Tucked a way in the Indian Ocean off the coast of the Horn of Africa is Socotra, a small isolated tropical island teeming with rare species of endemic flora and fauna. Considered to be the “Galapagos of the Indian Ocean” it is part of a four island archipelago that belongs to the Republic of Yemen.
The name Socotra comes from the ancient Sanskrit language and means “the island of bliss”. Often described as a “lost world” these islands have been geologically isolated from the mainland for millions of years making them one of the most isolated places on earth yet they are yet teeming with exotic flora and fauna.
Socotra is a tropical desert with three varying geological terrains and a climate that is “harsh, hot and dry’. There is a coastal plain with wide sandy beaches, a limestone plateau riddled with caves and the Haghier Mountains with peaks up to 1525 m (5000 feet). But it is really the flora and fauna that makes these islands unique.
This “jewel of biodiversity in the Arabian Sea” is ranked among the 10 most endangered island floras in the world. More than one third of the nearly 800 plant species found on the island are not found anywhere else. Dragon’s Blood tree (Dracaena cinnibari) is an umbrella shaped tree indigenous and endemic to the island and just one of the many unique trees found on the island.
Bats are the only native mammal on the island but it is a birders paradise with over 140 species of birds, 10 of which are not found anywhere else in the world including the Socotra Starling, Socotra Sunbird and Socotra Sparrow.
Socotra is the main island and the largest of the archipelago. It is also the largest island in the Middle East and the only inhabited island. The three smaller uninhabited islands – Adb al Kuri, Samhah, and Darsa are rich bird habitats. There is an airport located 12 km (7.5 miles) from the islands largest city, Hadibu. There is no public transport or taxis, but you can rent a car to use on the islands two paved roads.
The current population of between 40,000 and 50,000 are now Islamic but the island is said to have been Christian as early as 52 AD when the apostle Thomas allegedly converted the islands inhabitants during his visit to Socotra. Alexander the Great captured the island in 333 BC and Marco Polo is said to have stopped there as well. The people of Socotra were still Christian when Marco Polo visited.
Political control of the island has been passed around for centuries. Socotra was under Portuguese control in 1507 then was made a British protectorate in 1886. Since 1967 it has been under the control of the Republic of Yemen and was declared a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site in July 2008.
Travel to the island is geared to eco-tourism. Socotra has very distinctive landscape and unique fauna and is a great place for those looking for a natural wildlife experience in a “remote tropical setting”. Visitors to this lost and virtually unknown paradise will enjoy an experience too fantastic for words.
