Important: Travel between cities involves passing through multiple armed checkpoints controlled by different factions — Houthi forces, government and allied forces, and tribal militias. Checkpoints cause long delays, and travellers have been subjected to harassment, extortion, and detention. Landmines and unexploded ordnance are widespread, particularly in former front-line areas.
Before the war, Yemen was navigable by road in a rented car with a driver, which was also the recommended approach for independent travellers. Hiring a local driver who knew the roads and the checkpoints was both practical and sensible — the driver could handle encounters with local authorities and knew which areas to avoid.
Domestic flights connected Sana'a, Aden, Mukalla, Seiyun, Socotra, and other cities. Yemenia operated the routes. These connections have been severely disrupted but some have operated intermittently out of Aden and Seiyun.
Between the main cities, road travel in peacetime took: Sana'a to Aden roughly 6 hours; Sana'a to Marib around 2-3 hours; Sana'a to Taizz around 4 hours. The road east to Hadramawt from Sana'a is a long journey — around 12 hours to Sayun — through spectacular but extremely remote desert terrain.
Shared taxis (called dabbabs) and buses operated between most towns. In Sana'a, taxis were cheap and plentiful. Renting a car without a driver was unusual and not advisable given the roads and the political landscape even in peacetime.