Petroglyphs in Eriosh

There are numerous drawings of feet scattered across a sufficiently large area of land. So it should seem ancient Socotrans decided to leave their trace in the history. It is symbolical that some drawing depict feet going in various directions.

Here you can also see a couple of small men dancing, a camel and a clear image of the cross and X + B inscription.

2* Hotels in Hadibo

Отели Сокотры, Хадибо

In Hadibo, the capital of Socotra, we offer two newly constructed 2-3* hotels notable for relative cleanness and order.

Both hotels are located in the center of the city on its main street.

The hotels do not have own restaurants, but you can have breakfast and dinner in one of the local restaurants near the hotel where you will be offered fish, rice or goat meat and unpretentious breakfast.

Each room has two beds, a TV, an air conditioner and a refrigerator. Almost all of them contain a bathroom.

Hotel Summer Land 4*, Socotra, Hadibo

It is the first 3-4* level hotel (unfortunately, without a swimming pool) established on the island.

The hotel offers comfortable air-conditioned rooms with a WC-and-bathroom unit and properly running hot water.

You can have dinner and supper at a restaurant where you won’t be bothered by goats.

The hotel prices are rather high (about 100$ for DBL), but it is a good bargain for those who got used to comfort and service and do not want to sleep in tents.

So, now you can make your travel to Socotra as comfortable as possible.

We develop individual tours around the island accompanied by the best English speaking guides of Socotra who will show you the island in daylight time and bring you to your hotel in Hadiboh for overnight stay.

Ayaft Gorge

Ayaft Gorge is the greenest place of Socotra. Its unique moisture-retaining microclimate is created by numerous springs and streams. The gorge is protected from summer monsoons by Scant Mountains. That is why its vegetation remains lush the year round.
In spite of its close location to the airport and the main road leading to Hadiboh it looks like a fairy world filled with wondrous birds, fantastic trees and real mountain Socotrans.
The earth road will lead you along the stream to a wide water-meadow where a small village is snuggled. It is a usual place for most tourist groups to get out of cars for a walk. If you want to see a little out-of-the-way place of Socotra we would recommend you to continue driving other two kilometers along the country road to a small Socotran settlement where most people do not speak Arabic and have a lifestyle that has not practically changed for centuries.
The hillsides are covered with dense bush thickets. So, to avoid scratching your skin follow the paths. It is the right place where frankincense trees grow. With a thin smooth body and long branches with small narrow leaves the tree is not much to look at. It is rather difficult to find it – you need someone to show it to you. But this is the tree that made Socotra famous in the ancient world.
Frankincense, also called olibanum (Arabic language: لبٌان, lubbān), is an aromatic resin obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia by slashing the bark and allowing the exuded resins to bleed out and harden. These hardened resins are called tears. With special skill it is quite possible to harvest a handful of frankincense for an hour. If you lived 2100 years ago, you would get hold of a vast wealth as Socotra’s frankincense was valued above gold and other incenses.
If you feel the difference between smells make sure that EVERY tree has its individual smell! The resin flavor depends also on a season and its age. Old trees produce the best tears due to their higher aromatic content. But one has to spend much time and efforts to find such a tree.
It is more easily to buy a pot with frankincense tears from local kiddies. They make their business by selling a handful of this aromatic resin for 500 riyal. It is a fixed price. We would recommend you to have small money as they do not give change. Please, don’t tap frankincense by yourself – remember that you are a guest at a private territory.
When walking along Ayaft look under your feet. It is the right place where we met chameleons at various times. They won’t do you any harm. You can even take them in your arms. What can’t be said about a big shaggy spider we saw here in a while. His bite can even kill a camel.
The whole trip takes at least 3 hours. It is good to combine it with swimming and toasting on the close deserted beach. After that you can wash sea-salt from your body in a fresh water pool of Ayaft. Though Ayaft, due to its close location to the airport, is usually planned as the first place to visit in most standard tourist programs, we would recommend you to come here in the end of your travel. You will get more impressions!
From Ayaft gorge you can undertake a number of interesting trekking trips, for example, back to Hadiboh. This trek route takes a day. It is not difficult but uphill hiking skill will be good for you.

Skant mountain

If you want to see a montane Socotrans’ way of living we would recommend you to visit Skant mountain area.
You can get here by the same road leading to Dixam and Noget. After turning off to an earth-road and following it for about half an hour you will almost reach the peak of the mountain range that can be clearly seen from the airport and Ayaft Gorge. Leaving your car at a parking place you can take a walk to the edge of vertical cliffs to see numerous ruins of ancient constructions.
If you go a shade down you will find a few dwelling-houses where friendly and cheery people live. They will definitely offer you a cup of tee. If you want you can ask them to cook a goat. They usually stew and serve it with rice and sour goat milk.
It is a usual food of montane Socotrans.

Shuab Bay

You can get to Shuab Bay by boat from Qalansiyah village. In an hour and a half you will appear in a marvelous place of Socotra far from civilization.
After sailing round a cape and by beautiful rocks we would recommend you to stay in a bay for snorkeling. There is a wonderful underwater world here.
Then your boat continues its way and after a while you will find yourself on a breath-taking sand beach, one of the best on the island. Tourists are usually brought here for not more than two hours as their guides strive to come back to Qalansiyah within the first half of the day to avoid meeting waves usually raised by wind in the afternoon.
Shuab bay is overrun with fish. It is quite easy to catch tuna, barracuda or redfish by a trammel net on your way to the sand beach. You can also hook herrings schooling near the shore of Shuab bay.
Setting off on a journey to Shuab, do not forget to take a sunburn cream, a kerchief or a cap to protect yourself against the sun. Also, to avoid catching a cold take something warm to put on in case you meet wind and spoondrift on your way back.

Archer is located on the north-east shore of Socotra. It takes 1,5 hours to get here by car from Hadiboh.
This place is a popular camping site between two big dunes. Before coming here tourists are usually taken to Erissel beach for swimming. It is also possible to bathe near camping. But we would recommend you to go 500 m to the right or to the left to avoid walking along rocky sea bottom opposite the stream or put on special swimming slippers.
The camping site has fresh water but a lack of shower and toilet rooms. So, you can take a natural bath in a fresh water stream. Other advantage of this camping site is that there are no local people. This means that you can make bonfires by burning wood fuel brought with you and to grill fish and potatoes.
Those who possess great physical strength and endurance may climb one of the dunes. Most tourists prefer climbing the right dune. But if you scramble up the second one you will be rewarded with a great unusual view. If you take cameras remember the risk of it being exposed to sand. And do not forget to take water– the route is much more difficult and longer than it seems to be.
This place is famous for its eel swarms. Locals do not eat them. So, if you explore grassed verges of the stream you will definitely see eels, some of which are up to 1,5 m long. Do not catch them! They are too bony and tasteless.
Please, do not litter in Archer! Before leaving the place burn all combustible refuse or collect and take it to Hadiboh. Though every year this place is cleaned by summer monsoons and water streams in November, please, try to make it cleaner than it was before your coming here.

Dixam Plateau

Dixam Plateau is located in the central part of Socotra. You will be lead here by a good asphalt road which you can follow to get to Noget – the south coast of the Island.
When leaving the main road, you will drive by a small village where you can buy Dragon’s blood. It is the name used for a red resin obtained from Dragoon Trees. It is a good immunostimulant and wound-healthing remedy. In Ancient Rome gladiators smeared their bodies with the resin extracted from Dragoon Trees. It hastened healing of their wounds by reducing blood loss. It is considered that Dragon’s blood has greater healing properties than well-known Mumiyo. Except the resin you can also buy here dried juice of the Socotran Aloe, frankincense and clay smoking jars.
After passing by the village we would recommend you to turn to the left to get to the verge of Socotra’s most beautiful canyon - Wadi Dirhur. The best time to come here is late afternoon. Soft evening lighting makes surroundings to look fantastic. Tourists often use this place for camping. But we wouldn’t advise you to stay here – it may be cold and windy at night. Local guides prefer camping not far from the village as they will most likely stay overnight there.
If you have time we would recommend you to walk down to the brink of the canyon and to turn to the right – you can find here the caves still inhabited by mountain shepherds.
Do the next stop near the wood of Dragon Trees. Try to find a blood-red clot of resin on the bark of a tree, climb its crown or just lay half an hour in its shade and enjoy the thought that you see an endemic that may be more than one thousand years old!
is located in the central part of Socotra. You will be lead here by a good asphalt road which you can follow to get to Noget – the south coast of the Island.
When leaving the main road, you will drive by a small village where you can buy Dragon’s blood. It is the name used for a red resin obtained from Dragoon Trees. It is a good immunostimulant and wound-healthing remedy. In Ancient Rome gladiators smeared their bodies with the resin extracted from Dragoon Trees. It hastened healing of their wounds by reducing blood loss. It is considered that Dragon’s blood has greater healing properties than well-known Mumiyo. Except the resin you can also buy here dried juice of the Socotran Aloe, frankincense and clay smoking jars.
After passing by the village we would recommend you to turn to the left to get to the verge of Socotra’s most beautiful canyon - Wadi Dirhur. The best time to come here is late afternoon. Soft evening lighting makes surroundings to look fantastic. Tourists often use this place for camping. But we wouldn’t advise you to stay here – it may be cold and windy at night. Local guides prefer camping not far from the village as they will most likely stay overnight there.
If you have time we would recommend you to walk down to the brink of the canyon and to turn to the right – you can find here the caves still inhabited by mountain shepherds.
Do the next stop near the wood of Dragon Trees. Try to find a blood-red clot of resin on the bark of a tree, climb its crown or just lay half an hour in its shade and enjoy the thought that you see an endemic that may be more than one thousand years old!