About Socotra Island

Socotra, the uncontaminated island

Socotra, marvellous and uncontaminated island on the Indian Ocean, 3600 square metres, is situated 500 km from the Yemeni coast. Socotra is a unique island which opened to tourism only recently.

The island offers a surprising variety of natural beauty: mountains overlooking the sea, plains covered with palm trees and cane-brakes, beaches, limestone plateaux and deep ravines. On the island, visitors can find unique animal and vegetables species that give Socotra a primordial look.

More than 800 species of plants have been classified; the most famous is the Dragon Blood Tree whose name is derived from the fact that by carving its trunk it pours out a red resin, it is said by the ancient belief, to be the blood of the dragon. The birds species registered are 140 and every year more are added to the list.

The whole island and its coasts are under the protection of the Yemeni Conservation and Development Authority that declared the island a “Naturally Protected Area” and, in collaboration with the Yemeni Tourism Authority produces a guide for eco tourism.

The inhabitants of the island, friendly, amiable and very hospitable are about 35.000 and have their own culture and language. The coasts are crowded with fishermen mainly of African origin. The Island of Socotra is e real Eden for sea lovers. In the deep water more than 800 different species of coral have been classified together with thousands of fishes and shellfishes.Incredibly colourful coral can be found from 3,5 metres to 25. These waters are suitable also for snorkelling and of great effect due to the numerous fishes and coral.

Socotra People and culture

Socotra is home to an estimated 40,000 people, with their own distinct language and culture.

The inhabitants of the mountains are living in caves

They are nomads and descendants of an old South Arabian tribe speaking still the old Arabian dialect Soqotri related to the Mahri dialect.

The coastal people are fishermen, mostly African origin.

They live in primitive houses with roofs from palm leaves and tree stems. The windows are small low openings functioning as air condition. In the cold winters the windows will be closed.

The main cash income for the fishermen of the three inhabited islands (Darsa is uninhabited) is almost exclusively from the export of dried shark and shark fins to the mainland, where the meat is eaten locally and the fins re-exported for the lucrative far eastern trade.

The nomads of the wadis are Arab origin

They live in small stone houses and their source of living is based on date palm farming. During the date harvest they practice traditional customs and celebrations accompanied by spiritual dances.

Socotra History

About 5000 years, developments in southern Arabian navigation and trade put Socotra on local maps. Abundant supplies of Frankincense, myrrh, dragon’s blood, and aloe were valuable commodities that were traded widely and made Socotra a destination for fleets from many parts of the known world. By the first century B.C., Socotra was the world’s foremost supplier of these rare and expensive resins.

Within a century Arabs, Indians, Greeks, and Africans had settled on Socotra, drawn by the riches that could be made there. By the 4th century A.D. the global demand for frankincense had declined to the point in time, Christianity remained dominant on Socotra for almost a millennium after which it gave to Islam. Between the 10th and the 14th centuries, Socotra was mainly noted as a haven for pirates, the demand for its incenses having dwindled to almost nothing. Socotra eventually came under the scrutiny of the Portuguese who occupied it from 1507 until 1511 before being ousted by Mahri warriors. The next colonial power to conquer the island was the British who stationed a garrison here in 1834 to protect the island as a potential coaling station for India-bound traders. Unfortunately, for the British, the annual monsoon and the lack of a good harbor made Socotra unsuitable for this purpose so they left in 1839 when they decided that Aden would be a more useful conquest. The British, while based in Aden, signed a treaty with the Sultan of Socotra in 1876 and maintained diplomatic relations and protectorate status over the island for most of the next 100 years. In 1939 they built an RAF airfield at Mori, site of the present airport, which they occupied throughout World War II. British involvement on Socotra formally ended on November 30th, 1967 when Southern Yemen gained full independence following 128 years of colonial rule.For the next three decades Socotra remained a forgotten backwater although it received considerable attention from the Soviet Union, which maintained a strong presence in the Marxist people’s Democratic Republic of Yemen. Rumors of a Soviet Naval base on the island during this era are probably unfounded although evidence of a Soviet presence on Socotra can be found to the present day.

Socotra Weather Patterns For Tourists Travel

September:

Coming out of the windy season, and still somewhat windy on the north coast. The sea is just navigable; usually no rain and the temperature still quite warm.

October:

Wind now on shore, (usually just a breeze) from the North East, usually bringing some rains to the island, but maybe only a few days of intermittent heavy and scattered showers. But usually most parts of the island get the effects of this rain. Last year (2005) there was no rain in October. And the temperature is cooling down, but still warm.

November to February:

These are the pleasant months. There can still be rain in November, even into December, but usually only scattered, and not general rains. The sea begins to calm down, and travel in small boats is possible. The best month to travel to the islands is February or better still March/ April. This year we didn’t really have rains until three solid days in early January. On the Haggier Mountains, everything is green so there has been a good rain up there, and also behind the mountains. However, on the top of the mountains, especially at Scant at this time, the temperature can be very cold with frosty mornings! At other times the mountains are swept by wind gusts all day, which drive clouds across the top at break neck speed, and lift your tent off the ground!!

March/April/May:

Warming up, and at mid March the midday temperature can be 30 degrees centigrade, with developing humidity. April and May are quite hot, up to 38 degrees near the coasts, and still the weather is coming gently from the north east. But it is quite a lot cooler on the top of the mountain range, and at Scant you would still need a covering at night to keep warm, but probably not a sleeping bag. These are the best months to visit the island. Sometimes there are more rains in April (a couple of days?) or even in May.

June/July/ Augus:

These are the very windy months on the north coast especially. The south coast is calm at the same time. The winds blow in Hadibo day and night for three months at about 80 kph, only slacking off most days for an hour or two in the afternoon to perhaps 60kph. Gusts have been recorded at the port area, Howlaf, at 180kph. These winds are the base of the big inter-continental winds that blow at this time of the year from the high pressure over Africa to the low pressure over the Himalayas, bringing the monsoon to the Indian sub-continent. The tops of the mountains catch these winds and pull them down over the north coast of Socotra. Schools close, and fishing stops, except for a couple of places such as Deleisha, but all round the island fishing is limited by the strong ocean currents at this time of the year. At this time the temperature drops by about 5 degrees centigrade, but it is not really a time for normal tourism except for surfing boards and the weather still calmer in the middle of the island and the south so, it is possible to make tours on the other side of the island the southern west side). There are no rains accompanying these winds. The Boeing aircraft land and take off safely throughout this period, because the airstrip is straight up and down the wind direction, and planes land and take off straight into the wind.

The monsoon winds

There are two annual monsoons the south-west monsoon, which kicks up high seas around the island from early June to early October (this moon soon brings occasionally heavy rains in June), has created a physical barrier to access by sea since earliest times.

These intercontinental stratospheric winds blow from Africa towards the Himalaya mountains, bringing the wet to India. But as they pass over Socotra they are caught by the nearly 5000 feet high Hagghier mountains and dragged fiercely down over the northern coast.

The wind blows on the north coast, non-stop, day and night, for three months at approximately 90 kilometers per hour with some gusts at 180 kph, in the area of Hadibo, between Howlaf and Mori.

May delivers a smaller amount of precipitation. The annual rainfall varies between 130 to 170 mm/hour. Even during the calmer months, sea landings may still be difficult due to a combination of logistical problems, including the absence of adequate harbor facilities. But since 1999 with the building of a new airstrip (the longest in the Yemen), which is built facing into the monsoon winds, the Boeing planes are now able to land all the year round. So as tourists you can come to Socotra at any time, depending on what you want to experience.