Socotra Guide for the Budget Traveler
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This is a companion guide to the post Dragonbloods and Frankincense: The Island of Socotra. Note that costs were researched as of December 2013, but prices are rapidly increasing.
When to Go
Generally, any time outside of monsoon season (June-August) when the winds are intense. DBT Socotra Adventure Tours has a nice summary of the seasons.
Visa
$50 through tour operator. It's significantly more work to do it yourself. I contacted the Yemeni embassy in two different countries without success.
Through a tour operator, you will get a scanned copy of your visa and one of their agents will have the original copy in hand at the airport when you arrive. Some operators waive the fee if you take their tour. The others should waive or not charge more than $50/person, and you should negotiate this if you are plunking down a few hundred for their tour.
When to Go
Generally, any time outside of monsoon season (June-August) when the winds are intense. DBT Socotra Adventure Tours has a nice summary of the seasons.
Visa
$50 through tour operator. It's significantly more work to do it yourself. I contacted the Yemeni embassy in two different countries without success.
Through a tour operator, you will get a scanned copy of your visa and one of their agents will have the original copy in hand at the airport when you arrive. Some operators waive the fee if you take their tour. The others should waive or not charge more than $50/person, and you should negotiate this if you are plunking down a few hundred for their tour.
Socotra's famous trees: cucumber, dragonblood, and desert rose
Tour operators and guides
When I asked about obtaining a visa, I was told a new law as of summer 2013 requires tourists to hire a guide. I'm not sure if this is officially true, but the island is small enough that people will question you if you don't use a guide. Although they can help with logistics, guides for island-wide trips aren't critically necessary. You can buy a guidebook to identify species and read Wikipedia on the history of the island. A driver will get you anywhere you need to go, can tell you about sites, and generally have enough English to help you interact with locals. Consequently, you can hire an all-island guide or a cheaper local-guide for a few days to satisfy this requirement then you can explore the island afterward at your leisure. We spent 2 weeks on the island: the first week was a package tour and the second week we pieced together on our own or with local guides depending on where we went. For Week 1, we did the monthly tour offer with Socotra Holidays and Tours since it was the cheapest weekly guided option (I was quoted 7 days at $530/person for October 2013 and $595/person for December 2013). On the December 2013 tour, there was only one other person. Week 2, we visited two places that were not included in the package tour.
When you ask about getting a visa without taking a tour, the tour operators will push you to take one of their tours. They will tell you without their help, you will be miserable because you will have to arrange transportation, meals, guides, accommodation, and camping supplies. They will tell you this sounds like work and not a vacation. These considerations aren't as difficult as it seems even if you don't speak Arabic (it will be MUCH easier if you or a traveling buddy speaks Arabic). If you do choose to travel outside a package tour, this guide will tell you how to cover these logistics. Scroll to the bottom to see a cost breakdown.
To enter some areas, you need to hire a local guide. They charge 4000 YER/day ($20/day) and are generally worth the money.* For Week 2, we hired local guides for climbing Mt. Scand and for trekking Momi/Kalysan. The Mt. Scand guide was helpful because the path isn't well marked, and he made tea for us. Momi/Kalysan could probably be done with a compass or GPS, but it was good to have the guide for that trip as well. Our guide for this portion stayed in the local towns while we camped, so we didn't need to provide food for him. He did a good job of navigating us to Kalysan and back out again. None of the guides spoke English and I don't speak Arabic, but we were able to communicate well enough.
*The only lousy local guide was mandatory for the 90-min hike between Homhil and Wadi Shifa. He costs 2000 YER and is useless (path is well-marked). Even on the package tour, we had to hire a local guide for this stretch. On our second trip during Week 2, the local guide littered and asked for extra money.
Money
Socotra has a bank and you can exchange dollars at your hotel. However, you may want to withdraw money from the ATMs at the Sana'a airport. The money changers in Sana'a should also be a good value. During my visit, $1 USD = 215 Yemeni rials (YER), and at the money changer the buy/sell rate was tight (something like 214/216), which means you won't get ripped off. US dollars can be used some places in Socotra, but it's better to have rials. This may change if the tourism industry sees huge growth.
When I asked about obtaining a visa, I was told a new law as of summer 2013 requires tourists to hire a guide. I'm not sure if this is officially true, but the island is small enough that people will question you if you don't use a guide. Although they can help with logistics, guides for island-wide trips aren't critically necessary. You can buy a guidebook to identify species and read Wikipedia on the history of the island. A driver will get you anywhere you need to go, can tell you about sites, and generally have enough English to help you interact with locals. Consequently, you can hire an all-island guide or a cheaper local-guide for a few days to satisfy this requirement then you can explore the island afterward at your leisure. We spent 2 weeks on the island: the first week was a package tour and the second week we pieced together on our own or with local guides depending on where we went. For Week 1, we did the monthly tour offer with Socotra Holidays and Tours since it was the cheapest weekly guided option (I was quoted 7 days at $530/person for October 2013 and $595/person for December 2013). On the December 2013 tour, there was only one other person. Week 2, we visited two places that were not included in the package tour.
When you ask about getting a visa without taking a tour, the tour operators will push you to take one of their tours. They will tell you without their help, you will be miserable because you will have to arrange transportation, meals, guides, accommodation, and camping supplies. They will tell you this sounds like work and not a vacation. These considerations aren't as difficult as it seems even if you don't speak Arabic (it will be MUCH easier if you or a traveling buddy speaks Arabic). If you do choose to travel outside a package tour, this guide will tell you how to cover these logistics. Scroll to the bottom to see a cost breakdown.
To enter some areas, you need to hire a local guide. They charge 4000 YER/day ($20/day) and are generally worth the money.* For Week 2, we hired local guides for climbing Mt. Scand and for trekking Momi/Kalysan. The Mt. Scand guide was helpful because the path isn't well marked, and he made tea for us. Momi/Kalysan could probably be done with a compass or GPS, but it was good to have the guide for that trip as well. Our guide for this portion stayed in the local towns while we camped, so we didn't need to provide food for him. He did a good job of navigating us to Kalysan and back out again. None of the guides spoke English and I don't speak Arabic, but we were able to communicate well enough.
*The only lousy local guide was mandatory for the 90-min hike between Homhil and Wadi Shifa. He costs 2000 YER and is useless (path is well-marked). Even on the package tour, we had to hire a local guide for this stretch. On our second trip during Week 2, the local guide littered and asked for extra money.
Money
Socotra has a bank and you can exchange dollars at your hotel. However, you may want to withdraw money from the ATMs at the Sana'a airport. The money changers in Sana'a should also be a good value. During my visit, $1 USD = 215 Yemeni rials (YER), and at the money changer the buy/sell rate was tight (something like 214/216), which means you won't get ripped off. US dollars can be used some places in Socotra, but it's better to have rials. This may change if the tourism industry sees huge growth.
Sana'a airport has ATMs outside and inside. The inside ATMs are separate from the passenger area, but easy to access. (image: snipview.com)
Getting there
Yemenia and Felix fly to Socotra, though Felix is not recommended due to problems with online booking and consistency (According to some locals, Felix has even left 2h before its scheduled departure, stranding some passengers).
Felix flies every Wednesday and Saturday from Sana'a (SAH) to Socotra (SCT) and back.
Felix also flies from Sharjah (SHJ), which is minutes from Dubai airport (DXB), to Socotra on Wednesdays and back on Saturdays.
Yemenia flies every Monday from Sana'a (SAH) to Socotra (SCT) and back.
I tried to write down flight times, but they seem to change. Book as far in advance as possible for lower prices- they only seem to increase with time.
Getting around
Your options are bus, bus rental, private car with driver. There are no car rentals.
Buses run limited routes with approximate schedules. To find which bus you need or where to catch it, ask a local for assistance! Bus drivers will want you to rent the entire bus, so make sure you insist on taking the public one.
The buses we took:
Bus rentals are approximately 5-8K, depending on distance and your negotiating skills. A good approximation for a daily bus rental is to multiply the bus fare to your destination by the number of seats in the bus and then again by 1.5 (to account for cramming and additional passengers picked up along the way). I'm not sure if this rate includes the driver for the entire day or a one-way trip to your destination. If the latter, you can probably upgrade to all day driver for a couple extra thousand rials. Overall, a bus rental is cheaper than a car with a driver, but the buses don't have 4WD. The only 4WD-accessible area would be Ayhaft Canyon. The bus is a good option for destinations on the north side of the island: Qalansiya/Detwah lagoon, the airport, Hadibo, Deleisha Beach, Dihamri MPA, Arher beach, Rosh PA as well as the paved roads through the interior and south coast: Dicksam Plateau, Aomak beach, Momi Plateau (Kalysan).
A private car with driver runs about $70-100/day. If you get an English-speaking driver, you can probably dispense with the guide. The driver will camp with you, and you can arrange for him to cook as well. Drivers are necessary to reach Ayhaft Canyon, Zahik sand dunes, Dogub cave (skippable), and some parts of Dicksam and Homhil.
Yemenia and Felix fly to Socotra, though Felix is not recommended due to problems with online booking and consistency (According to some locals, Felix has even left 2h before its scheduled departure, stranding some passengers).
Felix flies every Wednesday and Saturday from Sana'a (SAH) to Socotra (SCT) and back.
Felix also flies from Sharjah (SHJ), which is minutes from Dubai airport (DXB), to Socotra on Wednesdays and back on Saturdays.
Yemenia flies every Monday from Sana'a (SAH) to Socotra (SCT) and back.
I tried to write down flight times, but they seem to change. Book as far in advance as possible for lower prices- they only seem to increase with time.
Getting around
Your options are bus, bus rental, private car with driver. There are no car rentals.
Buses run limited routes with approximate schedules. To find which bus you need or where to catch it, ask a local for assistance! Bus drivers will want you to rent the entire bus, so make sure you insist on taking the public one.
The buses we took:
- Hadibo --> SCT airport (100 YER/person): several buses run to the airport because nobody was concerned when we asked if we would make it to the airport in time. This bus can be caught on the main road about 2 blocks west of Socotra Tourist Hotel (see map). A bus from the airport into Hadibo should cost 100 YER and should be waiting at the airport.
- Dicksam --> Hadibo (250 YER/person): After missing the supposed 10:00 pick-up time, we caught a bus about an hour later with a bunch of locals, including students who just got dismissed from school (which makes me think there were multiple buses or the 10:00 stop time was incorrect).
- Hadibo <--> Rosh (200 YER/person): We took a 15:00 bus from Hadibo to Rosh MPA and caught the same bus back at 05:00 early morning a few days later. This bus driver surprised us by charging 100 YER for our bag the first time and tried again on the way back. I held my bag in my lap the second time. He didn't charge the locals for their bags/boxes/chickens/etc.
Bus rentals are approximately 5-8K, depending on distance and your negotiating skills. A good approximation for a daily bus rental is to multiply the bus fare to your destination by the number of seats in the bus and then again by 1.5 (to account for cramming and additional passengers picked up along the way). I'm not sure if this rate includes the driver for the entire day or a one-way trip to your destination. If the latter, you can probably upgrade to all day driver for a couple extra thousand rials. Overall, a bus rental is cheaper than a car with a driver, but the buses don't have 4WD. The only 4WD-accessible area would be Ayhaft Canyon. The bus is a good option for destinations on the north side of the island: Qalansiya/Detwah lagoon, the airport, Hadibo, Deleisha Beach, Dihamri MPA, Arher beach, Rosh PA as well as the paved roads through the interior and south coast: Dicksam Plateau, Aomak beach, Momi Plateau (Kalysan).
A private car with driver runs about $70-100/day. If you get an English-speaking driver, you can probably dispense with the guide. The driver will camp with you, and you can arrange for him to cook as well. Drivers are necessary to reach Ayhaft Canyon, Zahik sand dunes, Dogub cave (skippable), and some parts of Dicksam and Homhil.
4WD car is the most efficient, but we were told you can't rent them yourself. Informal bus is the second best option.
Accommodation
All hotels except Summerland are about $20/night. Summerland is the "fanciest" hotel. Its prices were ~$150/night and rapidly increasing (the previous year it was $60/night). Stay at the cheaper hotels: Holiday Hotel, Taj, Mohet, and Socotra Tourist Hotel because they are almost the same as Summerland. All hotels are located on the main road that runs east-west through town. We stayed in Socotra Tourist Hotel. Most rooms in these hotels have fans, occasional hot water, satellite TV, and two twin beds. The rooms are not fancy, and the hotel is a bit run-down but this isn't a big deal. It's nicer than most of the surrounding buildings. The staff is good: they let us leave some of our stuff while we trekked for a week. One big bag with clothes was left under the stairs while another with laptops and other electronics was locked behind reception. Neither are particularly secure but we had nothing stolen or any other problems.
An even cheaper option is camping outside of Hadibo at Adib's Eco-lodge. This is a fair distance from town (map), which is probably a good thing because Hadibo is dusty and trash-strewn. Throughout the rest of the island, camping is the only option and generally costs 1000 YER/person. Most campsites are on the ocean, so you have beautiful views, starry skies, and fresh-air. Camps are generally shaded, 3-sided shelters with mats on top of gravel. Most campsites provide foam sleeping pads. A tent is helpful for blocking wind and keeping out mosquitoes, and if it rains enough to leak through the camp's thatch roof. Sleeping bags are useful in the high areas like Scand where temperatures cool. We also needed our sleeping bags when we got cold in Momi during a rainy night.
Here is a quick summary of the campsites from the northwest going clockwise:
All hotels except Summerland are about $20/night. Summerland is the "fanciest" hotel. Its prices were ~$150/night and rapidly increasing (the previous year it was $60/night). Stay at the cheaper hotels: Holiday Hotel, Taj, Mohet, and Socotra Tourist Hotel because they are almost the same as Summerland. All hotels are located on the main road that runs east-west through town. We stayed in Socotra Tourist Hotel. Most rooms in these hotels have fans, occasional hot water, satellite TV, and two twin beds. The rooms are not fancy, and the hotel is a bit run-down but this isn't a big deal. It's nicer than most of the surrounding buildings. The staff is good: they let us leave some of our stuff while we trekked for a week. One big bag with clothes was left under the stairs while another with laptops and other electronics was locked behind reception. Neither are particularly secure but we had nothing stolen or any other problems.
An even cheaper option is camping outside of Hadibo at Adib's Eco-lodge. This is a fair distance from town (map), which is probably a good thing because Hadibo is dusty and trash-strewn. Throughout the rest of the island, camping is the only option and generally costs 1000 YER/person. Most campsites are on the ocean, so you have beautiful views, starry skies, and fresh-air. Camps are generally shaded, 3-sided shelters with mats on top of gravel. Most campsites provide foam sleeping pads. A tent is helpful for blocking wind and keeping out mosquitoes, and if it rains enough to leak through the camp's thatch roof. Sleeping bags are useful in the high areas like Scand where temperatures cool. We also needed our sleeping bags when we got cold in Momi during a rainy night.
Here is a quick summary of the campsites from the northwest going clockwise:
- Shoab - Probably the most pristine because of its remoteness (90 min boat ride from town). The campsite seems basic. We only visited, so I can't comment on ablution or meals.
- Detwah: My favorite. The camp faces the lagoon with the beach and ocean just beyond. The site has outdoor showers and limited electricity. The fish and rice is really good.
- Qadama: Bare bones shelter, no meals, locked bathroom.
- Hadibo: Adib's Eco-lodge. No information available
- Scand: Cool in both senses of the word: a semi-abandoned shepherd's hut set amongst a dragonblood forest with rolling fog and brisk gusts of wind. We went here with a local guide whose hot chay sustained us through the night. Camping here is cheaper (500 YER per campsite or tent).
- Deleisha: no information available
- Dihamri: A few short steps away from the marine reserve. Mask, snorkel, fins rental is 3K YER, but you can rent items piecemeal if you have your own gear. Ablution facilities were good.
- Rosh: A gateway to Homhil and coastal midway point. The owner, Omar, was a decent chap and the fried fish was tasty. Ablution facilities were good. The beach isn't good for swimming (shallow with lots of coral, rocky beach).
- Homhil: One of the nicest campsites with stone walls. It faces a steep slope of dragonbloods. The camp is a short walk from both Homhil protected area, an outlandish landscape of frankincense and desert rose trees, and an awesome swimming hole overlooking Wadi Shifa and the Arabian Sea.
- Arher: Technically this isn't a camping facility, so you can probably stay here for free. The site has massive 100 ft high dunes that are fun to run down. A freshwater stream surrounded by a grassy bank is a good place to wash off after the ocean swim. A lot of people camp here so the place has some garbage, but still an overall nice camp spot.
- Momi Plateau and Kalysan: We didn't run across any official campsites so the camping was free. Kalysan would be an excellent place to camp with its abandoned village overlooking the wadi canyon.
- Aomak: Rolling sand dunes, starry skies, and central location make this an ideal campsite on the south coast. The showers are briny.
Food
Menus and prices were approximately:
Restaurant:
There are probably 5 restaurants in Hadibo, making the same local dishes. The restaurant next to Socotra Tourist hotel is the closest and serves excellent grilled whole fish. Another hole-in-the-wall restaurant on the market street is a lot cheaper and their fresh hobitz are delicious (see map below)!
Camping:
This option is for trekking or staying at campsites that do not offer food. You will need to provide food for your local guide if trekking. Preserved food can be purchased at any of the corner shops while fruits and veggies are found at the market. Please pack out your trash. Your local guides will tell you to just litter.
Menus and prices were approximately:
Restaurant:
- Fresh fish and goat (800 YER)
- beans (200 YER)
- spiced rice
- zahawet (pureed tomato, pepper, and soft cheese; 200 YER)
- hobitz (tortilla-style bread; 100 YER)
- chay tea
- eggs (200 YER)
There are probably 5 restaurants in Hadibo, making the same local dishes. The restaurant next to Socotra Tourist hotel is the closest and serves excellent grilled whole fish. Another hole-in-the-wall restaurant on the market street is a lot cheaper and their fresh hobitz are delicious (see map below)!
Camping:
- Fish and rice (1000-1500 YER/meal)
For about 4-6K YER, locals will slaughter a goat and cook it for you. As of December 2013, the following campsites for sure offered meals: Detwah (excellent fish), Dihamri, Aomak, Rosh, and Homhil. Scand and Qadama did not offer food.
This option is for trekking or staying at campsites that do not offer food. You will need to provide food for your local guide if trekking. Preserved food can be purchased at any of the corner shops while fruits and veggies are found at the market. Please pack out your trash. Your local guides will tell you to just litter.
- pita (5 for 200 YER),
- palm dates, fruit (apples)
- beans (~200 YER/can)
- onions, garlic
- tomatoes (~500/kg)
- carrots
- Water: 750cc (~75 YER)
Fresh fish and goat are your options.
Activities
Trekking, swimming, and snorkeling are the main options available.
Diving is expensive and can be better/cheaper elsewhere.
Despite what tour operators claim, I never saw any watersports gear (windsurfing sails and boards, surfboards, sailboats, etc) anywhere on the island, so if you wanted to do any of these sports, you need to bring your own stuff. The same goes for rock climbing. There are some nice cliffs, but the limestone is often too jagged.
Backcountry camping requires a guide (4000 YER/day ~$20/day).
Birding - check the seasons. I didn't really see many in December (I admit I wasn't really looking).
Sights
Most of the interesting sights are along the northern coast of Socotra island. Generally, the dragonbloods and other flora are higher in elevation (Dicksam, Scand, Homhil). Nice swimming holes are found in the mountains and canyons (Ayhaft, Homhil, Scand, Kalysan). Many of the beaches are picturesque (Detwah, Shoab, Arher, Aomak). For marine life, Dihamri MPA has fish and corals while Shoab has dolphins. Again, check out the other post for pictures.
When you decide on the places you'd like to see, consider
2) Checking out tour operator itineraries for where to go (especially their maps!)
3) Look at pictures (Google Image Search, or my original article)
4) My favorites were Homhil park, Dicksam plateau, Arher beach, Kalysan springs, Scand mountain, Detwah & Shoab beaches
Trekking, swimming, and snorkeling are the main options available.
Diving is expensive and can be better/cheaper elsewhere.
Despite what tour operators claim, I never saw any watersports gear (windsurfing sails and boards, surfboards, sailboats, etc) anywhere on the island, so if you wanted to do any of these sports, you need to bring your own stuff. The same goes for rock climbing. There are some nice cliffs, but the limestone is often too jagged.
Backcountry camping requires a guide (4000 YER/day ~$20/day).
Birding - check the seasons. I didn't really see many in December (I admit I wasn't really looking).
Sights
Most of the interesting sights are along the northern coast of Socotra island. Generally, the dragonbloods and other flora are higher in elevation (Dicksam, Scand, Homhil). Nice swimming holes are found in the mountains and canyons (Ayhaft, Homhil, Scand, Kalysan). Many of the beaches are picturesque (Detwah, Shoab, Arher, Aomak). For marine life, Dihamri MPA has fish and corals while Shoab has dolphins. Again, check out the other post for pictures.
When you decide on the places you'd like to see, consider
2) Checking out tour operator itineraries for where to go (especially their maps!)
3) Look at pictures (Google Image Search, or my original article)
4) My favorites were Homhil park, Dicksam plateau, Arher beach, Kalysan springs, Scand mountain, Detwah & Shoab beaches
Communication
Cell coverage is increasing on the island. I met some techs working on installing more antennas.
There are some tour offices with Internet, as well as the Summerland hotel lobby, but don't count on having a connection.
Souvenirs and Bargaining
Yemenis have a good grasp of prices, so you probably won't get super big discounts below the original price.
I didn't see much in the way of jewelry or artwork.
Nightlife and Alcohol
None. There are no bars, clubs, or theaters. Chewing ghat and talking are your only noctural entertainment options. The Summerland and some stores sell beer, but it is expensive. You can bring in your own booze from outside the country.
Cell coverage is increasing on the island. I met some techs working on installing more antennas.
There are some tour offices with Internet, as well as the Summerland hotel lobby, but don't count on having a connection.
Souvenirs and Bargaining
Yemenis have a good grasp of prices, so you probably won't get super big discounts below the original price.
- Bag of dragonblood sap (~50g, 500 YER)
- Bag of frankincense (~50g, 500 YER)
- Fotah/mawaz (Yemeni sarong, 4000 YER)
- Socotra honey: $40/kg (expensive). Organic, no pesticides.
I didn't see much in the way of jewelry or artwork.
Nightlife and Alcohol
None. There are no bars, clubs, or theaters. Chewing ghat and talking are your only noctural entertainment options. The Summerland and some stores sell beer, but it is expensive. You can bring in your own booze from outside the country.
Ghat
What to pack
- Swimsuit - Probably boardshorts or swimsuits are better than Speedos for guys. Women can wear bikinis though they might be ogled at some places since the women on the island were in full burqas at the beach.
- Shirts
- Pants - Yemenis dress conservatively so it's good to have a pair. Socotrans are laid back compared to the mainland so shorts are not a faux pas here.
- Warm clothes - fleece jacket and pants if camping on Skand. Otherwise, the place was warm in December.
- Headlamp - No electricity on most of the island.
- Toilet paper/soap - Middle East toilets usually have a spray for cleaning. If that's not your thing, bring toilet paper. Soap isn't common, so bring your own. Most toilets were both Western and Turkish squat style.
- Hiking sandals or shoes - the terrain is uneven and the rocks are sharp in places, so good shoes are important, even if you don't plan on trekking much. I wore Chacos sandals for most of the trip because they gave support (heel strap) and breathability.
- Sunglasses, sunscreen - You're on a desert island 1400 km from the equator.
- Camera - You'd be crazy not to take a camera here.
- Tent, sleeping bag (Optional) - Useful for backcountry camping. Most campsites have 3-sided shelters for shade and light rain protection. Campsites generally provide sleeping pads and sometimes blankets. Some even provide you with a lantern and hot tea. We got rained on once in Momi in our cheap, not-waterproof tent, so we spent the rest of the night under a cement bridge. Camping gear can be rented from tour operators, but the rates are likely too expensive.
- Insect repellent - mosquitos are not bad here but can disrupt sleep when the wind dies around 2am. Single-use lavender lotions with insect repellent can be purchased from the stores.
Safety & Health
Socotra is a very safe place, for several reasons:
- Small island. Everybody knows everybody else.
- Hospitality is very imporant in the Middle East in general.
- Access to drugs and narcotics is difficult (and forbidden in Islam), except for ghat.
Even Yemen as a whole is relatively safe compared to big cities around the world. Politics aren't a problem- Americans are welcome.
Female solo travelers will have no problems on the island.
Most of the island is uninhabited, so you'll have few encounters with others, and people are generally very welcoming anyway.
Some children can become annoying. While Socotra receives many tourists every year, they are still a novelty for many children. If you walk past a school and children see you, they will swarm out of the building and surround you. Most of the time, these encounters were no problem. They will probably want to shake your hand or practice some English. However, you will also get children who 1) aggressively proselytize, 2) ask for money/candy/pens, or 3) pester you with questions and occasionally grab or hit you. Number 1 is the least enjoyable, but shrug and act like you don't understand or ask your guide or a local for some assistance if it gets really bad. As for Number 2, DO NOT give children money, candy, pens, or anything wherever you travel in the world. This habit teaches children to pester tourists, and encourages parents to pull their children from school so they can beg. Local communities around the world discourage such freebies. If you want to donate to children, give any materials to a guide or a local teacher. The teacher can use your gifts as incentives for children to perform better in school and removes the direct association with tourists. Calling attention to your guide should help with Number 3.
Don't take pictures of Socotran women without their permission. In Arabic countries, eat with your right hand. Dress modestly (on Socotra they are more relaxed).
There are no big predators or dogs on the island. Feral cats keep to themselves. The island does have scorpions on land and stingrays in the water. Rats got into our food on Scand mountain, so secure your foodstuffs while camping. Mosquitos are present but not abundant. Malaria and dengue are not present on the island. Bottled water is recommended.
Actual Costs
These costs are listed in US Dollar using an exchange rate of about 215 YER/1 USD. Tips for guides are not included.
Flights:
Sana'a (arranged through tour operator):
Week 1: Guided monthly tour offer (7 days)
Week 2: Multi-day hikes to Scand and Momi/Kalysan (7 days)
Estimated Do-It-Yourself Costs
If you organize your own tour, your expenses will likely be higher than ours in week 2, since we already visited the main sites and instead spent more time in fewer places. Plus we didn't need to hire a driver. That said, here is a rough conservative estimate for costs for 1 week:
Cost per person (2 people): $541/week or $77/day
Cost per person (4 people): $350/week or $50/day
Socotra is a very safe place, for several reasons:
- Small island. Everybody knows everybody else.
- Hospitality is very imporant in the Middle East in general.
- Access to drugs and narcotics is difficult (and forbidden in Islam), except for ghat.
Even Yemen as a whole is relatively safe compared to big cities around the world. Politics aren't a problem- Americans are welcome.
Female solo travelers will have no problems on the island.
Most of the island is uninhabited, so you'll have few encounters with others, and people are generally very welcoming anyway.
Some children can become annoying. While Socotra receives many tourists every year, they are still a novelty for many children. If you walk past a school and children see you, they will swarm out of the building and surround you. Most of the time, these encounters were no problem. They will probably want to shake your hand or practice some English. However, you will also get children who 1) aggressively proselytize, 2) ask for money/candy/pens, or 3) pester you with questions and occasionally grab or hit you. Number 1 is the least enjoyable, but shrug and act like you don't understand or ask your guide or a local for some assistance if it gets really bad. As for Number 2, DO NOT give children money, candy, pens, or anything wherever you travel in the world. This habit teaches children to pester tourists, and encourages parents to pull their children from school so they can beg. Local communities around the world discourage such freebies. If you want to donate to children, give any materials to a guide or a local teacher. The teacher can use your gifts as incentives for children to perform better in school and removes the direct association with tourists. Calling attention to your guide should help with Number 3.
Don't take pictures of Socotran women without their permission. In Arabic countries, eat with your right hand. Dress modestly (on Socotra they are more relaxed).
There are no big predators or dogs on the island. Feral cats keep to themselves. The island does have scorpions on land and stingrays in the water. Rats got into our food on Scand mountain, so secure your foodstuffs while camping. Mosquitos are present but not abundant. Malaria and dengue are not present on the island. Bottled water is recommended.
Actual Costs
These costs are listed in US Dollar using an exchange rate of about 215 YER/1 USD. Tips for guides are not included.
Flights:
- DXB <--> SAH, $250/person on Flydubai, booked 3 weeks in advance.
- SAH <--> SCT, $282/person on Yemenia, booked 7 weeks in advance. Before then, prices were about $215. A recent search shows much higher and more variable prices. Good luck.
Sana'a (arranged through tour operator):
- Taxi transfer from airport to Arabia Felix Hotel (Old Sana'a): $50.
- Hotel: Arabia Felix ($35/room).
Week 1: Guided monthly tour offer (7 days)
- 7-day group tour = $595/person
- Mask and snorkel rental at Dihamri = $7/person
Week 2: Multi-day hikes to Scand and Momi/Kalysan (7 days)
- Food - groceries: $20/person for 5-days of backcountry meals.
- Food - meals: $4/meal ($20/person divided by 5 meals). Two meals were at campsites ($5-7/meal) and three were in Hadibo ($2-4/meal).
- Guides: $103 for 5-days. Guides are 4000 YER/day (~$19/day). The guide from Homhil to Wadi Shifa is 2K YER for the 90-min hike.
- Transportation: $4/person. This was for 4 bus trips.
- Accommodation - hotel: $19 for 1 night.
- Accommodation - camping: $15/person for 4 nights. Most campsites are 1000 YER/person except Scand, which is 500 YER/tent.
- Accommodation - backcountry camping: $0 for 2 nights. No campsite, no charge.
Estimated Do-It-Yourself Costs
If you organize your own tour, your expenses will likely be higher than ours in week 2, since we already visited the main sites and instead spent more time in fewer places. Plus we didn't need to hire a driver. That said, here is a rough conservative estimate for costs for 1 week:
- Food - groceries ($12/person): $6 for snacks or 1 full day of backcountry meals x 2 days
- Food - meals ($102/person): $5-7 for lunch or dinner x 14 meals, $2.5 for breakfast x 7 meals
- Accommodation - hotel ($38): $19/night double-occupancy room x 2 nights (first and last)
- Accommodation - camping ($25/person): $5/night x 5 nights
- Transportation - driver ($560): $80/day * 7 days. Tour agencies will quote you around $100/day, but you can likely find one for cheaper on the island.
- Transportation - public bus ($0.50): Make sure you don't hire a driver on the last day to go to the airport. He may want to charge you the full rate when you can easily take the bus for 100 YER.
- Guide ($175): Local guides are 4000 YER/day. I don't know what the rate is for the all-island guide, so I increased the estimate to 5000 YER/day (~$25/day).
- Shoab boat hire ($30): This beach is only accessible by boat and is good for spotting boobies (birds) and dolphins.
- Protected area fees ($0*): Some areas have fees, but most are waived if you camp or spend money in some manner. I cannot find actual costs for any place and we were never charged for Scand, Homhil (camped there), Rosh (camped there), Momi, or Kalysan.
Cost per person (2 people): $541/week or $77/day
Cost per person (4 people): $350/week or $50/day
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Some helpful Arabic phrases
All this is phonetic, and Yemenis speak quickly enough that I'm not sure I got the phonetic spelling right, so use at your own risk:
Salam = Hello
Masalam = Goodbye
Shokran = Thank you
Nam = Yes
La = No
Ma = water
Hamam = bathroom
Maham shekillah = No problem
Haba haba = Slow slow, careful
Shway Schway = Slow slow, careful
Yallas = Let's go
Halla = Enough (signals finality, for example when negotiating price)
Other Socotra Travel Guides
Here are a few travel guides I found useful in planning:
The Idiot's Guide to Socotra: How to Everything by Jonah Kessell (April 2012)
Socotra 101 by Joe's Trippin' (December 2010)
How to: Travel to Socotra Island, Yemen by David Page (July 2009)
Note: costs from the other travel guides were outdated across the board. For example, I contacted the same operator from the Idiot's Guide and the same tour would cost 30% more than what the author did 18 months before. Add to that a new "law" requiring tourists to hire guides. So by the time you read this guide, it too may be outdated. As a general travel rule, I estimate costs increase by 10-30%/year from any publication date. This trick works well when comparing Lonely Planet prices to the actual business's prices.
Map
Map of places around Hadibo. Market is where you can buy supplies, Restaurant is the hole-in-the-wall restaurant I enjoyed, and most businesses are on the Main Road.
All this is phonetic, and Yemenis speak quickly enough that I'm not sure I got the phonetic spelling right, so use at your own risk:
Salam = Hello
Masalam = Goodbye
Shokran = Thank you
Nam = Yes
La = No
Ma = water
Hamam = bathroom
Maham shekillah = No problem
Haba haba = Slow slow, careful
Shway Schway = Slow slow, careful
Yallas = Let's go
Halla = Enough (signals finality, for example when negotiating price)
Other Socotra Travel Guides
Here are a few travel guides I found useful in planning:
The Idiot's Guide to Socotra: How to Everything by Jonah Kessell (April 2012)
Socotra 101 by Joe's Trippin' (December 2010)
How to: Travel to Socotra Island, Yemen by David Page (July 2009)
Note: costs from the other travel guides were outdated across the board. For example, I contacted the same operator from the Idiot's Guide and the same tour would cost 30% more than what the author did 18 months before. Add to that a new "law" requiring tourists to hire guides. So by the time you read this guide, it too may be outdated. As a general travel rule, I estimate costs increase by 10-30%/year from any publication date. This trick works well when comparing Lonely Planet prices to the actual business's prices.
Map
Map of places around Hadibo. Market is where you can buy supplies, Restaurant is the hole-in-the-wall restaurant I enjoyed, and most businesses are on the Main Road.
Click the pic to read about our visit!
