Forests in Yemen?!

Most tourists that drive through the fascinating landscape of Yemen, in search of it's marvelous architectural monuments, as Saada and Shibam, will not notice much of what one might call "forest" in temperate or tropical climates. Most probably nothing the like is expected here between the hellish climate of the Red Sea and the desert of the "Empty Quarter". If the tourist is lucky, he will have noticed the enormous Baobab in Wadi as Safea close to Turba. He will be impressed by the eccentric beauty of the bottle tree (Adenium obesum) with its marvelous pink flowers. He might have taken note of the huge Ficus vasta besides the 'Dar al Haggar' (Wadi Dhahar), found quite often in villages and wadis of the Taiz-Ibb area. Its said that queen Arwa initiated the plantation of those trees on market places.

But where are the forests?

The section for Natural Forests at the General Directorate of Forest and Range is taking care of that. It is not astonishing that tourists, as well as many Yemenis, never see a forest. The few remnants are normally quite off the road, in inaccessible and inhospitable places.

While the bulk of Yemen's forests is of the Acacia-Commiphora type, there are 4 groups of special forests:

1) Jebel Bura':

2) Juniper remnants: Kibbeitah, Jebel Iraf, Halamlam, Jebel Lawz.

3) Mahra, Al Houf

4) Sokotra (last, not least!)

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Access: Jebel Bura' is 50km east of Hudeidah. There are two roads leading to it (see map 1):

a) Qutay - Khalifa - Suq as Sabt. From Qutay there is a new track, starting just west of the extension center, it leads straight eastward, through Wadi Siham, then a bit north-east, until you come to the new Wadi Siham road. Follow that one up to the construction camp and take the second track to the right, in direction of already visible Jebel Bura', whose top is quite often hidden in a crown of clouds.

b) Mansuria - Sukhna (hot sulphur bath, very hot, unluckily not very clean. Use the imam's bath, not the popular one: "shaaby"). Possibility to stay overnight. Many locals offer rooms.

At Myriams shop you might like to get the last Pepsi (Canada Dry, but anyhow) before you leave "civilisation" definitely. Where the road makes a sharp turn south-west, go straight, pass below the mosque. You will cross a natural bridge. The canyon being more than 40m deep. A Ficus on the wall sends its roots down to the bottom, where almost all around the year it finds water. If you move on, until you come to a small plateau, you will look down on one of the most beautiful sceneries. A small watercourse coming out of the forests above, forming clear small ponds with fishes and dragon-flies, lilies and the strange looking 'qadi' (Pandanus odoratissima, whose flowers are sold for it's scent on Bajil-Manakha road) growing beside it. You can move up the bushy slope on the left side, where the track is easier, or you may follow the water course on its left (that's to your right side), until you come to the point where the road crosses the wadi. From here on follow the road.

On the right side, moving up, you will have a look at the wadi (Riparian Forest) with its huge Ficus, Tamarindus, Berchemia, Combretum, Trichelia, Mimusops ... If you look back at Sabt you can clearly see, that the woods are thinner the closer they are to the village. But just above the village there is a small village woodlot with Terminalia brownii and a large (for this species) Commiphora qataf. After a while you will get to a roadfork, you might take the left branch or the right one, they will join again. If you take the right one, you will pass beside a small tree with small pinnate leaves and nasty thorns, a Parkinsonia aculeata. This is now definitely not an indigenous species but an interesting remainder. Someone who got a seedling when we distributed them in Tihama, possibly even from Zabid or Hudeidah, must have brought it until here, got tired, and dropped it. For the purpose of amenity, Yemenis have transported and taken care of imported trees since a long time. At Hazz ash Shuma there are some stands of Pitecolobium dulce (Central America), 20-30 years old. Parkinsonias of the same age can be found in several villages close to Bura'.

While you move now through a bit of degraded Acacia-Commiphora bushland, you can see on the opposite slope, how those dry forests looked before woodcutting and grazing have taken too heavy a toll on them.

As you arrive at the height of the granite pillar, you see on the left side of the road the new building for the forest guard, with rooms for the forest officers and scientists that plan to do some studies in this forest. After the establishment of the forest inventory (1988-1990), a study of the population, their knowledge on environmental use and their appreciation of trees and forests (1990-1993) the request to establish here a NATIONAL PARK has been raised to the political level.

The whole area south of the wadi (Rigaf, not Hudayn as mentioned on the map!) is an endowment (waqf) made by Ali Hussain al Begeli on behalf of his family (still residing at Al Wadi and Dar Ibn Hussain and administrating the donation). The donor, a Sayid, had come to this area and got piece by piece as a reward for settling conflicts - mainly between Bani Baqi and Magharib. His son, Sahmed Ali, donated the slopes north of the wadi, including Wadi Derrah, the wadi just up the guard's house, west of the Chamisi's farm, to Magharib village (imposing strong use restrictions, in fact protecting the forest!).

The small Banana-Papaya farm on the other side of the wadi is run by Ali Hanish and his brother Khamisi. Preferably go first up to his house, say hello, and then go down again, a few meters above the wadi climb over the stone wall on the southern side of the road, move through the Banana plantation downwards, until you come to a wall of large boulders. (This one probably proves that the claim of Ali is right. He says that already his grandfather was farming here and had abandoned the land later on. Here comes up the interesting question, how could this forest survive here, while the whole of Yemen has been depleted of forests. The reason given in most reports, the steepness, is surely not of importance. The slopes at Ruqub (district capital on the top), that have been terraced before a long time have an inclination of 80-100%. The slopes close to the wadi are much gentler! And many parts have been used for a while and then been abandoned. During the inventory two abandoned villages have been found in the wadi, one in the neighboring wadi (W. al Aswad), as well as several abandoned houses (see map in Inventory 1990). A major reason might be the climate, in summertime the damp heat in this closed valley is almost unbearable, especially in combination with the mosquitos! The whole population is suffering heavily from Malaria. (If you intended to take a bath in the clear, cool ponds - better forget it, there is bilharzia!). Another reason might be the tribal settings. Bura' is a borderland between shafii Tihama and Seyidi Highlands. It is a borderzone between the big tribal confederations of Hashid (Bura') and Bakil (Reima). In the Tihama as well there is the confederation of the Alsia, north of Wadi al Aswad, the Ramia south of it. Bura itself consists of 3 tribes: Abdul Baqi: north-western part, Sharf: north-eastern part and Khusai: the southern range, where the Begelis live.

Last not least: as for about 100 years (donation Begeli) the land can't be appropriated, there is some lack of interest in investment.

The excursion was a bit long and I have almost forgotten that you are still standing on Chamisi's old wall! Now turn left and follow the wall, then enter the forest: In front of you an enormous Ficus, many of the above mentioned species beside it. Below the wadi, normally you find some standing water here.

The forest is not only of importance because of its rich flora (about 50 woody species!) but as well as a refuge for many animals. The endemic Varanus exanthematicus ex. has been seen here (up to 1.5m long! If you are very quiet and very patient you might observe it here.), a butterfly new to science has been found, the forest is extremely important for breeding, as well as for migrating birds. Large flocks of baboons roam through the bush as well as Hyenas. The Leopard reportedly existed here, it is still reported from wadis leading eastward to Reima.

Now let's go back to the road and move a bit further up, up to the next hamlet: Al Wadi. Until 1990 the forest still covered the whole wadi up to Qaryat Jaylan (end of the road) and the southern slopes. After the Gulf war the returnees cleared this land, terraced it - and abandoned it, because in 1991 there was neither sufficient rain in spring nor in summer!

Here is a roadfork, the left branch leading up to about 800m, where there is a store. From there on the goods have to be transported to Magharib (west) or Kaheb (east) by donkey. The branch leading right up goes up to 800m as well, where the wadi turns north. From here goods are delivered to Qaryat Jaylan and some other villages on those west facing slopes. The bush-savannah has been cut, in the higher wadi there are some Breonadias left. An interesting short walk is from the end of the road, through Qariat Jaylan, then crossing the wadi and keeping to the right, up the ridge between Wadi Rigaf and Wadi Bussal. It's a nice view from there over the adjacent Tihama. Through Qariat Jaylan and then up to the right, a track leads to Maghraba (- Ruqub). Beautiful landscape, but closed, and only a few Breonadias left in the wadis. Easier accessible from up (Maghraba).

If at Al Wadi you decide to go for a walk, just take the track some 50m above the hamlet to the right, leading up to Dar Ibn Hussain. The vegetation is bushland, of quite variable composition. At Dar Ibn Hussain there are the tombs of the Sayids (Begeli). Not really a place for non-Muslim tourists to hang around. But from there the view is marvelous and the track leading back west to Hawas is quite beautiful. It looks that people and environment here are still in a kind of equilibrium. At Hawas as well there are some privates keeping woodlots of Terminalia brownii and Barbeya oleoides. After you crossed the last of the three Hawas keep to the right and move down to the main Wadi (Rigaf). When you arrive on the saddle at the lower end of the ridge coming down from the Pillar, you will cross one of the abandoned villages. (The next one is on the nearest ridge to the east.) So now you just have to cross the wadi - and if you instructed your driver well, he might wait for you here, otherwise it is not far to Suq as Sabt, where, as mentioned before, you might get a cold Canada and feel back to "civilisation".

The following trips through Lakama, Maboura, Bani Baqi to Manwab, Ali Hanish or Al Wadi are much easier if you start from up. Drive through the center of Sukhna (right hand side of the bath) and follow the road on the border between Bura' and Reima. Its not a very good road, but in about 2 hours it brings you to Maghraba. The whole area is Acacia-Commiphoretum, some Dobera and Salvadora in the valleys, but all very degraded, as it serves as wood supply for Bura' and parts of Reima. On the last ascent to Maghraba some amazing type of erosion just left above the road: honeycomb erosion! Impressive ascent to Magharib! Magharib is a market town, get your water, biscuits and whatever you need. From here you might walk down to Qaryat Jaylan and the road of Wadi Rigaf, where the driver might fetch you. He will need about 3 hours to move around Jebel Bura', while you will walk down in less than two hours.

Another track is along the main ridge: Riqab, Lakama, Faish. Not as easy as it looks! To Riqab it goes up quite steep (1 h). Down to Lakama it's nice, but after the track will go down a bit on the southern side, to avoid a difficult rock outcrop.

When you reach the lowest point, you might turn left to Magharib and from there to the wadi (end of northern roadfork!).

From Magharib there is a very beautiful track through the coffee terraces, leading to Wadi Derrah (and down to Chamisi (2-3 hours from Ruqub) or up again to Bani Baqi).

If you still have some energy left, you can follow the ridge down to Al Faish. From here again you have the possibility to move down to the Wadi through Beni Baqi and some beautiful forest remnants in Wadi Derrah. This track brings you exactly to Chamisi's farm (see up). From Bani Baqi you have two choices, either down Wadi Derrah to Chamisi (1-2 hours) or westward to Al Manwab. Very much worth while the pain in the knees, but steep! (Valuable as well for the bit between Al Faish and Beni Baqi).

Not really a forest, but some very atractive tree species, the Dracaena ombet ), can be seen on the north-western wing of Bura', near Al Khadra and Kuhl.

From Muqattarah you have to keep northwards, but not too close to Mount Bura', otherwise you get on the truck to Al Hillah. The easiest way is through "At Taff" and Dayr ash Sharif, a larger village just at the foot of Bura's north-western wing where the road to Al Kohl starts to climb up.

After having seen all this incredible work of terracing, ad to your imagination that water has to be fetched down in the wadis - and you might understand, that forests or national parks and the like are of quite a low priority for the resident population!

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If you happen to stay overnight at Hudeidah, don't miss the fool (broad beans!) of "Sheibani" - the most famous in town, close to the central fruit and qat market.

On the road back to Sana'a, if you can manage to pass at lunchtime at Marawa (between Hudeidah and Bajil) - the first restaurant on the left side (coming from Hudeidah) is famous all over the country for it's "hanid" (oven baked sheep meet, wrapped up in aluminium nowadays, in some places it can still be found wrapped in banana leaves.

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Coming from Sana'a on the Taiz road, turn left to Jihana road at Dar es Salam, follow that road to the next checkpoint (quite close) fill up the petrol tank and then move left along the wadi (Al Ajbar on map), along the southern flank of Jebel Nuqum.

The first few km of track are quite nice, then comes one hour not so nice, and the second hour will be very much not so nice - but always through a very impressive landscape (feels like on the moon). The main crop here is grapes, from time to time there is a 2small woodlot to be found of Tamarix aphylla, producing sticks for the grape orchards. The vertical poles are normally broken out of the basalt or lave sheets. But quite often both are replaced now by galvanised pipes!

As you get closer to Jebel Lawz (quite typical plateau, inclined to north-east) you will see the juniper (J. excelsa) on its slopes. You might take now the track towards Marbak, situated at the lower north-western corner of the plateau. People eager to walk might follow the crevasse that cut the Jebel Lawz plateau from the northern plateau. The car will take left (track indicated on 1:50,000 map) and move on to Mahallein (Al Jabal on the map). On the upper end of the crevasse there is a small plantation of Eucalypts - very exceptional for Yemen, indeed!

The road up to here is quite shaky (50km, 2 hours). If you prefer a more comfortable one so take from Sana'a (Dar as Salam checkpoint) the new Jihana - Maarib road, pass beside Jihana (except if you want to visit the weapons market) and follow the road up to the petrol station on the left side. Here turn left, follow the wadi (Wadi Ghayman on map) to Jebel Lawz (Mahallein). Already from the main road you will see the typical shape of Jebel Lawz. On the left side the inclined plateau, on the right side three pillars, looking like fingers sticking into the air. This road is a bit longer (65 km as compared with 50 km), but much smoother. Along the wadi you will see several small plots of Tamarix, even a few Ficus or Acacias, protected from sheep by thorns, rags, barbed wire or fence.

As you arrive either from the side of Marbaq or from Mahallein, you will understand how the mountain got it's name: Almond mountain. Most villages around here, at an altitude of 2500-2700m have the ideal climate for fruit trees, and especially almonds have an old tradition here. Try them, you might get them at Sana' and they definitely cost 3-4 times more than the imported ones - but what a taste!

Now what concerns the Junipers here: on Jebel Lawz there are about 300 ha, mostly of very low density. Further remnants are north and north-east of Jebel Lawz (rather difficult for access. Detail maps with the DG Forests). One beautiful and not too difficult track leads north of Mahallein up the water collection channel, around the north-eastern corner, directly into a marvelous agroforestry plot of Almonds and Junipers (up to 18m high). Just before you move into the fields, some special attraction for geologists as well: In the base of the right wall (looking upwards) a special form of lava, an enormous 'canon-ball'. Those form when slowly moving lava cools down and starts to roll over.

The terraces here are private, but Junipers on the common land are protected as well (in a way) by a local decree. Junipers should only be used for roof construction, not for firewood!

A visit to Jebel Lawz is most impressive in early spring, (January-March), when the almonds are blossoming. Move on through the orchard and at the south-western end, up the wadi. As the slope gets flatter (small creek) turn right and move along the water collection wall, west and up.

This wall here, as well as the one above Mahallein, collects the runoff water of the slopes and leads it to the agricultural fields, mainly the almond orchards. As I said before, the climate here is ideal for fruit trees, that was only correct in what concerns the temperatures, as here they get the needed frost in winter and sufficiently cool nights in summer as well. What concerns the water, the conditions are obviously far from ideal. This area might not get more than 150mm a year, what is by far not sufficient for any of those fruits. But with the system of runoff collection, the water brought to the plants might be over 10 times the amount of direct rainfall.

As you come close to a large canyon leading down to Mahallein, turn south and move up to the top. On the top there is a house, said to contain the grave of a holy man (wali!). When we climbed up here dozens of times during the inventory, the people always

guessed that we try to find the treasure of the saint, as obviously they thought it a strange business to climb around here only to know how many trees are growing on the mountain.

From here you have a marvelous view over all Khawlan, if the weather is clear as far as to Maarib.

On the opposite peak (teeth!) there are some ruins, said to be of Hymiarite time. (Might be a Turkish fortification as well).

Move now north-east until you come to the edge of the plateau. There you have to find the ravine leading down to the small plateau under the 'teeth'. There is a dense Juniper stand! The junipers here need about 2-5 years for 1mm radial increase. So some of them will be over 1000 years old!

The small ravine separating you from this plateau can be crossed at two places only, a bit northwards, about 1/4 length of the small plateau. On the northern edge of that one stands a large, bushy Juniper. Below this one is the track down (take care, some climbing). As those two points are a bit critical to find, coming from up, it would probably be easier to start the tour either from this side - or to take a guide.

Start to drive back not later than 16-00, as the track is difficult to find - if your driver is not from the area!

Juniper stands south of Taiz:

Jebel Iraf:

Wadi Lahakum (Arabia Felix) from Neshemah - Jebel Selw - Khedes - Wadi Lahakum or Wadi as Safea, where is the large Baobab, or Turba - Suha - Sureika - Mabaq. The road from Rahida, through Al Abous - Kibbeita - Mafalis can be used as well. It is quite good - and quite long. A detour through Tor al Baha is always worth wile, as you can get a cold (not really, but cool) beer. From Tor al Baha you have to move into the next wadi west and then follow this one northwards to Mabaq - Sukher. Last Pepsi and up it goes with an inclination over 30%, the car might start sliding, but earth walls protect it from tumbling over the edge! This was the first time that my driver got scared, while he has taken out the car three times a day in the mountains north of Medinat ash Shirq (large Acacia mellifera stands!), where the car was close to be overturned.

At Jebel Iraf is the most impressive stand of Junipers in Yemen. Small (about 30ha) but with a very varied and undisturbed vegetation. A marvelous view over the adjacent southern plains. If the weather is clear you can see as far as to Aden.

From Tor al Baha (see up) to Mafalis, then right or from Rahida (new road) or Kirsh. The juniper areas in Kibbeitah are quite extensive, but the best protected stands are on Jebel Ilyas,

on the former border between north and south. They suffered a bit since the unification as many people moved (back?) to the area to settle there. The roads are generally very good, here were really engineers at work! It has been taken care of the runoff-water, that is led off the road at reasonable intersections.

Juniperus excelsa and Tarchonantus camphoratus are here associated as in the African mountains.

The Junipers on Jebel as Selw (several small plots, maps with GDFR) grow even at an altitude of 1700m, what proofs that the distribution (and ev. the lack of regeneration by seeds) is not due to the temperature.

Jebel Saber, above Taiz:

Those are the most easily accessible Juniper stands, most in private, beautiful agroforestry plots on 2700-3000m. The view on Taiz and the landscape is worth the trip as well! From the road on the northern slope above Taiz you can see a lake north-east of Taiz, well, it's not really a lake, it's a waste-water lagoon.But if you are an enthusiastic bird watcher, you might like to visit it. It host a lot of birds, some of them rare. (A similar place is the waste water lagoon North-East of Hudeidah).

Halamlam: Agroforestry-Juniper-plot:

Sana'a - Amran - Hajjah road, just after the television tower, before the road descends to Kuhlan Affar (Wadi Sherres) turn left (about 3 km) to Halamlam. The most beautiful agroforestry system with Junipers!

Wadi Sherres (move into the wadi just before crossing the chinese bridge on the way to Hajja) has still some large Breonadia, Ficus and Cordia, as well as a small waterfall.

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Mahra, Jebel al Houf:

This area in the extreme est of the former South Yemen is accessible by car, but it might take one and a half days, if the road through the Ramlat as Sabatain is 'open', two and a half days through Aden, including some stops (s. Prosopis cineraria at Maifa-Hagar, Khubia-Magdeha, Balhaf-Gilaa, Ain Bamabad and Wadi Meifah)). ) By airplain it is possible as well, as Al Qeidha, the district capital, has an airport!. From their to Houf village its about 4 h (120 km) on a good track (a road to the Omani border being planned!), but precautions have to be taken, as petrol is difficult and expensive to come by outside Al Geheidha! The best time to visit Jebel Houf is september, as the heavy summer rains that make access very difficult, will have stopped, but the vegetation will still be green and flowering. Due to the heavy rains even the sheep sink into the mud and most people leave the area during this time, moving to the lower fringes of the forest. The use of cars during this season is impossible, even walking is tough, as one has to wade ankle deep through the mud.

The impression this area makes during the rainy season (july-august mainly) is increadible. The sky dark grey, no real rain but a constant fine drizzle day and night. Everything soaked with water. The coastal hills on the road from Al Gheidha to Houf are wet and green with mosses and ferns, the sea storming with waves over two meter high, as if it wanted to climb up to the Houf mountains. Patches of fog moving hither and thither - Hamlet woult be at home here!

This, for Arabia rather queer climate, is due to the monsoon that touches the arabian peninsula at this point. The heavy storms cause the lower and colder levels of sea water to move up (so called "upwelling" phenomenon), and the average temperature of the sea water during those summer monthes is about 10 C lower than normal, a fact that can easily be noticed. While in the coastal Tihama of Northern Yemen the climate gets the nastier (more hot and more damp) the closer you get to the sea - on the Mahra coasts the climate gets the cooler the closer one moves to the coast! The hills of Houf, reaching about 1400m asl., trapp the humidity that is condensing and that produces this "bit of Irleland" on the Arabian Peninsula.

With 20,000 ha (half of it in undegraded, dense state) it is the largest forest of Yemen. The main species are Anogeissus, Commiphora and Tamarindus (a bit threatened because of strong use of pods). The easiest access routes are just east above Houf village, or west above Dumqut. The road network (tracks, but in quite good shape) is quite dense.

An interesting feature of this area is the yearly meeting of a "protection council", consisting of about 400 representatives of the local villages, who discuss means to protect that forest! A unique feature in Yemen! )

The island can only be visited by airplane in wintertime (Mukalla, Rian airport). A Dash brings you there in about 1h40min. Actually there are 2 commercial flights a week (- if there is no storm - what can happen even in winter). So be patient!

At the islands main village (capital seems a bit high): Hadibou, you may use the governmental guesthouse. For a reasonable fee you get a field-bed (common quarters), breakfast, lunch and dinner (mostly fish and sheep - no place for vegetarians!)

Cars with driver can be rented from privates (remember that the cars, petrol, oil and everything else has to be brought by plane or ship - and landed with no port or jetty.

The population (s. Balfour, so far still the best report) are descendants of greek, portuguese, indians and mainly Mahri. The main activities are sheep and goat herding, date groves and, as a rather new feature: vegetable gardens. Large parts of the male population used and use to emigrate to Mahra and the Gulf countries.

The language spoken (at least in the interior Haggier Mountains) is the old arabic Sokotri, strongly related to Mehri, Jibali, Harsusi, Hobyot and Bat'har.

Sokotra is a bit comparable to Madagascar, as it has been separated from the mainlands in very early times, before the development of mammals on earth! That's the main reason why over 30% of the vegetation are endemic, that means they don't exist anywhere in the world except on Sokotra. The most impressive possibly is Dendrosicyos socotrana, the Cucumber tree. The best known, the Dracaena cinnnabari (Dragon Blood Tree), producing a gum used for medical purposes; Punica protopunica is possibly the "forefather" of the domesticated pomegrenade and Boswellia sp. do produce the famous incense.

The main tracks go east to Ras Moomi where the troglodytes live, west to Qalansya and south to Nogeed plain. A the construction of a new road, through Dixam (to here it reaches so far) to Nogeed, has been started.

On the road to Qalansya don't miss the 'bir maqsur', a big crevasse ('doline'), sunken into the carstic limestone. Salt water from the sea is entering from the bottom, evaporated, and the salt collected. About an hour from Qalansya you pass through a large valley where some Boswellias (frankincense trees) can be seen.

The road to Nogeed leads you through the center of the island. On Nogeed, a sandy coast, the guide will most probably bring you to the Bejola cave, allready a tourist attraction, where you are expected to deliver a substantial bakshish for visiting the spinning and weaving beduin families. (The mainly black and white goat-wool carpets are quite attractive!). If you are interested and willing to do some tracking (no road!), the valleys that lead from Nogeed into the island are botanically quite interesting, especially Wady Aihaft.

The white sandy beaches are anyhow extraordinary on Socotra (- in spite of the lacking cold beer). Most easily accessible is the beach east of Hadibou at Hawlaf. (Sharks are said to prefere deep water, the places where the Lobster dwells. So if you like lobster, don't forget to bring your mayonnaise - and buy them from the fishermen!

The new road to Dixam (central Socotra) leads through some beautiful forests with a fair number of frankincense trees. The Dixam highland is carstic limestone, reminds of some Mediteranean areas - as it might have looked before 3000 years! The non-domestic grandmother of the pomegrenade (Punica protopunica) can be found there.

Haggier cliffs mean climbing! Some rare plants find refuge there. A good walk, but not too difficult, leads from Wadi Ayhaft (south-east of the airport), over Muqadrihon-pass to Hadibou. Diferent vegetation types will be transversed. In Wadi Ayhaft a forest of Tamarindus and some enormous trees with violet bark (a flora is in preparation by A. Miller, R. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh), on Muqadrihon again some frankincence trees.

The islands of Abdul Kuri and Semha are (scientifically) almost unknown.

All those areas, plus the Hamaderou cliffs, are part of a planned "Man and Biosphere Reserve" (UNESCO).

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Standard of conduct:

Any tourist that wants to visit one of the mentioned areas, is kindly requested to live up to certain standards of conduct:

- If you visit remote areas, you might get invited for tea, lunch, stay overnight even. Take care not to overuse the hospitality of the local people. Keep in mind that the poorest tramp coming over from Europe has more money than anyone in those areas! As hospitality is a 'must', all tribesmen will refuse to get paid for it! But still it is a burden. If you intend to travel on such base, take some fruit, milk-powder or concentrate, beans and the like with you. The host will willingly accept those presents. Moreover there are large parts of the population malnourished. Sorghum as a daily staple food leads to lack of vitamin B (complex) and skin diseases ('burned skin', pellagra).

- Bargaining: I would surely not say that you don't need to bargain in Yemen, but if you get to some areas as Sokotra and you think that the prices asked for food, car, lodging ... are too high, you might be mistaken. You have to consider as well that most of the goods you will ask for (including petrol!) have to be brought by ship and that is a difficult procedure to bring them to the land without port!

You will not always being admired for tough bargaining - but quite often just be considered as mean.

p.s: what concerns food: If you pass besides Mansouria, do not miss to taste the most delicious hanidh of Yemen. Sheep meat, wrapped into banana leaves, cooked for many hours in the stove - so tender you don't need a knive.

Being in the area - the most famous fuul (broad beans) of Yemen is Sheibani's at Hudeidah. Moreover - lots of interesting things to be detected what concerns local cuisine. Don't be too much afraid - a diarhea you'l get anyhow - most probably in one of the hotels with several stars.