Private camping tours 2024-2025
Personalized tours of Socotra at competitive prices
At Socotra Trek Tours, we offer private tours at very competitive prices. Every tour is customizable, allowing you to shape your journey as you see fit. However, if you prefer to be part of a larger group, this is also possible—just let us know when you book your trip.
As locals with extensive experience, we understand the nuances of delivering a memorable tour experience. We are fully equipped with top-notch camping gear and deep knowledge of Socotra’s unique culture, traditions, and landscapes. Our aim is to help you truly connect with what makes Socotra unlike any other place in the world.
We provide below tour itinerary examples for 1 or 2 weeks to give you an idea of what is possible to do on our beautiful island.
Itinerary for a 1-week camping tour of Socotra
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. After lunch in Habibo, we will drive to the northeast of the island to Arher, where a fresh creek emerging from the granite massif meets the salty sea water on the beach. You can relax on the pristine beach, swim in the sea, or if you’re feeling fit, climb a huge sand dune for a fantastic view over this charming area. Enjoy dinner and stay overnight in Arher.
After waking up next to the beach, we will drive you to the start of the Hike to Hoq’s Cave. Embark on a 2 to 3-hour hike to Hoq’s Cave, one of the most significant sites on the island.
After lunch, we will drive to Ras Ersil where the Arabian Sea meets the Indian Ocean. From there, enjoy an incredible sunset.
Dinner and overnight are spent at Arher Beach.
After breakfast, we’ll head to Homhil National Park, where you can admire the famous Dragon’s Blood Trees as well as other unique species like the Bottle Tree and Cucumber Plant. After an hour’s walk, we’ll reach an amazing crystal-clear pool that offers a stunning view over the southern part of Socotra.
Fresh lunch will be provided in a beautiful oasis. We will then drive to Dihamri Marine Protected Area. While the beach here may not be the most spectacular, the sea boasts a great diversity of corals, tropical fish and turtles. Here, everyone can choose from diving (to be booked in advance), snorkeling (equipment rental available), or joining local fishermen at sea. After enjoying another beautiful sunset from the local mountain, enjoy freshly caught fish for dinner at Dihamri, followed by an overnight stay.
After breakfast, we’ll start the day by driving to the Mumi Plateau, a renowned location where you can enjoy the landscape featuring the stunning, expansive Kalysan Canyon and its natural swimming pool (30min walk). Lunch will be either atop Wadi Kalysan or near Qaria Lagoon.
In the afternoon, we’ll drive to the south of the island to visit the Zahek sand dunes which are marvelous during the golden hour. We will spend the night near the sand dunes.
After visiting the Degoub Cave in the morning, we’ll drive to the Diksam plateau. We’ll stop in Wadi Dirhur to enjoy a refreshing swim and have lunch. Later, we’ll visit the Firmihin forest, which has the highest concentration of Dragon’s Blood Trees in Socotra.
Dinner and overnight stay at a camp atop the Diksam Plateau to enjoy the sunset over the Dragon’s Blood Trees.
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.
Overnight at Detwah Lagoon, complete with festivities for your final evening!
After enjoying one last succulent breakfast, we’ll head back to the airport. It will be time to say goodbye, with our eyes and heart filled with warm memories.
Itinerary for a 2-week camping tour of Socotra
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 head by 4×4 vehicle to Diksam Plateau and the Shebahon viewpoint. This area is renowned for the native Dragon’s Blood trees, whose resin is collected, used, and traded by the people of Socotra. The area is also home to the endemic and rare Socotra Bunting, with an estimated population of 1,000 pairs. The Shebahon viewpoint offers a fabulous vista overlooking Dirhur Canyon. We will descend to the wadi in the canyon for lunch, followed by an easy-going walk and a swim in the freshwater pools.
In the afternoon, we will take a one-hour walk to the start of Firmihin, the largest forest of Dragon’s Blood trees. There, we will meet an elderly local couple living in their traditional Bedouin-style house. They will demonstrate the use of resin and the process of burning incense. Dinner and overnight stay will be at a homestay in Diksam.
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.
After enjoying one last succulent breakfast, we’ll head back to the airport. It will be time to say goodbye, with our eyes and heart filled with warm memories.
What is included
- Airport transfer
- 4×4 Toyota Land Cruiser with a driver
- English speaking, experienced Socotri guide
- Accomodation in tents. We pitch tents and we fold them for you.
- Mattress, bed sheets, pillow, and blanket
- Food: 3 meals a day + snacks
- Drinking water (please bring a reusable bottle)
- Support for carrying luggage during hikes
- Local guides on specific excursion
- Protected area fees and other entrance fees
- Boat trip to Shoab beach
What is not included
- Guide and driver tips
- Flights to and from Abu Dhabi (about 950 USD)
- Visa fees (about 150 USD)
- Travel insurance
- Snorkelling & diving equipment
Any questions related to your trip to Socotra?
If you have any questions about our camping group tours or need more information about traveling to Socotra, we’ve got you covered. For details on flights and visa arrangements, visit our How to get there page. For additional tips and useful information to help you prepare for your visit, check out our useful information to visit Socotra page. These resources are designed to ensure you have all the information you need for a seamless and enjoyable adventure with Socotra Trek. Feel free to contact us directly as well, using the below form. 👇🏽
Ready to visit Socotra?
Let’s get in touch!
You can also contact us directly:
- via email: socotratrek.tours@gmail.com
- via Whatsapp: +967 777 948 334
Adnan, ready to make your journey unforgettable.