Nature, Yemen

April 19, 2021 –  April 26, 2021

Last week I had the privilege to travel to, perhaps, one of the most amazing places on the planet.  Rich in biodiversity, The Socotra Archipelago, has been termed the “Galápagos of the Indian Ocean”.  Off the Yemen maiOpera takes a bow
Enjoying the show with a friend
Opera takes a bow
Enjoying the show with a friendnland and thus unaffected pretty much by the wars there, this island is currently a two hour, direct flight from Abu Dhabi.  I say, currently, as there has been advice the flight will stop on May 21st.  Let’s hope, for both visitors and locals that this is temporary!

The Socotra Archipelago consists of four islands which are located in the Indian Ocean. The largest, Socotra, has an area of 3,600 km2 and a mountainous interior rising to more than 1,500 m.  This island is where we spent our time.  Apparently two of the other islands have very small populations of fisherman and Darsa is uninhabited.  The population of the Socotra archipelago is estimated at 60.000, mostly living on Socotra, and concentrated in the capital, Hadibo and the second largest town at the opposite end of the island,  Qalansiyya.

In 2008, Socotra was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

According to UNESCO, “37% of Socotra’s 825 plant species, 90% of its reptile species and 95% of its land snail species do not occur anywhere else in the world. The islands also supports globally significant populations of land and sea birds (192 bird species, 44 of which breed on the islands while 85 are regular migrants), including a number of threatened species. The marine life of Socotra is also very diverse, with 253 species of reef-building corals, 730 species of coastal fish and 300 species of crab, lobster and shrimp.”

Camping was the order of the day as there aren’t really any hotel (one or two in Hadibo, the capital, that didn’t look awesome).  The air was clean and the snorkelling gave the opportunity to see many colourful fish and other sea creatures.

But perhaps what it is best known for is the Dragon’s Blood trees which make an impressive sight.  Their sap is harvested every 4 years and used medicinally, and also for nail varnish and makeup.  The honey from the bees that pollinate the Dragon’s Blood trees is very dark in colour and is a specialty

Although no one knowns for sure, these trees are through to be 800-900 years old.  They are extremely slow growing so it is a real loss when several were uprooted in the cyclones of 2015 and 2018.  A Czech research team have planted a nursery which is protected from becoming goat food.  The tree I am standing beside was planted 20 years ago which gives some indication of how precious the current adult trees are.

So much more to share about Socotra but I will limit it to a few things…………

  • Hoq Cave was a 1.5 hour hike up from a rocky plateau. It is part of a cave complex that runs through the limestone plateau that stretches over most of the island. This cave has been found to contain pottery, a tablet from the 3rd century AD and inscriptions in early Indian, pre-Arabian and Ethiopian languages.

  • Desert Rose bottle trees (aka Adenium socotranum) were blooming beautifully when we were there.

  • Dolphins – such a delight to swim with approx.100 dolphins early one morning off the Shuab coastline. The water is so crystal clear we could see them both on the surface but also swimming around the sand on the bottom beneath us.  What an experience!

  • Lots of birds! – I am not knowledgeable about birds so apologise for not knowing what I was looking at. But they were plentiful!

  • While there are really no facilities for visitors, camping, no bathrooms, lack of meal choice (fish or goat!), this place is truly spectacular.  Of course, with the poverty on the island, it is difficult for them to maintain this gem, but the locals we met are truly doing their very best.

Our guide Eisa, drivers Fuad, Wael and Abdulla, and our cooks Abdul Waza and Riad were awesome and we got by on a smattering of English, Arabic and even learnt a few word of Socotri!

Socotra, while not the easiest of trips, particularly in the summer when we were there, is a do not miss destination!