The local community is our main partner, and we give part of our profits to the association Socotra Dragon Blood Tree to develop sustainable development projects (protection of natural and cultural heritage, access to water, etc.)
Flights, visa, currency, what should you take?
Since the reopening of air traffic to Socotra, lines have been opened from Abu Dhabi (direct flight with Air Arabia).
The airline does not offer online bookings for Socotra. You will need to use a local agency to book your flight.
It is necessary to book flights well in advance, as these are the only international flights to Socotra.
Please note that flights may be delayed due to weather conditions.
Air Arabia offers one direct flight per week (Abu Dhabi/Socotra) on Mondays.
NB: we will soon give you more information about the flights offered by Yemenia Airways.
You must hold a Yemeni visa to travel to Socotra, valid for 30 days from the date of issue.
Socotra Forever will take care of the formalities. To do this, you must send a colour copy of your passport in pdf, and you will receive a copy of the visa by email.
You will need to print the visa and bring it with you to the airport to pick up the original upon arrival.
Credit cards and cheques are not accepted at Socotra so you will need to bring cash with you (USD)
Payment by deposit is possible with Western Union, the balance being payable in cash on arrival.
The trips offered by Socotra Forever are all-inclusive; however, we advise you to take a little cash for your souvenir purchases and tips to drivers and guides.
Comfortable and lightweight clothing and a sweater and windbreaker if you’re trekking;
Sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat;
Comfortable hiking shoes and water shoes;
A mask and a snorkel;
Batteries for your cameras;
A car charger (electricity is only available in Hadibo);
An electrical adapter if needed;
A torch for camping at night and when visiting caves;
A thin sleeping bag;
A repellent for mosquitoes;
A first aid kit;
Wet wipes for personal hygiene for camping;
Some toilet paper;
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Here is a list of some seabirds and landbirds which can be seen in Socotra: sandwich terns, curlews, whimbrels, masked boobies, desert wheatears, Indian pond herons, sooty gulls, sandgrouses, bruce's green pigeons, flamingos, socotra cormorants, ospreys, petrels, coucals, black crowned sparrow-larks, nubian nightjars, brown boobies, moorhens, and blue cheeked bee-eaters.
Socotra is rich in marine life and fish. The fish are considered migratory, and some are endemic to the island. The island’s tip is one of the most famous places for fishing.
Transfer from Socotra airport to the hotel in the capital of the island, Hadibo, for a short rest and refreshment.
After a traditional lunch, we will head to Delisha, a renowned swimming spot with crystal clear waters. We will explore several places in the surroundings, including the seaport and Khoor Sarheen, and we will have the opportunity to spot some of the endemic birds of Socotra, such as the Somali and Socotra starlings !
After some photo breaks, we will head to another place in Delisha where you can climb one of the huge sand dunes of the island and contemplate the magnificent view.
After enjoying your first sunset on the island, we will return to the Hotel for dinner and the night.
After breakfast, we will leave for Homhil, one of the most spectacular places on the island.
We will walk with a local guide through a forest of dragon trees, and we will discover other specimens of the endemic flora of Socotra such as the bottle tree and the desert rose.
We will stop by a small pond fed by a mountain spring where you can swim with an incredible view of the coast. We will enjoy a delicious picnic in Homhil, then head to the Di Hamri Marine Reserve, where you can swim, snorkel near the coral reef, and enjoy the wonders of the underwater world.
You can also explore the red rocks that make Di Hamri so recognizable! At the end of the day, we will return to the hotel for dinner and the night.
After breakfast, we will head to one of the most incredible and fascinating sites of the island: the Hoq Cave.
Accompanied by a local guide from the nearby village, you will climb the hill to reach the cave’s entrance.
You can take many pictures of panoramic views during your ascent.
Inside the cave, you will explore the strange and beautiful rock formations (be sure to bring a frontlight).
After exploring the cave with your guide for about 2 hours, you will meet up with your driver and a delicious lunch will be waiting for you!
Then we will go to the tip of the island of Socotra at Ras Ersel, at the junction of the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.
We will then return to Arher, one of the most beautiful white sand dunes of Socotra, and we will walk through the large dunes.
We will return to the Hotel in Hadibu for dinner and the night (B,L,D)
We will start our day (8:00 am) by taking a road south through the mountains to Nuged.
Next, we will go to Wadi Difaro for a picnic near the creek.
Then we will head to a small nearby village, and we will see beautiful specimens of bottle trees, one of the endemic species of the Socotra archipelago!
Next, we will head to Zahaq, where we will see white sand dunes and spend time strolling through the dunes or just sitting down to enjoy the view.
We will wander the white sands of the Omak Protected Area to take photos and explore the area. We will then head to the caves of Digub, a popular meeting spot for locals, and enjoy a picnic or a cup of tea.
We will return to the hotel in Hadibo for dinner and the night. (B,L,D)
Today we will leave early in the morning and head to the Diksam plateau for a visit.
This is a highlight for many travellers in Socotra because of the “dragon blood” tree forests; we will stop in a small village where people still use traditional techniques to harvest the red sap that gives the tree its name.
We will enjoy the natural beauty of the area.
We will then have a picnic in Wadi Derhur and spend the afternoon amidst nature and dragon blood trees before returning to the hotel in Hadibo for dinner and the night. (B, L, D)
After an early breakfast (6am), we will head to a small fishing village where we will board traditional boats with local fishermen for a boat trip to the white sands of Shuab.
Along the way, there are good chances of seeing dolphins, and you will have the opportunity to try out the local fishing techniques yourself!
After a morning on the beach of Shuab, you will board your boats back to Qalansiah for a picnic near the lagoon of Detwah, one of the most beautiful beaches of Socotra.
Arriving in Detwah, we will go to a panoramic point, with the best views of the lagoon.
From there, we will travel to Khoor Ghaba.
Then we will visit the nearby salt pans, where the inhabitants of Qalansia still get their salt the traditional Socotri way.
Then we will visit the beautiful immaculate lagoon of Detwah. We will return to the hotel for dinner and the night. (B, L, D)
Today we will head to Wadi Ayhaft, the largest valley of the island, where you will have time to stroll, explore and photograph many of the endemic Socotri plants.
We will have our picnic there and in the afternoon, we will visit a women’s organization that sells Socotri handicrafts and then we will visit the markets.
Then we will return to the hotel to enjoy our last dinner on the island. (B,L,D)
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Abu Dhabi.
- Flight Abu Dhabi (UAE) - Socotra - Abu Dhabi (UAE)
- Visa
- Transfer from and to the airport
- Accommodation
- 4x4 4 vehicles for the whole journey
- English-speaking local guide and local guides for certain visits
- Accommodation
- Meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
- Fees for access to protected areas
- Personal insurance
- Covid Testing
- Tips for driver and guides
Transfer from Socotra airport.
We will go to Wadi Ayhaft, the natural botanical garden of Socotra. Here, we can swim in the many freshwater pools and observe a high density of endemic flora and fauna including the chameleon of Socotra.
We can also enjoy a nice hot Socotri dinner under the tamarinds, relax around a campfire, get acquainted, and do a briefing on the upcoming trekking.
Overnight on-site camping.
After breakfast we will head to the starting point of the trekking in Wadi Denegehen.
We will meet our camel and our cameleer and start our hike. It will be done at a relatively leisurely pace, which will allow us to enjoy the freshwater pools along Wadi Denegehen and the beautiful view of the north coast.
In the afternoon we will begin our hike to Haggeher Mountain. Depending on our pace, we will arrive at the camp at least an hour before sunset.
We can contemplate the Hajiher pass, with its open meadow and its view of the north and south coasts.
We’ll have dinner around a campfire.
Overnight on-site camping.
After a hearty breakfast, we will resume the hike.
We will climb the summit, then continue the hike to Wadi Asakalo with a beautiful view of the dragon blood trees and the mountain range.
We can cool off and have lunch at the water pond called the Wadi Dahmedeher.
Then we will continue our hike to the village of Derhro.
Overnight camping.
After breakfast, we continue the hike to the largest forest of dragon-blood trees.
We will have lunch and relax under the “dragon-blood” trees.
After lunch, we will take a walk in the forest and take beautiful pictures of the sunset on the «dragon-blood» forest.
Overnight camping in the forest of Firmihin.
After an early breakfast we will resume the hike.
We will head to the peak of Skand, the highest point of Socotra. Since the camel cannot reach the peak of Skand, the camel and the cameleer will wait for us in the forest of Firmihin.
Camping in Skand Peak.
Mornings can be cold in Skand so we will wake up with a hot cup of tea around a fire.
After breakfast, we will resume the hike. The descent to the Diksam plateau takes four hours to the camp where you can freshen up and wash your clothes, and meet up with your driver.
Overnight at Camp Diksam.
After breakfast we will head to the Diksam plateau (approx. 700 m above sea level).
This area is home to a large number of endemic Socotri plants such as the dragon-blood tree. The «shebahon» viewpoint also offers a magnificent view of the canyon of Daerho where we will see breathtaking landscapes.
We will drive to Wadi Canyon for lunch and take a short walk to the freshwater pools.
In the afternoon we take the road to the vast beach of Omak which overlooks the Indian Ocean.
Overnight at Omak Eco Camping.
After a quick swim in the crystal-clear waters of the Indian Ocean, we head to the Dagub Cave overlooking traditional villages.
In the cave you can see stalactites, stalagmites, and pools of water.
We will then go to the villages of Hayf and Zahak to see the sand dunes laying against the side of the mountain.
Then we’ll make our way to Fareho Canyon. Along the way you will see traditional houses and can admire the landscape, the natural pools at the bottom of the canyon and the strange desert roses. Here, the vegetation is green and lush and there are many birds. Then we will continue to the marine reserve of Dihamri.
Overnight camping in Dihamri.
After breakfast, you can swim, snorkel and dive in the Dihamri Marine Reserve, home to one of the archipelago’s richest coral reefs. Diving/snorkeling equipment can be rented at the Dihamri Diving Centre. We will then go to the protected natural area of Homhil, which houses dragon trees, incense trees, desert roses, etc.
Once in Homhil, we will take a path that will lead to a natural basin with a view overlooking the villages, the plain and the Arabian Sea.
Overnight in Homhil at the eco-camping site.
After breakfast, we will go down from the Homhil plateau to Wadi Shifa (about 2 hours walk) where our driver will meet us.
After a quick lunch, we will go to the beach of Arher. We will have time to relax and swim or climb sand dunes while we set up camp and prepare dinner.
Overnight at Arher Beach Camp.
After breakfast, we will go to the village of Terbak where the Hoq cave is located.
Next, we will walk for an hour and a half to reach the cave’s entrance, then we will spend about 1 hour in the cave.
Hoq Cave is the largest cave on the island and is 2-3 km deep. It harbours linguistic archaeological treasures dating from 258 AD. J.-C. and natural treasures: stalagmites, stalactites, and calcite floors.
After lunch, we will return to the village of Ras Ersel which is located to the east of the island, where the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean meet. Then we return to Arher Beach.
Overnight at Arher Beach Camp.
Today we will explore the western part of the island.
We will make a first stop in Qalansiya, a small traditional fishing town.
From there, we will board a boat and head to Shuab, where we can see dolphins and other marine animals as well as black cormorants.
Once in Shuab, you can swim and relax and observe the surrounding mangrove.
Then we will return to Qalansiya.
Camp at the eco-camping site of Detwah.
You will have time to explore the lagoon of Detwah which is a marine production area, famous for its extraordinary landscape. You can swim, sunbathe, and relax in the shallow sea.
Camp at the eco-camping site of Detwah.
After breakfast, we will visit an organization of women who sell Socotri crafts, then we will visit the markets. Then we’ll go to the hotel.
Free afternoon
Dinner and overnight in a hotel in Hadibo.
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Abu Dhabi.
- Flight Abu Dhabi (UAE) - Socotra - Abu Dhabi (UAE)
- Visa
- Transfer from and to the airport
- Accommodation
- 4x4 4 vehicles for the whole journey
- English-speaking local guide and local guides for certain visits
- Accommodation
- Meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
- Fees for access to protected areas
- Personal insurance
- Covid Testing
- Tips for driver and guides
A customised trip means going on an individual tour independently, without constraints or logistical concerns.
You will build your itinerary with an advisor who knows the archipelago of Socotra perfectly: building a special contact with you, they will meet your wishes and offer you a carefully tailored proposal.
The claim that it was called Delisha because someone exclaimed “it’s delicious!” might be a touch fanciful, however.
Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919), the exhaustingly prolific German biologist, naturalist, evolutionist, artist, philosopher and doctor who spent his life researching and illustrating flora and fauna, sailed past the northers coast on 18 May 1882: his highly stylised painting of a sand dune with the same date is most probably Delisha.
He describes ‘the picturesque coast of Socotra, where the ravines are marked by immense fields of snow-white sand, looking like glaciers sloping to the sea’. Nearby Delisha village has an important archaeological site.
It is included in all visitors’ itineraries, for its dragon’s blood trees, bottles trees and the beautiful ‘infinity pool’ as we called it.
You have the choice of either driving there or walking, depending on the time available and the fitness (and age) of your group.
This spectacular place belongs geographically more to the south but can also be accessed via the Momi plateau and - for those with strong legs and plenty of time - from Homhil, so is included here.
It is one of Socotra's hidden wonders and you need to be a good hiker to get there, but all reports are that it's absolutely worth it for the series of turquoise pools of water, fed by small waterfalls, set in smooth, white limestone.
Dihamri is home to one of the richest coral reefs in the archipelago so, if the weather is calm, this is a great place for snorkelling.
Chris writes ‘Excellent snorkelling opportunities straight off the beach. In December there was 15-20m visibility, lots of corals and colourful fish, plus a chance of seeing turtles, reef sharks, huge leopard moray eels, octopus, crayfish, various rays, barracuda, scorpion fish, as well as dolphins further out sea’.
At the eastern end of the beach is an extraordinary orange-coloured pyramid-shaped rock, and it’s reported that the snorkelling is best around this rock.
If it’s too rough to snorkel, Dihamri beach is richly rewarding with its carpets of coral fragments and shells.
There is a campsite (no facilities) at the western end.
This cave is one of Socotra’s most important archaeological sites and traces the arrival of visitors to Socotra from the 1st century BC up until the 6th century AD.
Throughout Hoq Cave archaeologists have recorded a series of inscriptions, pictograms and artefacts, and at the entrance are examples of some of the later medieval structures and water basins.
The cave is believed to have been a religious sanctuary for mariners visiting the island who wrote their names in Indian Brahmi, South Arabian, Palymyrene and Bactrian scripts.
These scripts were drawn using mud or charcoal and as such are extremely fragile and sensitive to the change that even a single visitor can bring.
To prevent these scripts from being damaged and to preserve them for future generations we ask that all visitors to Hoq Cave do not progress beyond the marked area and refrain from smoking in the cave.
Mostly visitors will be looking down at the canyon, all 700m of it, and using its drama as a backdrop to their photos, but a dirt road crosses it at one point and this gives access to some gorgeous crab-filled paddling and swimming pools.
Don’t miss the chance to swim in the deep pools that collect in Socotra’s wadis (ravines). Wadi Dirhur, which divides Diksam plateau and Firmihim Forest, is on most itineraries. Wadi Killisan is harder to reach, but is hugely rewarding.
Being within an easy walk of the popular Diksam Homestay campsite, it also provides keen photographers with the chance of getting those sunrise and sunset shots that they’ve been yearning for.
Chris, who will sacrifice all his sleep for the right photos says : ‘From the campsite you can walk along the road southwest for about 15 minutes to a dragon’s blood tree with good views west for that sunset shot.
For the sunrise, about 10 minutes walk towards the east is another large dragon’s blood tree near the edge of Wadi Dirhur. There you’ll find fabulous views looking east to Firmihin forest, as well as both north and south along the gorge itself.
You can walk further down towards and along the cliffs for more dragons and plenty of birds. This area is also great for night shots of trees against a starry sky.’
Diksam plateau is the starting point for a trek into the Haggeher mountains to Skand, a 16km round trip, with a 600m gain and loss in altitude, which takes a fit person about 8 hours. There are also shorter, more level hikes along the edge of the canyon where you can see the Bedouin houses built into the ledges where the plateau meets canyon.
In contrast to Arher the dune area is huge, with rippled sand stretching to the horizon. Socotra’s camels browse on the indigofera pseudointricata bushes near the dunes so this is the most likely place to see them if you are not doing a camel trek. For birders, Richard Porter adds: ‘on the plains and in the dunes look out for black-crowned sparrow-larks, desert wheatears and long-billed pipits; if you are lucky you might spot a cream-coloured courser. The tiny, endemic Socotra cisticola nests in the low scrub – listen out for its repeat “zip-zip” in it undulating song flight.’
The flat area near the scrub is littered with the shells of land snails. The beach and sea are a 40-minutes walk beyond the dunes so a bit too much effort for most people, who will save their swim for Aomak further west. Hayf is a similar dune area, smaller but still spectacular, just to the west of Zaheq. Along all of this coastal plain watch out for sand blowing in the air on windy days – it’s not good for either eyes or cameras.
However, be wary of the strong currents and powerful waves - this beach has also been popular for wind-surfing and kite-surfing because it's almost always windy.
Be prepared to be sand-blasted!
'The site is a coastal lagoon on the northwestern side of Socotra island… consisting of a tidal inlet open to the sea, it is surrounded by sand dunes and 400m-high limestone and granite cliffs. The relatively pristine sea grass habitat provides ideal refuge from predators, acting as a feeding area and shelter for juvenile fish, and it is the only site on the island where the vulnerable leopard stingray (Himantura uarnak) and the near-threatened bluespotted ribbontail ray (Taeniura lymma) have been recorded.
It is considered an important roosting and feeding area for waterbirds, with 32 species recorded of which ten are resident breeding species and 1 wintering species.'
What makes Detwah special, apart from its beauty and its scientific interest – and the campsite – is the chance to meet ‘Abdullah the Caveman’.
See his cave and be taken on a marine-life tour of the eastern part of the shallow lagoon; it’s the home of so many strange and marvellous creatures that seem to sit around in the hope of being photographed; we saw pufferfish, sting rays, sea cucumbers, octopus, squid – and much more.
Given warning, Abdullah will also collect and cook a lunch of local marine life but, for the sake of sustainability I’m not sure that the offer should be taken up.
On a fine day – and you can only do it on a reasonably calm day – everything about it is perfect.
The boats are colourful, the fishing rewarding (expect fresh fish for dinner), the jutting pink cliffs extraordinary, the seabirds plentiful – and the sea such a brilliant blue-green that we thought we were looking at some exotic gull flying close to the water until we realised that its greenish breast was a reflection of the sea. There is a resident pod of spinner dolphins and, although they may not give you a display of spinning, they will happily play around your boat.
Birders will have a wonderful time identifying the birds nesting (or resting) on the cliffs.
Expect to see brown boobies and Socotra cormorants and flying around are sooty gulls and great crested terns. Further out to sea, if you’re very lucky, you might see a masked booby, Persian shearwaters and Jouanin’s petrel.
Surely one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The boat trip from Qalansiyah is part of the treat: brown boobies and Socotran cormorants pose on the pink cliffs and spinner dolphins accompany the boat. The sandy beach is sprinkled with shells and coloured pebbles.
Perfect for a swim.
I have to admit that if there were any popular site that I would omit in Socotra itinerary it would be this. But maybe I was spoiled by Hoq Cave which ticked all the boxes.
You can drive almost to the cave entrance, which makes it a popular picnic site for the locals. This popularity has resulted – when we were there – in a large amount of rubbish, from either locals or other tourists, so it would be kind to take a bag with you and do a quick clean-up. The cave entrance is huge, giving a spectacular coastal view, and small birds chirp and flitter in the surrounding bushes.
There are a few stalactites and stalagmites as you go inside, where there is also a small ‘basin’ of fresh water. The most interesting feature is probably the bats that roost high up at the back of the cave, mostly on the right as you face inwards. They are lesser mouse-tailed bats, and it’s strange to see a bat with a long tail.
