"Socotra (Yemen) - a strange and blissful... " a Socotra Travel Page by MichaelFalk1969

Socotra Island is part of Yemen (a great destination in itself), but the friendly Socotri islanders have their own distinct heritage, part Yemeni, part African, part Portuguese, part whatever nationality happened to end up on this island in the middle of nowhere. There is only one small city (Hadibo), the fishing village of Qualanisya, and that`s all the city life Socotra has. The unique qualities of Socotra are the unusual vegetation (the Dragonblood Trees), the rugged mountain landscapes of the interior, white unspoilt beaches with turquoise water like I have never seen in my life, and an abundance of marine life ideal for snorkeling.

If you ever wanted to have a tropical island or a special landscape "all for your own" and if you are annoyed by hordes of tourists congregating at all the same beatiful places, Socotra is the place for you.

Until now, roughly 1500 tourists per year go to Socotra (since the 1990`s). This is probably half the number of tourists that cross the Rialto Bridge in Venice per day. Meaning, you have the nice places for yourself, in the literal sense of the word ! I sincerely hope that Socotra will remain unspoilt as it is, without big hotels, crowds, tour busses, tourist shops and all that.

In the case of Socotra, isolation is a real advantage.