Tour company "Against the Compass (ATC)"
I've had one trip so far with the tour company Against the Compass (ATC). It was a small-group trip to the Hadramut Province of Yemen in Nov 2025. The trip was very well organized. ATC has a lot of people on the ground. Our local Yemeni guides did everything possible to ensure that we were well looked after and safe. The ATC office staff are competent and communicative. I look forward to my upcoming trips with them. IMPORTANT POINT: ATC offers trips to several countries that are regarded as "sensitive" countries by the USA. Yemen is one of them. This means that, if you travel to any one of these countries, you'll no longer be eligible to get an ESTA for the USA. So in the future, instead of the quick-and-easy ESTA, you'd have to apply for a traditional visa in person at your US consulate. You’d be very likely to get it, and it would very likely be valid for 10 years. So no problem. (The "sensitive" countries are Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, according to the list appearing under "Eligibility questions" on the USA’s ESTA website, last checked on 5 Dec 2025.
By Rosemary F.