I used to think I was cool. Back then, to my knowledge, only a handful of people had visited every country in the world. Aside from the few making the news, I thought what they had done, and what I was attempting to do, was something almost unheard-of. By visiting every country in the world, I figured that I could (and would) be the first to do it in ten years while working full-time. Be the first person from Poland. The first in Chicago. I thought of so many “firsts” that I could be. And then, one day, someone told me about this Facebook group for serious travelers chasing every country in the world. All 3,000+ of them. With hundreds way ahead of me. Moments after joining the group, I could not help but laugh to myself. I was quickly stripped of every “first”—a truly humbling experience. Shortly after, I began attending meetups and traveling with some of the world’s most traveled people. Ultimately, I lost my ego, but found my tribe.
Due to the Yemeni Civil War, most countries have closed their embassies—making it difficult for globetrotters chasing 193 to complete their missions. Given the ongoing conflict, Yemen was not next on my list. This past summer, I met Jenna at a meetup in Chicago. At the time, Jenna was just six countries away from reaching her goal of visiting all 193 United Nations Member States. She planned to visit the remaining six over the following months and invited me to join her in four of the countries left on her list. Before we could even discuss logistics, I booked my flights.
Avoid all travel—the three words seen on every travel advisory for Yemen. Like other countries, the U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Yemen. As highlighted by the U.S. Department of State, crossing the Oman-Yemen border can be dangerous, and U.S. citizens who do so are routinely detained by Omani authorities. The Department of State and U.S. embassies abroad will not facilitate entry of U.S. citizens into Yemen.
Typically, this type of information would steer most people away from even the thought of traveling to such country. But, after all, we are not “most people”. Given the difficulty of entering Yemen, any opportunity to make it into the country generates a lot of buzz in the group. For many, Yemen is one of the last countries left on the list. A few months ago, a fellow traveler successfully entered Yemen after two previous failed attempts. Naturally, his trip report went viral and suddenly everyone else wanted to attempt what he had done.
From virtually no visitors to groups of foreigners, the sudden surge of activity at this specific border crossing must have raised some eyebrows. Three contacts cashed in on the crossing—charging anywhere from $300 USD to $600+ USD per car. Several groups of fellow travelers successfully entered Yemen before the “loophole” attracted too much attention. Not long after, other fellow travelers posted about issues leaving Oman and being denied at that border. Suddenly, Omani authorities were randomly asking travelers to provide No Objection Certificates in order to leave Oman—something no embassy will provide for Yemen. These new developments definitely made us doubt our ability to get across. Since we had already booked our flights, we decided to give it a try before the window of opportunity completely closed.
While planning this trip, we contacted each of the three fixers. We decided to go with Azam because of his clean record—the issues mentioned above were isolated to one contact and to European passport holders; there were no noted problems with Americans getting across.
I arrived at Salalah International Airport shortly after 3:00 in the morning on Friday, January 4, 2019, where I met and was joined by Sam. We transferred to the Crowne Plaza Resort Salalah and anxiously waited for Azam to pick us up just three hours later, before collecting Jenna and David from their hotel.
It really is surreal meeting your tribe in person for the first time. I felt like we had all known each other for years. And now, I had the privilege to travel with such remarkable people.
The scenic three-hour drive from Salalah, Oman to the specific border crossing was anything but quiet. We shared travel stories and talked about all of the things that you would normally talk about when meeting someone for the first time: overlanding Afghanistan, contacts in Mogadishu, the process for obtaining a visa for Libya—you know, the typical conversations.
Arriving at the border, the car fell silent. We were all clearly nervous. We knew that getting across was a hit or miss, and we did not come all of this way to be turned around. Azam collected our passports and told us to stay in the car. Minutes passed, but it felt like hours. From a distance, we watched the conversation and tried to analyze body language. After several nerve-wracking moments, we saw Azam crack a smile. The travel gods were on our side. Everything went smoothly. We were not asked to provide a No Objection Certificate or anything other than a multi-entry visa for Oman, which we all obtained online. Exiting Oman, you could not wipe the smiles off our faces. We were one stamp away from entering Yemen. We presented our passports along with $100 USD for entry and were quickly processed into Yemen.
The Houthis and the Yemeni government have battled on and off for over a decade. In 2014, the Houthis took control of Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, and eventually expanded towards Aden. Airstrikes. Famine. Death. A devastatingly sad crisis. Although the fighting mostly takes place in the west, there is still a risk of armed conflict and of being abducted in the east of the country. So, Azam will not take anyone past the Hawf District—located right next to the border of Yemen and Oman.
Entering Yemen, I was speechless. The Hawf Area was nominated to be a natural UNESCO World Heritage Site in August 2002. We spent the morning exploring the district. Azam took us up a scenic route for a picturesque view of the area. We spent at least an hour taking pictures on the edge of this cliff. I was simply stunned by the country’s spectacular stretch of coastline.
On our way back, we stopped for photos with the country’s flag that flies above the town. We were on such a high—taken back by the country’s natural beauty and beyond thrilled to check off one of the most difficult countries to enter. But, our excitement did not feel right. While we enjoyed our morning in Yemen, we could not dismiss what is really going on in the country.
We had no issues getting out of Yemen or back in to Oman. While others reported waiting an hour or more to get back across, the four of us made it through within minutes.
Leaving Yemen, we drove back to Salalah where our adventure together had ended. Jenna and David were heading home, while Sam and I were sticking around for another day [see post: In and Around Salalah]. Looking back, we definitely made the right call. After our return, we learned that the Omani government is threatening to revoke one of the guide’s tourism license if he keeps taking people into Yemen—which will likely affect the ability of other contacts to get people across the border. Hopefully the situation in Yemen improves soon.
