Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tourism is still a fairly new concept to the island, but in a very short space of time an
admirable range of tours and activities has become available. There's little to see or do in
Hadibu, so try to organise everything in advance to avoid wasting time there. With no real
organised public transport and, outside Hadibu, no hotels or restaurants, it would be very
hard to explore Socotra in a truly independent manner. Therefore, virtually everyone uses
the services of either a local or Sanaʻa-based agency.
For most people the island highlights are the exhilarating hiking, divine beaches and the
extraordinary flora and fauna. The best beach by far is the deserted bridal-white sands and
blissful blues of
Detwah Lagoon
at
Qalansiyah
in the west of the island. There's a small and
well-run
campsite
here with pre-erected tents for YR1000. Not far behind on the beach is
Homhil
, in the east of the island, where fresh and salt waters mingle beneath mountainous
dunes.
SAFE HAVEN
Until the construction of an airport in 2002, the island remained almost as unknown as it did in the days when ad-
venturers came here to do battle with dragons in their search for the secret of eternal life. Ironically, because of
the turmoil on the mainland, Socotra is today one of the only places in Yemen that tourists are still safely visiting
and for which travel permits are being freely issued. There have been protests in the island capital, Hadibu, but
Socotra has escaped the violence that has devoured much of the mainland and there have been no security incid-
ents involving western tourists.
Diving & Snorkelling
The diving (equipment/guide/boat US$50/ 50/50) in Socotra is world class, with the at-
traction being fish rather than coral. Some of these fish grow very big indeed and include
curious schools of dolphins, comical turtles (both in the summer only) and lots of very
large and decidedly less-friendly sharks! Most of the dive sites in Socotra are virtually un-
explored. A recommended dive operator is the
Socotra Diving Centre
( 777007588)
.
There's also excellent snorkelling (YR500 equipment rental), with the Dihamri Marine
Protected Area, around 15km from Hadibu, and the Roosh Marine Protected Area, around
30km from Hadibu, being the best places for peering under the waves.
Hiking
There's great hiking potential, with the green hills and granite outcrops of the 1500m Ha-
jhir Mountains providing dragons, cave dwellers and views. Unless you're planning a
long trans island hike, you'll need a vehicle to reach some of the best walking areas. It's
compulsory to take two guides - one from a Hadibu tour agency (YR5000) to act as a
translator and one local guide to act as a, well, guide (YR5000). There are two standard
