Socotra Highlights Tour

Itinerary

1. Day One

   Arrive in Socotra

   • The tour officially starts on the island of Socotra, however, as we will all be travelling on the same flight, our tour leader will meet us at Abu Dhabi Airport in the morning.

   • Upon arrival into Habibou we’ll drive to the Summerland Hotel to check in and have lunch before heading over to Delisha Beach to relax and swim in the sea.

   • Overnight in the hotel in Hadibou.

2. Day Two

   Homhil

   • Drive to Homil in the morning—home to many endemic plants like Dragon’s Blood Tree, Frankincense Tree and Desert Rose.

   • Once in Homhil we will walk on some trails; one takes us to a viewpoint with a natural swimming pool and a view of the villages below on the plain and the Arabian Sea.

   • Depart for the Arher area, a meeting point of freshwater and saltwater, and also home to a magnificent set of dunes.

   • Dinner and overnight stay at Arher campsite.

3. Day Three

   Terbak Village

   • Drive to Terbak Village in the morning, where Hoq Cave is located. We will then hike for 1.5 hours until we reach the cave entrance before spending an hour inside. Hoq is one of the largest caves on the island, being over 3km deep. It holds a wealth of Socotri history and is full of archaeological findings, such as paintings, pottery, and wooden tables with inscriptions in Aramaic language dating back to 258 AD. The cave offers an overwhelming beauty and various crystal decorations, like stalagmites, stalactites and calcite floors.

   • Drive back to Hadibou after lunch, where we’ll have the opportunity to visit the local women’s institute and buy their homemade crafts.

4. Day Four

   Ayhaft Canyon National Park

   • Head to Ayhaft Canyon National Park. In the canyon, we will visit large freshwater pools where you can swim and relax. All around, you can see a wide variety of endemic plants, such as dessert rose, tamarind trees and cucumber trees, plus a wide variety of birds, such as Socotra sparrows, Socotra sunbirds and both Socotri and Somali starlings.

   • Travel to the western part of the island to explore Detwah Lagoon—this is a marine-protected area renowned for its magical landscape and some of the best views of Socotra.

   • Dinner and overnight stay at the nearby Qalansiyah Campsite.

5. Day Five

   Dixam Plateau

   • Take a boat to the remote beach of Shuaab. We will likely see spinner dolphins and other sea life during the boat ride. Once in Shuaab, we can swim, relax, enjoy the pristine beach, and explore nearby mangroves.

   • After lunch at Qalansiyah, we will make our way to Dixam Plateau and Shebahon viewpoint.

   • Dinner and overnight stay at Dixam Campsite.

6. Day Six

   Defarhu Valley

   • Drive down to Wadi Dirhur Canyon, where we’ll hike alongside the lush vegetation and natural water pools. The river flowing through this region creates a series of incredible cascading lakes through the mountains, whilst huge white rocks surround the water pools.

   • Continue to the island’s southern coast through the unique Defarhu Valley. We will see traditional villages, natural water pools at the bottom of the canyon, and the unusual desert rose trees growing on the canyon walls.

   • After lunch, we drive to Hayf and Zahek villages to witness the massive dunes pushed up against the mountainside by the seasonal winds of Socotra. We then make our way to Omak Beach. After swimming, sunbathing and relaxing in the clear water of the Indian Ocean, we depart to Digub Cave, which overlooks a scattering of traditional villages below.

   • Overnight at the hotel in Hadibou.

7. Day Seven

   Dihammri

   • Drive to Kalhsa Canyon, which features a beautiful waterfall and many places to swim and relax. We’ll take lunch here before departing to Dihammri, where we can swim and snorkel in the marine protected area, home to one of the richest coral reefs on the archipelago. Dihammri is blessed with more than 200 fish species and several coral species native to the island.

   • End our day by driving back to Hadibou, where we will have a final dinner together before staying overnight in the hotel.

8. Day Eight

   Tour Ends

   • In the morning the tour will end and we’ll be transferred to the airport for our flight back to Abu Dhabi.