Socotra
Yemen · 300 m
Description
Socotra lies three hundred and fifty kilometres off the Horn of Africa and has been separated from any mainland for so long that a third of its plants grow nowhere else, which has earned it a UNESCO World Heritage listing and the description of the most alien-looking place on earth. The dragon's blood tree, an umbrella of dense branches that bleeds red resin when cut, covers whole plateaus. Bottle trees swell from bare rock. White dunes climb against limestone cliffs, and the lagoon at Detwah is turquoise and empty. Charter flights run weekly, so a stay is measured in whole weeks.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 6 to 12 days (optimal 8 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: November – April
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Dragon's blood trees on the Dixam plateau
- Detwah lagoon
- Arher dunes climbing the cliffs
- Socotra (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Bottle trees and the endemic flora
- Homhil plateau and its infinity pool
- Wadi Dirhur canyon
- Camping on empty beaches
- Hoq cave and its stalactites
- Endemic birds including the Socotra starling
- Snorkelling at Dihamri marine reserve
- Night sky over the plateau
Getting there
- Airports:
- SCT
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry