Socotra Island is one of the Yemeni islands located geographically on the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, in the international waterway that connects the countries of the Indian Ocean and the countries of the world, and its name is derived from the ancient Arabic language, and its capital is the city of Hadibu, and its land area is 3,650 km², and its width is 50 km, It has a length of 132 km, and it is divided administratively into two directorates: Hadibo, Qalansiyah and Abd al-Kuri, and the island consists of four islands: Darsa Island, Samha Island, Socotra Island and Abdul Kouri Island.
Table of Contents
Climate and astronomical location of Socotra
Astronomically located between the two latitudes 128 ° to 42.12 ° north of the equator, and between longitudes 53.19 ° to 45.33 ° east of the Greenwich Line, and its climate is characterized by diversity, as it has three climatic regions: cold climate, cool climate, and hot marine climate.
Transportation on Socotra and how to get there
Public transportation in Socotra is limited to rare minibuses to Valencia and villages on the northeastern coast, and four-wheel drive cars are usually rented with a special driver for that. Ships also connect Socotra’s only port, 5 km east of Hadiboh, with the Yemeni coastal city of Mukalla (Mukalla). According to information from the ports of Mukalla and Hadibo, the journey takes 2-3 days and this service is mostly used for shipping.
The most important travel necessities for Socotra
Comfortable, light and casual clothes, a sleeping bag and something warm to wear at night in the winter, for hiking at high altitude you can use comfortable walking shoes or sneakers, protective clothing, face wash or sunscreen, rainwear, personal hygiene and any personal medicines such as some headache tablets Some medications for the digestive system and intestinal antiseptic, spare batteries for your camera, flashlight with spare batteries, drinking water bottle on the back, belt for money and valuables.
Health requirements when traveling for tourism on the island
While Socotra is not a region for malaria, but there are mosquitoes that transmit it in some places, so it is advised to prevent malaria, and it is safe that cholera is not present on the island at all, you should also drink bottled mineral water only, it is readily available, consult your doctor And your dentist or health clinic for travel for advice and preventive measures.
Sightseeing and activities on Socotra Island
Caves
There are large areas of the island consisting of limestone, so there are many large cave systems throughout the island, such as the Hook Cave, which is near the eastern end, and is three kilometers long with a huge competing room, and the size of this cave exceeds the size of the Carlsbad Caves despite The stalagmites and stalagmites are not widespread, along with a shallow, shallow cave with amazing features in its mouth, located near the island’s southern coast.
Valencia beach
Beautiful white sandy beaches can be found in many locations in Socotra, and many people consider Valencia with its white sands, rocky peaks, and huge, beautiful lakes on the island and even the entire world. There is also Al-Shawab Beach in the western part of the island on the eastern part of it. In addition to some sports that can be done in the beach of Arhr, which is characterized by wonderful sand dunes, in addition to the eastern end of the island, which is boiling the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean together in a foamy block where marine birds drifted over the monsoons that rise in the sky.
Snorkeling, diving and surfing
Socotra is characterized by being surrounded by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, and there are many excellent places on the island for snorkeling and diving, as it has beautiful coral reefs, with an abundance of fish, turtles and even giant oysters, so some consider it one of the best places to dive in the world, with sharks Coral reefs and many other marine creatures.
the canyons
Many deep grooves penetrate the thick limestone plateau in Socotra, the most famous of which is the Monastery of Courf, which runs from the Aghair Mountains south to the Indian Ocean, and can be reached either from hiking through the mountains, or from Dexam Plateau, and the valley contains long walls of limestone Palm trees, endemic plants and beautiful pools of water.
Natural arches
Natural arches Given the amount of limestone found on Socotra, it has the highest concentration of natural arcs anywhere you have visited, as there are arches that appear in most of the island’s traffic and bus trips, and although some are large and clear from afar, A large number of them take some research and are located in small cavities.
