The Hagghier Mountains of Socotra

Socotra is the famed for its Dragon Trees and Frankincense Trees, a jewel in the blue expanse of the Indian Ocean. Our main Socotra Tour offers a classical insight into this island as a hotspot of succulent biodiversity. On this tour we set our sights on the granite domes of the Hagghier Mountains, dominating the interior of the island. Because of their altitude they are much greener than the rest of Socotra and home to more than 80 endemic plants such as the colourful red Begonia socotrana and blue flowered Exacum caeruleum, as well as endemic birds, reptiles and insects.

Stunning granite domes and pinnacles rise to an altitude of 1500m above the coastal limestone plateaux. During the two short monsoon seasons clouds rising from the warm Indian Ocean bring moisture to these highlands, creating conditions that support an isolated remnant of biodiverse Afromontane Forest, alternating with small green goat pastures and rocky ledges, all loaded with endemic shrubs such as aromatic Helichrysums, yellow flowered Pulicarias and the showy Hypericum balfourii.

The forest patches, rich in ferns otherwise only growing in continental Afromontane Forest, are usually capped by single trees and groups of the iconic Socotran Dragon Tree Dracaena cinnabari. Mists swirl around the great pinnacles, creating mystic plays of light and shadow, as we explore evergreen broad-leaved forest with Euphorbia socotrana, Chapmannia tinireana, Myrsine africana, Olea capensis, Pittosporum viridiflorum, Sideroxylon fimbriatum, Spiniluma discolor, and the endemic white-flowered Dirachma socotrana. In the understory there are several species of endemic Hibiscus shrubs with large, deep yellow flowers, unique to Socotra‘s high country. As we contemplate the marvelous views down into deep gorges to the blue sea far below we’ll find endemic genera such as the acanthoid Chorisochora, the umbels Nirarathamnos and Rughidia, the succulents Duvaliandra and Socotrella, and the delicate Haya, all contributing to uniqueness of this fantastic biome.

The rich plant live is home to endemic birds as the pretty Socotran Bunting, the yellow and green Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Socotra Golden-winged Grosbeak, Socotra Sunbird, Socotra Warbler and the Socotran Scop Owl. We’ll find the Socotra Chameleon and a number of endemic geckos.

We’ll descend the south side of the Hagghier Mountains to Rokeb di Firmihin where we’ll walk among the fabled stands of statuesque Dragon Trees Dracaena cinnabari whose unique flattened crowns form pure forests here. Crossing the dry interior Zahr basin we’ll explore the rarely visited Quataryah limestone ridge in the Southwest of the Island. This dry barren ridge and plateau rises 700m above the turquoise blue ocean. This is a different world of dry, rocky mountains. In the higher, mist affected areas many new species have been discovered in the last decade. There are endemic shrubs and dramatically shaped succulents such as the only recently discovered columnar Euphorbia marie-cladiae and the low growing, extremely rare Frankincense Tree, Boswellia hesperia.

This tour is designed as a standalone one week trip, but can also be combined with the classical Socotra Tour that runs the week beforehand.