Socotra Pioneer Tours- Socotra Tour Packages & Trips — Attraction in Socotra

My recent two-week journey to Socotra marked my second adventure with my trusted travel operator Socotra Pioneers, and it turned out to be again an unforgettable experience. Known for its unique flora and fauna, Socotra is often referred to as the "Galápagos of the Indian Ocean," and this trip allowed me again to explore untouched areas that are rarely visited by tourists thanks to my highly experienced guide Sami.

Upon arrival, I again was greeted by the island’s breathtaking beauty. As we drove along the road to Wadi Ayhaft where we spent the first night the dramatic shape of the Haggeher mountains came into sight. We slept outside the tents and waking up I could enjoy the faint silhouettes of the peaks reaching into the moon illuminated night sky.

As the year before we decided to visit places not usually visited by tourists. Next morning at breakfast we decided to visit the southwest coast, the surroundings of Queysoh and of course the Haggeher mountains among others.

From then on each day was filled with invigorating hikes through various ecosystems. With the help of local residents we walked remote trails and did not only see the usual botanical highlights like the iconic cucumber and Dragon’s Blood trees, but also gems like many of the 12 different species of incense trees.

One of the highlights of our trip was a trek to the south coast near Gishub where we climbed up the impressive calcareous cliffs which line up at the hinterland of the coast. They are so steep they seem invincible and yet there are small paths leading up that only the goat shepherds know. Here, we enjoyed breathtaking panoramic views and had the opportunity to photograph the stunning landscape.

A hike from Firmihin to Wadi Ayhaft traversing the Scand peaks of the Haggeher mountains was another exceptional experience. Although very exhausting it leads you into the highest mountains of the island and offers views of breathtaking valleys and peaks, charming high plateaus where the small breed of socotran cattle grazes peacefully at the meadows and the unique flora of the highlands. If you are lucky you will discover Dirachma socotrana in flower on the way. But this should only be done by trained people. The distance you cover is about 16 kilometres and you climb up 600 metres and descend 1400 metres.

As we concluded our trip, I reflected on the incredible and still largely preserved biodiversity of this island which makes it an exemption among other islands worldwide.

My thanks go again to Socotra Pioneers. The team was excellent and again very responsive to all my wishes. Without their knowledge and willingness I wouldn’t have been able to get the chance for another experience of Socotra beyond the typical tourist paths! I can only recommend this travel operator wholeheartedly if you want to explore off-the-beaten-path...

Socotra Pioneer Tours - What an exceptional service we had from them. Right from the start of planning the trip to the end of the trip.

We were 2 adults and 1 kid, my daughter aged 9 years. We selected 7 nights and 8 days for our trip.

Ahmed the owner had been in touch with us from the planning of the trip and organizing everything from start to end. Flight booking, chosing a 4W/D, food, water, hotel on day 1 and last day had al been arranged by Ahmed and team.

The itinerary provided could be the best one for our trip. We had covered everything and had no complains. Ahmed (Owner), Adham (Guide) and Radwan (Chaffeur cum chef) had received us from Socotra airport and then onwards we were with them throughout. Camping spots were meticulously selected onto gorgeous landscpes. Every corner of the campsite had a sunrise and sunset view.

People - Amazing group of Socotrians, who welcome tourists as if it is their home. We had heartfel welcome from everyone where we went.

Car - Landcruiser 4W/D was provided throughout the trip and had no issues during the off roads or on the road trips. We had encountered one issue, however, Radwan was swift enough to fis it and continue the journey.

Food - Food was everyday prepared by Radwan, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lamb, chicken and fis were the options. If you buy an octupus or crabs, Radwan will prepare for it on any of the meals. We were provided snacks throughout the journey when were on the car with ample amount of water.

Tents - New and clean tents were provided which were set up in the evening by Radwan and Adham

Luggages - were carried by either Radwan and Adham on and off tents and was well taken care of

Garbage - Big bags were carried in the car collecting the garbages from the individual campsite to keep the place clean, including empty bottles, left over food, tissues etc.

Hidden spots - There had been some spots which were taken to not known by many giudes, hence, this was a surplus we did not asked for :-)

OVERALL - 7 * STARS TO THE TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!! WE LOVED SOCOTRA THEIR PEOPLE AND MORE IMPORTANTLY AHMED, ADHAM AND RADWAN. NOVA (OUR DAUGHTER) LOVED THEIR COMPANY AND WAS WELL TAKEN CARE OF DURING THE TRIP. SHE ENJOYED THE MOST!!!

Advice to all tourists - Please keep the island clean, if you do not have a lavatory somewhere, and you are at natures lap, then please cover with mud and take away the tissues used to put it in the...

This is an awesome tour company! I picked them because of their responsiveness and significantly better price than the other tour companies I contacted. I always prefer to book directly with local guides instead of using western tour companies. They have a decent amount of good reviews but I still wasn’t even sure if it was a legit company, but we ended up having no issues at all. They helped us arrange flight bookings from Abu Dhabi (spent a couple days in this city and it was totally worth it, much more interesting than Dubai). The flights are on a charter plane so you need their help making the booking, this was the only sketchy part of the whole process as it requires wiring money to Air Arabia, but it wasn’t an issue at all. The guides didn’t ask for prepayment for any of their services at all. I had limited availability so I could really only go the last week of the season in May and it was hot but still possible to go to all the places (if you go during this time I would recommend bringing some kind of personal cooling device to stay cool during the day).

If you’re concerned about the tour itself compared to other companies, it’s pretty much exactly the same thing that the other companies offer. There were only a few other tour groups in Socotra at the same time as us but we all went to exactly the same sights and possibly even visited a few extra places. I got the impression that the best tour guides who used to work for the larger companies just got together and started their own agency. They seemed to know everyone and got to the campsites early and claimed the best spots for us. The driver, Radwan, was super experienced at off road driving and we had no issues with the vehicle at all. And the guide Sami was extremely knowledgeable of the local environment with a graduate degree in forestry from the university in Brno that leads the protection effort of these trees. They were an impressive duo to have as guides. The island is really safe as well, despite there being a war in the mainland, the island is a far away place. It is safe to walk around at night alone, even in the capital city it just feels very normal. The only danger is the goats, they are mischievous and will eat all your food if you don’t pay attention. Overall this was one of my...