If you want to go to an island destination that offers beautiful beaches, unique endemic flora and fauna and pure bliss then this far off island, is perfect for you.
Location: Situated 250 miles off the coast of Yemen, Socotra is the largest member of an archipelago of the same name, a four-island ellipsis that trails off the Horn of Africa into the Gulf of Aden.
A mix of ancient granite massifs, limestone cliffs and red sandstone plateaus, make this island. The long geological isolation of the Socotra archipelago and its fierce heat and drought have combined to create a unique and spectacular endemic flora.
It is the home of Frankincense trees, myrrh trees and several rare birds. Its marine life is a unique hybrid of species from the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific.
The dragon’s blood tree, Dracaena cinnabari, is Socotra’s flagship species. With a vertical trunk and arching canopy, the tree resembles a parasol that’s been blown inside out. When its trunk is cut, it oozes a red sap that gives rise to cinnabar, a resin with famous medicinal qualities.
More than 40,000 people now live there: many in Hadibu, the island’s main town, the rest scattered in small stone villages, working as fishermen and semi-nomadic Bedouin herders. Nature and culture are longstanding neighbors and ecotourism is to be developed here.
A modest airport went up in 1999. (Before then, the island could be reached only by cargo ship; from May to September, when monsoon winds whip up the sea, it could be cut off entirely.) That year, 140 travelers visited. The annual figure now exceeds 2,500.
When to go: October through April is best especially March and April, when the sea is flat and ideal for snorkeling and diving. Avoid the windy monsoon season from May to September.
Getting there: There are only two flights a week to the island, operated by Yemen Airways (www.yemenia.com); seats sell out well in advance.
Local language: Socotri, a language that is unique to the island is spoken here .The most handy was the one for ‘I’m full.’ No, thank you, no more goat’s milk, goat’s-milk yogurt or fricasseed goat, I’m full - kheapaak!
Tip: Best to pack some camping gear since the most beautiful sites are far away from Hadibu, which offers the only two hotels, Al Mohet and Taj Socotra
To an extent the bio diversity of this paradise is threatened, the forest of dragon’s blood trees are depleting. The cause could be either climate change or over grazing by growing herds of livestock. Well do visit here before the island paradise gets ruined.
Source: The New York Times
