What to see in Yemen: 6 must-sees

Boat across to Socotra and walk among dragon's blood trees — endemic trees with umbrella-shaped crowns that grow only on this Yemeni island. Climb stony paths up to plateaus with desert roses in bloom, then come down to white-sand beaches where dunes reach the water. Watch endemic birds and reptiles in wadis with natural pools, and camp beneath skies without light pollution. Isolated for millions of years, the island concentrates hundreds of species found nowhere else on the planet.

Walk the slopes of Jebel Shamshan, in Hadhramaut, where palm oases push through eroded rocks and caves dug into the stone. Follow the trails winding between ancient geological formations and watch birds, gazelles and plants adapted to the dryness of the valley. From the heights, the contrast between the green of the palm groves and the ochre tone of the mountains sets the rhythm of the walk. Bring water, protect yourself from the sun and hire a local guide: the paths are barely signposted, and the area keeps that remote character defining Yemen's interior.

Peek into the ruins of Sheba, in the heart of Hadhramaut, where the remains of the palace attributed to the Queen of Sheba rise. Walk brick and stone walls keeping 3,000 years of history, examine the artefacts still surfacing from the sand and rebuild in your mind the civilisation that traded frankincense and myrrh across all Arabia. The silence of the desert wraps broken columns and ancient foundations, and every stone marked by inscriptions brings you closer to the kingdom that challenged Solomon.

Walk the old city where tower houses of color, mosques and history create a unique landscape. UNESCO 1986, tower houses of color. Take in the site declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where history, architecture and culture create a landscape that has inspired travelers for centuries. UNESCO experts have recognized it for its exceptional value. This site stands as an exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a vanished civilisation.

Cross the Haraz mountains until reaching Al-Hajarah, a fortress village perched on granite peaks that watches over every bend of the path. Its stone tower houses rise above age-old terraces carved by hand into the hillside, and from the Manakha district you reach it by trails winding between coffee and qat crops. Walk its narrow alleys, observe the facades decorated with white gypsum stripes, and watch how the mist wraps the precipices at dusk, revealing the defensive engineering with which this mountain community protected itself for generations.