You want me to go where?!
How it all began
I got a text from my friend Becky one night while we were out with friends:
“Hey, want to go with us to an island off the coast of Yemen called Socotra? We’ll be off the grid camping for a week.”
Say what?! I immediately googled the place and my jaw dropped.
What is so special about Socotra?
“...near the Gulf of Aden, [it's] 250km long and comprises of four islands and two rocky islets...site of universal importance because of its biodiversity...37% of Socotra's 825 plant species, 90% of its reptile species and 95% of its land snail species do not occur anywhere else in the world”(whc.unesco.org).
Well shit.
I showed my husband and we all but booked our flights that night. I already knew my friend Karen was going. We talked about the trip and how there aren’t many people willing or able to take on a trip like this. Off the grid, no running water or plumbing, camping outside every night, no WiFi. But then I thought, “We’re off the grid and away from work, an opportunity to connect with Earth and shower in the sea, camping under the stars every night hearing the waves crash against the shore, no WiFi for the dumpster fire news to inundate my phone.”
Absofuckinglutely.
I do some pretty extensive research on the places I travel. I look up foods I must try, places worth visiting (and those not), customs and traditions to respect, weather during that time of year, outfits the locals wear. I also try to learn at least a few words of the language if it’s different than mine. Socotra planning wasn’t much different, but there were things I couldn’t plan for. See, traveling to an island off the coast of Yemen can be tricky. It’s not exactly a tourist destination easily accessible with just a plane ticket and passport.
Booking the trip
We had a connection to FindSocotra, a tour company specializing in trips to Socotra. Any traveler needs to work with a tour company to book accommodations to the island. They handled everything from our visas, to booking our flights, and organizing our crew. Our friends Becky and Sherif lived in Dubai so we parlayed a trip to them for a few days beforehand. Sherif was our trip coordinator as he had a connection with the owner of FindSocotra, Youssef. That certainly helps when picking out the right tour.
Traveling to the Island
Day 1
We chose to fly from Abu Dhabi to Socotra non-stop. At that time, there were only a few options for flights, the other being a stop on mainland Yemen. We opted to avoid that route altogether, mostly for safety reasons.
It took about an hour and a half drive from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. We coordinated two cars to take the 6 of us there early Monday morning. There was only one flight with AirArabia in and one out of the island per week. It made choosing departures easy, zero choices at all. We put all of our trust in our tour company so showing up to the airport was the extent of our responsibilities.
Again, considering we booked none of our flights or visa details, we were handed our boarding passes, checked our luggage and told to find our gate after security. Security was pretty straight forward. Obviously, being an American, I was prepared for the most but ended up experiencing a reasonable process of glass pass-through gates and TSA agents. Our flight wasn’t for about an hour so we took a walk, found the restroom, and then sat our butts at a lounge serving alcohol at 6am.
No matter where you are in the world, there are no rules at the airport. You want a beer at 6am? Done.
Our flight was easy, besides a
gentleman shining his reading light onto Becky while she tried to sleep like the rest of us. It’s 6am, sir, stop trying to learn things.
Landing in Socotra wasn't as mysterious as you’d think. But, it is a bit strange
knowing the plane you’re de-boarding will shortly take the folks who have been here the last week off the island and won’t come back again until next Monday. While I’m an optimistic traveler, you never really know what can happen and a week seems like a long time to not only experience some of the most amazing things in the world, but also possibly the worst. I chose to continue my positive thoughts. What’s the worst that could actually happen?
ON THAT NOTE: We all bought travel insurance for this trip. DO IT! I actually think it's required if my memory serves me right.
Now, the Abu Dhabi airport was easy, the flight was quick and painless, the deplaning onto the runway was exciting, but the Socotra terminal was…chaotic. As you can imagine, there’s only one small terminal on Socotra. One conveyor belt for baggage. One line for security. One man running around trying to find the right group holding our Visas and passports. The trust you have to have in handing over your passport to a stranger in a chaotic airport terminal on a remote island is beyond. But we did, and it was our first real experience in understanding just how trusting and welcoming these people were.
A few comments on Yemen
Taking a step back for a second, I want to address the elephant in the room: Yemen. When I tell people we went on this trip, that the island belonged to Yemen, the gasps and shocked faces were innumerable. Understandable. “Watch out for pirates!” “Yemen? Isn’t there a war going on?” “How can you possibly feel safe in a place like that?”. Again, with the news and media running our perceptions most days, I get it. But if we don’t trust that people are inherently good and really just want to be a part of the positive human experience, we’d never leave our homes.
The rows of people waiting on their luggage was 6 deep. Not only were the travelers there, but their drivers and crews and guides and airport workers whose job it is to manage the process. I chose to take a few steps back and let the guys find their way to the carousel. Once we all had our luggage, and all was 100% accounted for, we headed outside to find our own crew.
When you book a tour with FindSocotra, they provide a lead guide, two drivers and two cooks. I would never recommend trying to drive around the island alone. Even a few travelers/researchers who seemed to have already been to the island a few times were met with a familiar guide to assist them. This is an island of amazing wonders with absolutely zero road signs. Your crew is your family for the week. You’ll grow to love them like we did.
Adham was our lead guide. If I were to guess, he was in his late 20s or early 30s. He spoke great English and was trained in the hospitality industry. The rest of the crew were a bit shy at first but had smiles on their faces that helped us immediately see they’d be a blast. More on that later.
All of our things were loaded into the two Land Cruisers we’d be commuting in for the week. We split up, 3 and 3 in each car.
Another quick note – pack as if you have to carry every item yourself on your back. A soft-sided duffle bag, 50-75L backpacking pack, a small carry-on backpack – there is zero need for vanity here. We flew to Dubai to stay with our friends for a few days so we had large luggage that we left behind. I chose a North Face duffle and a Cotopaxi Luzon backpack. Anything more is overkill. The others chose close to the same – the 6 of us are seasoned travelers but someone used to the lap of luxury or even glamping may struggle. More on my packing list later.
Our first stop was close to Hadiboh, their capitol “city”. I use quotes around city because most of us are used to paved roads, traffic lights, tall buildings and restaurants. This had none of those. Since it was just about lunchtime, we had a meal prepared for us in a small restaurant. Strong Socotra coffee, waters, juice. They brought out the most amazing flat bread called al tawa to tear apart and munch on. Then various dishes were served with rice and eggs – what would be part of our staple meals for the next week.
After we were done eating, Adham came to join us. He gave us a run-down on what to expect for the trip. Every day would be a different location to set up camp and explore. We were ready to move on to night one.
We piled into the cars and off we went. Googling pictures ahead of the trip was fine, but seeing the landscape in person is a whole other experience. The photos and perfectly worded descriptions do none of it justice, just know that.
Our drive to the first site was a few hours East. We drove the coastline to a secluded beach called Dihamri Reserve. The entire beach was covered in seashells. While it was impossible to walk on without shoes, it was stunning. We quickly changed out of our travel clothes and relaxed under the stone structure built for cover from the sun. With a pile of mattresses to lay out, we each picked a spot and took a nap. It was a long morning and we’d need our energy for the week. I also took this time to play with my newly acquired GoPro 10. I wasn’t going to solely rely on my cell phone (with zero service or electricity) to capture photos.
Once we all were awake, we decided on a quick dip in the ocean. Apparently, this was one of the best locations on the island for snorkeling. The crew would have provided equipment for us if we chose to partake, but we didn’t. While I don’t regret not doing it, I think I would have loved to at least see what life lived in those waters.
After our swim, we took a quick walk to the mountain jutting out of the ground nearby. We were all in flip flops and athletic-wear so not prepared to climb, but
alas, we did. This was our first true look at the exceptional landscape we’d be surrounded by. One of our drivers came with us and showed us the quicker climb around the back. Even halfway up we were impressed by the view, but getting to the tippy top was breathtaking. On our right was the Arabian Sea and to our left the expansive island. The sun was setting and we were all standing majestically on top of the rough terrain we’d come to love. After all the videos and pictures were taken, we climbed down and got ready for dinner.
Once back at the campsite, our tents were already set up and ready for us to pick our sleeping arrangements. Each two-person tent included a thin mattress, small pillow and a set of sheets. We planned ahead as a group to bring the usual camping essentials including sleeping bags. Billy and I brought camping pillows as well that ended up being a lifesaver. Since everything had to fit into our minimal luggage, this was the best we could do and, actually, all we really needed. We each used our smaller backpacks to bring necessities to the tents and left our larger bags in the cars. There was no need to worry about burglary here, we would have heard any mischief immediately and the cars were always locked at night. Safer than most of our American cities…by far.
A small white table and chairs was set up for us - our family table. This was our breakfast, lunch and dinner setting for the week. We came to love this little gathering arrangement. It either meant we were getting started for the day, taking a break in the middle, or ending the night together with a meal. Always available was a carafe of tea. Most of us weren’t tea people, but it was delicious and necessary. We sat around the table drinking our tea, discussing the day and taking it all in.
Behind the stone structure was our cooking crew preparing our meal. The way they were able to do so much with so little is astounding. Dinner tonight was rice, pasta and fish, as it was most nights. The crew caught the day’s meals while we explored making them the freshest you could get. Our only concern during this time was to fill our plates and relax. I’ll continue to stress this and likely can’t stress it enough, but our crew took care of us. We had everything we’d ever need.
After dinner and some laughs under the stars, it was time for bed. Adham told us we’d be making an early start. We all headed to our respective tents and said goodnight to day 1. It was hard to believe that all of this happened in just a single day, giving us nothing but anticipation for the days to come.
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