In my worldview, there was a clear picture that everyone knew about Socotra. And at least half of those who knew had either been there or were planning to.
But, as the classic said: oh, how many amazing discoveries the spirit of education is preparing for us.
And how many discoveries social networks and their readers are preparing for us – it is impossible to count.
When I posted that I was vacationing on Socotra, someone naively asked in spirit: “Where is this Socorrta?” (apparently the incorrect reading and, as a result, the incorrect spelling made it difficult to find information. Many simply admitted that they went to Google (or Yandex, whoever likes what), what it is and where it is.
This was the most common comment after wishes for a pleasant vacation away from civilization.
It’s nice to bring new knowledge to people. Miracle Island and I got the idea to go there and see all the beauty with my own eyes. Yes
Here is
the reaction: “I also want to go to Socotra now.”
The second thing is, people start reading what it is and where it is.
And then the opposite reaction arises: “Oh, this is Yemen, there is a war there. Thanks, but no.
The island of Socotra, washed by the Indian Ocean on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other, does indeed administratively belong to Yemen.
But, as the inhabitants of this island themselves say: “We are not Yemen, we are Socotra.”
Hinting at their own isolation.
However, you can’t throw a word out of the song. Socotra is part of Yemen. There is a war going on in Yemen. Therefore, you can’t just take it, buy a ticket, get a visa and find yourself in this lost world.
But there is another word that Socotra is not exactly Yemen. There is a war going on somewhere far away. Being on Socotra, you would hardly guess about it. Only the poverty of the local population (which did not live much before the war), intensified by the war and as a result – a small tourist flow, which has already decreased, and organizational difficulties with the trip hint at problems in the region.
In other words, in Baghdad, phew, everything is calm on Socotra. The locals are very much looking forward to tourists, who are now a rare but still major source of income.
However, let’s get down to business.
To get to Socotra now, you will have to buy a tour. There will be a local travel company offering their services – it’s up to you to decide, based on what you prefer.
So, whether you buy a tour directly from a local company (there are several on the island) for your company, whether you are ready to join a team of international companies, or whether you are attracted by colorful descriptions of the tour (only here and now) and the prospect of traveling with your compatriots, having bought a tour from the organizers, the program and conditions will be approximately the same.
Prices vary – depending on appetites and additional goodies included in the program.
You can find prices on the Internet. But unfortunately, the relatively small price for the tour is accompanied by additional costs in the form of a visa, an expensive flight to Socotra, and other related things that double the same price.
For this tour, you will be issued a single-entry visa to Yemen, valid only in Socotra.
The visa currently costs $130.
There is only one way to get to Socotra.
Once a week, a charter flight from Abu Dhabi is operated by Air Arabia (a low-cost airline under Emirates).
Arabs are very active in the life of Socotra. And if you don’t go into details, you might not realize that you’ve flown from the United Arab Emirates to another country.
We didn’t change local money – we could pay in UAE currency or dollars.
The SIM card on the island worked in Arabic, without roaming. We bought it specifically after arriving at Abu Dhabi airport. Well, those who needed mobile internet. It was on the island for almost every overnight stay.
Charter tickets are booked in advance by tour operators. Of course, there is a chance that a week before the scheduled departure date, you will be able to buy tickets, having suddenly decided to fly to Socotra, but the chance is very remote. Therefore, a tour to Socotra should be planned well in advance.
The cost of tickets Abu Dhabi – Socotra – Abu Dhabi is now $830.
This is very expensive, but, as they say, go to the market, look for cheaper.
You buy tickets directly from the airline, so you should not think that in this way tour operators are profiting from unfortunate tourists.
You have a ticket to Socotra – and by definition you cannot be unhappy.
We were told that there are two flights a week to Socotra.
However, this second flight is often not booked and is canceled. Therefore, tour organizers direct all potential tourists to a single flight (and now let’s think about why the second flight is not booked) – no one wants to take the risk.
All we have. One flight per week, carrying 180 passengers. That’s the tourist potential of Socotra today.
The most suitable five months for visiting are from October to March inclusive.
With one flight per week, all tours are squeezed into a tight eight-day time frame.
To be honest, not all of Socotra’s attractions are wow-wow. But you need something to do for eight days.
So it’s better to immediately tune in to a slow, meditative vacation.
However, it’s not hard to take your time, sitting on the shore of the warm sea or swimming in it.
All the tourists who arrived are paraded around the same sights. But to avoid a crowd, everyone’s programs are structured a little differently. The set of attractions is a mess.
As a result, despite the fact that every night at the campsites we stood together with 2-3 other groups, during the day we usually ended up alone in beautiful places.
I don’t know if there are any agreements between the tour organizers or if it just happened by chance. But it turned out well.
I will write about food and accommodation on the island separately.
But to be brief, tourists live in tents on the sea or ocean shore. At most campsites, toilets and showers (with cold water, though) were added to the tent sites.
We spent one night on the eve of departure at a hotel in the city.
The food was quite monotonous, but tasty. It necessarily included freshly caught fish and other sea reptiles. I think I ate enough fish for a year.
Now the same Arabs are actively building on the island. And it is possible that in a couple of years there will be several large hotels on the coast.
The conditions will become more comfortable, but the charm of the trip will definitely be lost.
On Socotra (here is an echo of the fact that this is Yemen) there is a rather strict dress code. In all settlements, including small villages that we somehow ended up in along the route, clothes that cover the legs and shoulders are required.
Most girls solved this issue by taking long dresses. But pants and a T-shirt are also quite normal.
Outside the places where people live, you can walk as you like.
You can swim in swimsuits of any configuration – even in the most daring bikinis. However, you should not forget about the sun. It is very active here.
Therefore, I personally swam in a shirt with long sleeves.
Also, under no circumstances should you take pictures of local women. You can even get in trouble for that. If, of course, someone sees it.
Summarizing the information (it seems like I’ve mostly told you everything, I haven’t forgotten anything) – add a ticket to Abu Dhabi and back to your place of residence to the additional costs. And at least one night in Abu Dhabi. You need to arrive the day before, because the flight to Socotra is in the morning, and all tour organizers recommend arriving at the airport at least three hours in advance, fearing that this charter is often overbooked.
The tour organization itself is a bit too relaxed. No one is in a hurry. This should also be taken into account. So much so that sometimes I had to take on the burden of the local guides, who are even more relaxed.
Perhaps all of the above sounds terrible. And you’ve already imagined how I spent eight days locked on an island with a bunch of strange women, all alone and cursing the day I decided to go on this trip.
But no.
In general, I liked everything.
In the first couple of days, these endless photo shoots were a bit inciting. Until we managed to switch our brains from the focus of “a pancake, and we’ll get stuck here for half an hour” to the focus of “while they’re taking pictures, I’ll take a walk, there’s something to see here, and yes, please take a picture of me too”.
And there was also a very pleasant company of 10 people (one of whom was a man, but this is not the first time he has participated in Che’s travels with his wife and does not disturb the harmony at all, although no one knows what he thinks about this).
Despite being relaxed and unhurried, we completed the entire planned program and even managed to exceed it a little.
An indisputable plus was the excellent choice of a local operator (although, maybe they all work well there). And a well-planned route.
After everything I’ve seen about other people’s trips and read tour plans from other tour organizers (after the trip with knowledge of the matter), I understand that our puzzle of attractions was the most successful.
So if suddenly for some reason you do not want to contact local travel agencies directly (and there can be a huge number of such reasons now, starting with paying for the tour), you can safely use the services of Che. They will invent, think through and organize everything for you. They will give you all the necessary information and advice before the trip and will not leave you in a hurry – they will be in touch to resolve any issues that arise.