Private camping tours 2024-2025

Check in at 6:30 AM and depart from Abu Dhabi at 9:25 AM. Your arrival flight to Socotra is scheduled for 10:40 AM. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by our local Socotri guide who will accompany you throughout the trip. Afterward, we’ll head to Hadibo to check into the Socotra Diamond Hotel, then drive to Delisha Beach for a swim. This beautiful white beach is adjacent to the sea and a lagoon.

Enjoy the magnificent sunset from the sand dunes, where you can watch various ships passing by.

We start the day by driving to Qalansyia, a charming and picturesque fishing town known for its traditional houses and narrow alleyways.

In the afternoon, we visit the protected Detwah Lagoon, renowned for its spectacular landscape. Stingrays can often be seen in the lagoon, so take care while swimming.

We will enjoy the sunset from the top of the local mountain, followed by an overnight stay at Detwah Lagoon.

After breakfast, we will embark on a boat tour to the stunning Shoab Beach. Along the way, keep an eye out for spinner dolphins and frequenting Cormorants. Once at Shoab, you’ll have the opportunity to swim, enjoy line fishing from the boat, and relax on this pristine beach surrounded by mangroves.

After returning to the Detwah campsite, we’ll enjoy lunch and visit Abdullah, known locally as the caveman. You will have the opportunity to dine with him on special seafood dishes and explore the area, including his cave.

We drive up to Disksam plateau and start our trek with a local guide to the Skand Peak, taking about 6 hours to reach the summit of the mountain. From the top, you can see both the northern and southern parts of Socotra, including a clear view of Hadibo. Skand is home to more than 150 endemic plants. Along the way, we will also see unusual yet beautiful rock formations. We will then make our way back down. Dinner and overnight at a Diksam homestay.

After breakfast, we will travel to the south of the island, visiting villages along the way. Our first destination is Amak Beach, where we can swim in the clear waters of the Indian Ocean. For lunch, we will go to Degoub Cave, which overlooks a scattering of traditional villages below. The cave is of interest due to its many stalactites, stalagmites, and pools of water that have seeped through the rock over time. In the afternoon, we will visit a local salt production site where women create holes to collect sea water, producing food salt.

The next day, we will witness the colossal sand dunes of Hayf and Zahek, which have been pushed up against the mountainside by the seasonal winds of Socotra. If you are feeling especially fit, you can climb the dunes for a view that is truly worth the effort. Enjoy the spectacular sunset and sunrise from the beach. Dinner and overnight camping at Amak Beach.

We will drive to the nearby Dihamri Marine Protected Area, which boasts one of the richest coral reefs in the archipelago. You can relax on the beach in palm leaf huts, and swim and snorkel in Dihamri Bay. Snorkeling gear can be hired on-site. Marine species you may see underwater include parrotfish, moray eels, rays, sea urchins, and, if you are lucky, turtles. Divers can also use the services of the Dihamri Diving Center and go for a dive in Dihamri or one of the other superb diving spots in Socotra. Dinner and overnight stay will be in an eco-camp in Dihamri.

Today’s destination is Homhill, a protected area with fabulous scenery that gives you a prehistoric feeling. We will stop at Qaria Lagoon en route. It is the largest lagoon on the island, and we will hopefully see flamingos, herons, and greenshanks. The trek to Homhill starts at the bottom of a spectacular ravine at sea level. The trek is of medium difficulty and won’t take more than 1.5 hours. You will have enough strength to enjoy the view back towards the sea where we started ascending.

Once at Homhill, we can choose from a selection of walking trails. You will be astonished by the prehistoric atmosphere of the landscape, rich with Dragon’s Blood trees and Bottle trees. You will be greeted by local children who sell Dragon’s Blood resin and frankincense. One of the trails leads to a viewpoint with a natural pool filled with almost freezing green and blue water. Dinner and overnight stay will be in an eco-camp in Homhill.

This morning, we will make an early start and drive to the base of Hoq Cave in Terbak village. Before the sun gets too hot, we will hike up to the cave entrance. The cave is more than 3 km long, with a water pool at the end, and holds a wealth of Socotri history. Inside, you will see ancient stalactites, stalagmites, and crystalline formations. Ancient writings on the cave walls, including what appears to be a picture of an old trading ship, have been preserved over the ages by a calcite glaze. There is also evidence suggesting that the cave was once used for ritual purposes, as indicated by the presence of mysterious altars.

In the afternoon, we will visit Rosh Marine Protected Area. Dinner and overnight stay will be at Rosh Campsite.

After breakfast, we will trek to the northeast of the island and have our lunch in a small cave. The rest of the day will be spent in Arher, where a fresh creek emerging from a granite massif meets the salty sea water on the beach. You can relax on the green grass around the creek, swim in the sea, or, if you feel fit, climb a huge sand dune to get a fantastic view over this charming spot. Dinner and overnight stay will be in Arhar.

We’ll drive to Ras Ersil, the final beach of Socotra in the northeast. There, you can visit a fishing village and see the fishermen’s equipment on the coast. A whale skeleton, brought by waves from the Indian Ocean, lies on the shore. We will have the chance to go fishing with local fishermen or relax and swim at the beach. Dinner and overnight stay will be in Arhar.

Today, our destination is the eastern plateau of Momi, where a waterfall cascades into Wadi Daburak. You will have the opportunity to swim under this impressive waterfall, which receives its water from the Momi Plateau. Next, we will drive down to Wadi Kalysan, where you will visit an old man living in a cave who will demonstrate the traditional ways of calling goats and milking. There are numerous pools for swimming and a variety of limestone rock formations to explore. Finally, we will drive to the last part of the Momi Plateau, where you can enjoy a stunning sea view from the top. Dinner and overnight stay will be at the  Hotel.

We will take you on a trip to Ayhaft Canyon National Park. In the canyon (wadi), you can enjoy large freshwater pools where you can swim or soak. Surrounding you will be Tamarind trees, Cucumber trees, and a wide variety of birds such as the Socotra Sparrow, Socotra Sunbird, and both Socotra and Somali Starlings. Ayhaft is considered a natural nursery due to its large abundance of endemic trees, plants, and birds.

In the afternoon, visit the Women’s Market, the spice market, door manufacturers, and a local school in Hadiboh.

Dinner and overnight stay will be at the Hotel.