Mainland Yemen: special access

Exploring unique sights in comfort & safety

To our knowledge, we’re the only luxury travel company to offer trips in mainland Yemen. Focusing on the cultural heartlands of the Hadhramaut region, we’ve given our clients special access to rock-top villages, centuries-old mud skyscraper cities and ancient manuscript libraries with their imam curators.

Throughout, we ensure our guests travel in comfort, from setting up gourmet picnics overlooking 16^th-century cliff-side settlements to renovating hotels to bring them up to standard. Think adding air con and private chefs to historic palaces.

And, we’re proud of our impeccable safety record in operating trips here, commissioning full pre-trip security analysis, bringing along specialist close protection operators and leaning on our exclusive local contacts.

All media taken on Cookson Adventures trips

How Ultra High Net Worths (UHNWs) splash their cash on their travels is changing. Glitzy resorts and ostentatious hotels are out; mind-blowing experiences and behind-the-scenes access in – the more off-the-chart the better. ‘It is the <strong><span style=”color: #a91b51;”>unique access and the rare feeling that you are somewhere that perhaps no one else has been</strong></span>,’ says Henry Cookson, the founder of Cookson Adventures.

September 2024

Unique experiences

Thanks to our exclusive local contacts, our clients have enjoyed rare access throughout their trip. That might be private audiences with museum curators in exhibitions that are usually off-limits. Opening up significant libraries for a special invitation to view historic manuscripts with leading imans. Or, simply enjoying a fresh roasted coffee and cold juice at a special breakfast setup after a sunrise hike.

Uplifted accommodation

When operating in regions without modern infrastructure, we often work to elevate existing accommodations. We firstly hand-pick the best properties available. Expect restored mud-brick-built palaces, a modern beach hotel and a rock-top retreat overlooking the ancient village of Haid Al-Jazil. Our approach is then to uplift these, from redecorating rooms and installing air-con to bringing in top chefs and small touches, like luxury amenities and coffee makers.

Ancient sites

Below, we’ve picked out just a few of the region’s World Heritage jewels. There’s everything from centuries-old kaleidoscope palaces and ancient fortified cities to traditional villages hidden in among geographic wonders. You’ll walk among it all, meeting curators and locals alike.

Special setups

A remote drinks or dining setup is a Cookson signature, and a remote environment is no different. We’ve scouted out special locations, overlooking historic cities and great wadis alike. It’s the perfect setting for a barista-style coffee or a private-chef lunch, bringing Michelin-standard dining far from civilisation.

Historian guides

Working with both local experts and academic authorities from the world’s top universities, we’ll bring Yemen’s richly varied history to life. Given its strategic location on the incense route that connected southern Arabia to the Mediterranean world, Yemen’s influences span from ancient civilisations and thousand-year-old regional dynasties like the Ayyubids to such global powers as the Ottomans, British and Romans.

Security

We go to great lengths to ensure the safety and security of our trips. After recceing the itinerary ahead of time and commissioning a full, up-to-date report from our leading security partners, we put a rigorous plan for travel on the ground. This can include everything from close protection solutions to communications and permitting with local authorities. It’s all augmented by well-fostered local relationships.

Here are a few of the highlights you can expect to see.

Buqshan Pastel Palace – first built in the 18^th century, the incredible mud architecture of this royal building has recently been restored to its impossibly colourful glory. Learn about its stored past from a local imam.

Hiking Wadi Dawan – this vast valley is lined with ancestral villages that tumble down its dramatic slopes. Hike out through incredibly verdant date palm groves, visiting traditional village homes before ending with a gourmet picnic overlooking the wadi.

Shibam’s ancient skyscrapers – this UNESCO-listed walled city dates back half a millennia, featuring skyscrapers that rise up to 11 storeys, entirely constructed from mud. Walk among it all, pausing to chat with friendly locals before taking it in with a tea setup from our specially chosen scenic viewpoint.

Haid Al-Jazil rock-top village – perched precariously atop a boulder overlooking a near-uninhabited valley, this dramatic village dates back some 500 years. Learn how the handful of remaining residents have carved out a unique way of life in this remote setting.

Market & mosque visits – take in honey bazaars and colourfully ramshackle farmers’ markets in the regional centre of Seiyun, along with the towering, 50m-high adobe minaret of Tarim’s Al-Mihdhar mosque and its evocative call to prayer.

The capital of Al Mukalla – this seaside city is the gateway to the Hadhramaut region, a historic trading post on the route between Africa and India, whose influences can still be felt in its architecture today. Wander its maze-like streets to take in the 18th-century Al Ghwayzi fortress, which seems to hover above the ground, and the city’s ramshackle museum. It’s managed to keep its most valuable treasures safe, which you’ll glimpse on a behind-the-scenes tour.