around the world on 2 motorcycles The homepage has a translation service!! |
How is travel through Yemen for Americans?
US State Dept has had a travel warning on the country for a while. Can anyone comment? -thanks |
That is good news. We've been in Dubai for one year now and visited Oman a few times. We are planning to go back to Sana'a and explore a little more of Yemen, especially the coast, Aden. Just need to learn some arabic!
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Djibouti to Emirates
Hi there,
a friend of mine (from Switzerland) and I intend to do the crossing from Djibouti to the Emirates in a couple of months. Hans from Switzerland replied to this thread a couple of months ago. So I wonder, whether he has any suggestions so far (because you might be already on the road)? Does any of you have any recommendations on roadmaps for the region? We intend to go a bit off the beaten track and do some trekking as well. Thank you in advance Take care Mick |
4x4 insteaf of bike
Is it possible to board a ship by car(instead of bike) from Djibouti to Yemen?
Any info on going from Oman to Iran? This would be great/fast route from the African continent into Asia. |
Djibouti to Yemen
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Chris |
oman - iran
there seems to be a frequent ferry connection between the emirates and iran. that is how we are going to do it (in a couple of months). whether you can go from oman to iran directly, i do not know.
take care mick |
I checked this possibility too, and it looks like Iran to Oman public ferry doesn't exist.
There's a regular ferry connection with Iran-UAE. |
got into oman today (from yemen)
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i did not get permission to go from sanaa to marib though! so i had to do a minor - ;-) - detour of about 500 km via mukalla. on that route i also had to be escorted by the police for the last 300 kms (free of charge). from mukalla i rode my DR to wadi hadramawt, and from there straight to the omani border. i spent the last night on the yemeni side, as it is way cheaper there. do not expect too much from the hotel though. in oman i was asked to pay 25,- rial for a one month insurance. the visa (which i got at the border directly) cost me 6,- rial. no costs besides that. you cannot change money at the bank in the first village across the border. and neither is there an ATM. for the later one you have to go the 190 km to next bigger city. and that is all, as mentioned above, on tarred road. hope that helps take care mick |
Thanks for the info guys!
That Yemen-Oman old "offroad" road - how long is it and in what condition? Sounds like an excellent road. Any idea if i got the Yemen visa then i can get the Saudi transit visa then? The Saudi visa seems the most hardest if i understand it correctly(?) How much time the Yemen visa issuing usually takes and is it possible to do it in Syria or Jordan? Thanks in advance, Margus |
Any more recent anecdotes?
Am thinking of going this route since getting a Carnet for travel through Egypt is insanely expensive. |
Also would love to get more info on the subject. Anyone has cost of ferry from oman to iran? Any possibility to do the saudi visa in yemen or oman?
Thanks! |
I guess I'd also like to get some info on Saudi Arabia. The information I have gotten is that it's very difficult to get a motocycle into Saudia Arabia.
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Some infos. I am in Djibouti now, and I am arranging crossing to yemen. It's looking good, way better that I thought. Finding a boat is a piece of cake, just going to the port and ask around. Crossing with my car will be USD 380 plus fees of Mocha and Djibouti port (probably USD 250 all together).
Going across should take between 10 to 16 hours, depending on weather. Getting the Yemen visa in Djibouti is a joke, made in one hour, no letter from your embassy needed or anything. Now, my goal is to make it to Oman by the coast road, possibly. Anyone has information on it? Is the road and border crossing open to foreigner these days? Thanks. |
I have read recently that construction of a bridge between Djibouti and Yemen has commenced. Can you confirm that?
Since you are already going to Yemen: don't miss Sana'a. It will blow you away (not literally, I hope :oops2:). The tourist police in major towns issued my travel permits. In the safer places I travelled without, but the situation has since deteriorated. Even back in 2007 there was a section of the coast road I wasn't allowed to use, but from Sana'a it's not even a detour. If you have a GPS you can get some coordinates from my web site. If you have a Garmin GPS you can get pretty good maps from Worldwide routable Garmin maps from OpenStreetMap. Let us know how you get on. |
Hi Peter,
They didn't begin the work for the bridge yet, it's still just a project. I don't think there will be a bridge anytime soon. Thanks for the info on the tourist police, I guess i will try to get authorization on the way. Seems that the situation right now is pretty bad, and I want to make sure I don't have the police against me in addition. |
Another thing I just remembered: go to the tourist police in the morning and not on their day off (can't remember whether that's Friday or Sunday). I was told by the man in charge to come back the day before I was due to leave, "we are open 7 days". Yes, but on the day there were only two guys sitting on the floor stuffing their cheeks with qat and they just told me that I couldn't ride back to Oman, it was too dangerous.
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FYI, I was able to do the crossing with my land cruiser for around US$700 including loading/unloading from Djibouti to Mokha. Crossing was 17 hours, but should be less if you get a better boat.
Once in Mokha, i drove to Aden, and was able to get a travel authorization from the police building just across from the Aden Hotel. Then, I drove, and was escorted by military from the first checkpoint all the way to Mukhalla (600km). They all ask you to pay, but you can just say you have no more money. From Mukhalla to the Oman border (600 km again), I went without escort. |
Hi Nicolas,
I'm now in Oman, looking for a way to get across Yemen and on to Djibouti. I've been told that the road from the Oman border is closed to foreign vehicles, and I need to put the bike on a pick-up truck. Do you think that's bullsh*t from the travel agent, or the situation had changed since you were there ? Also, I've been denied a Yemen visa in Dubai (they only do the Dubai residents). Anyone else with up to date news on the Yemen situation ? Cheers, Laurent PS: Oman is great, go there. Will post more. |
The Yemen border crossing seemed pretty laid back to me, I think you should be able to go through with motorcycle. But I am not sure of course.
Your biggest problem is to get the yemen visa. If they didn't give it to you in Dubai, you may have the same problem in Oman. If you get stuck, two solutions. There are many boats who can take you and your bike departing from Dubai and probably Muscat going to berebera, Somalia, which is safe. But you will need to obtain the djibouti or ethiopian visa in advance, which may be tricky as well. Safest solution would be to get the Saudi visa with 5 days transit and make a run to Jeddah where you can take the boat to Sudan. I guess if you can get a Yemen visa, go for it. You will get a military escort from Mukalla to Aden, most probably. Road is very good and one of the most beautiful around the border area. Refuel every time you can, some places run out of gas. Mukalla is very nice and you get good food. |
Currently in Yemen
Yemen visa is a PITA to get since this year, after the US airplane incident.
You need to do it through a tour company (or a personal contact in Yemen) who'll be responsible for your safety, which means they want to escort you with a 4x4 car all the time ($$$). We contacted over 10 tour companies in Yemen and only one (Yamanat Tours, info at yamanat dot com) was willing to arrange us a visa so we could travel on our own (in return providing our detailed itinerary in Yemen). Cost 200 USD per visa for tour company (transferred through Western Union), who had to contact both Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sanaa who then sent the information to Yemen embassy in Muscat that we were granted a visa (it's the only way to do it outside your own country). Plus 10,5 OMR for Muscat embassy for issuing the visa. It took us 2 weeks to figure this out and get it done, so for you it will probably be quicker, but still try to reserve a good week for organizing Yemen visa in Oman. Make sure to be clear that you want to receive the original visa at the embassy, if you do. Otherwise I understand there is an option of having it sent by DHL to where ever you like to pick it up. Ours was valid one month for entry and then one more month to actually stay in the country. We are on the way to Sanaa now. No problem with the border crossing on the coastal road. We were asked for 55 USD road tax or something at first but we got around it. Only had to buy insurance which cost 2,5 OMR. No escort till Al Mukalla. The road from Al Mukalla to Aden has become very tricky lately and police even don't want to escort you, since they will be the targets as well. The road to Sanaa through Marib is not possible at all. Currently Yemen really seems to be a country on the edge of abyss, which is pity since it's a fantastic country. Will update you how it goes. |
I guess it really depends what passport you carry and where you apply. I got it in one hour at the yemen embassy in djibouti for something like $35.
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Margus,
this is good news. I've contacted Yamanat tours, Mohamed, he said no problem, it'll be 300$.. talking about inflation.. I guess the guys are trying to make up for the loss of tourism by overcharging those rare guys who don't have much of a choice. Also, have you used Western Union ? it seems here in Oman they only deal with Omani residents, not tourists. As for Saudi.. yeah, I did give it a try, but in Dubai the consulate only deals with UAE residents, they wouldn't even talk to me. They don't even care, they've outsourced the whole visa businnes to a private company! Plus, it seems the transit visa is very rarely granted for tourists. Good luck and keep us updated on how it went and which route you've taken. Have you had trouble with the permits for some areas? Nicolas, I guess the 35$ visa is old story, but good for you. Currently in France it's 125 euros. Even the Oman visa just went up from 7 to 20 OR! Cheers, Laurent |
This is way too much money. The $35 visa I paid was at the end of July. Every country has a different fee schedule.
And the escorts are free. When you arrive at the checkpoints, the police has to accompany you, it's the law. No need for private escort that are probably anyway police making extra money. Remember that the most we pay, the most difficult it makes it for people coming after us. Anyway, I know that sometimes there are no other way when you are stranded. Good luck to you. |
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The visa fee in Muscat embassy is 26 USD but they just do not issue visas for foreigners w/o the approval from Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Foreign Affairs - and this is where the Yemen tour company comes in play since I doubt any personal contact or a regular friend in Yemen has the expertise to handle all the paperwork on Yemen side. Western Union worked in Oman for us, effectively. From border to Al Mukalla you're all good on your own but you'll be escorted from Al Mukalla to Aden (or a side-trip to Wadi Dawan and Wadi Hadramawt/Shibam which we did). We found it can be a problem to organize escort in Al Mukalla to Aden, we had to wait 2 days till some big group of rich western tourists took the same route with 4 Land Cruisers and we could go with them. We were told that no permit was needed if we traveled with an escort. In fact, we never went to the police station in Al Mukalla, instead our hotel did all the sorting. To continue to Sana'a on your own then in Aden you need to take the permit from Security Council in Khor Maksar in Aden (ask from police or taxi drivers, people know where it is), make around 10 copies of the permit since you'll be giving them away on the road on different posts. No escort needed. Currently in Sana'a and sorting other paperwork to continue. In sha'Allah all goes smooth... Ride safe, Margus |
Got through
Hi Margus,
how's your trip, did you get into Ethiopia, and what about the story about them asking a recommendation from your embassy to get a bike into the country ? I'm in Sana'a, but the funny thing is, in just a few weeks I've had a slightly different experience than you. I'm going to explain here for anyone interested in goign to Yemen, but that also means that the situation may still be completely different in a few weeks. The border crossing was easy, they didn't ask for any road tax. They asked 2 OR for the insurance, but I gave them 1.5 and they were happy. In Mukhalla, the tourist police told it was Ok for me to ride solo to Hadramout, not even a permit was required. Instead, at every check point the policem called Mukhalla and asked if I was OK to go. No prob at all in Hadramout, the police manager in Seyoun said I was Ok to go around alone as well, Shibam, Tarim, Wadi Do'an, all cool, no escort needed. I didn't feel there was a need for it either, even with all the AQAP rant. The inland road to Sana'a was still closed so I had to get back to Mukhalla, back at the tourist police where they told me I could just ride it through to Aden. I was a bit skeptical about it, but I left pretty early anyway, and as I expected at the first check point 20km down the road they stopped me and called for an escort (waited 1h). I changed the escort mid-way, and after lunch left with a police car with 4 armed cops. Then somewhere on the coastal road in the middle of nowhere we've been stopped by 2 guys from a local tribe armed with Ak-47 who discussed with the police for 15 min. Then they, uh, firmly "invited" me (and my escort) to their village 500m off the road. There I was served tea in the shade of a tree while the cops where talking on the cell phone (good thing there was a coverage!). And there was a lot of arguing in Arabic with a dozen or so armed locals, who apparentily didn't all agree about the next steps. Finally after 2h of negociation, I was free to go. The police was never in trouble themselves, but they stuck to me and didn't get wound up into a fight, they calmly talked them out of kidnapping a foreigner. I think that was the right thing to do, but it was a bit difficult to know what was going on as nobody was speaking any English. But as long as I kept a low profile, and quietly drank my chai, I wasn't hassled. Back on the road there were 4 or 5 military vehicles and an officer welcoming me with a proud "no problem", but we all very quickly got the **** out of there, this time with enough firepower to scare away the disgruntled locals. Aden to San'a was cool, just a road permit needed. In Sana'a I was interviewed by the head of the tourist police, asking me what I thought about the "incident"... well, what should I say, I got through didn't I ? Bottom line is, I wouldn't quite recommend the trip although it's entirely doable, and Yemenis are pretty nice altogether (when they wear daggers and not AK-47). Cheers, Laurent |
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