Canary Islands
Dragon Trees & Frankincense and Socotra's Marine Paradise
This tour is a combination of our one week Socotra tour and the one week Marine Paradise of Socotra trip.
Azure seas and pristine white sands surround this rugged island, whose central spine of limestone and granite uplands are home to some truly remarkable plants and endemic birds.
Extremes of climate have encouraged ingenious ways of preserving precious moisture with an abundance of bottle trees, cucumber trees, giant tree-like spurges and the amazing Dorsteinia gigas, a swollen fig tree. We’ll walk among the fabled Frankincense Trees and visit stands of statuesque Dragon Trees Dracaena cinnabari whose unique flattened crowns form pure forests at Rokeb di Firmihin. There are no less than nine species of Frankincense Tree (out of twenty species worldwide) on the main island and we’ll likely see eight of them, including one that is more like a rock than a tree!
Winter rains encourage fresher growth too, with the rich rusty-red pentagonal blooms of Caralluma socotrana, deep blue Commelina imberbis, bright yellow hibiscuses, brilliant red-flowered Kalanchoe farinacea and maybe the stunning and macabre four-inch wide flowers of Edithcolea grandis. Wedged into crevices on higher peaks are bright pink Begonia socotrana and beside scarce running water grow masses of mauve-blue Exacum affine. Socotra also has a unique and special fauna with a number of endemic bird species. Among dense shrubberies of Jatropha unicostate, Crotons and Euphorbia arbuscula are Socotra Sunbird, Socotra Warbler and Socotra Starling and we’ll have a good chance of finding the wonderful Socotra Chameleon. The highland areas are also home to the pretty Socotra Bunting and down among the date palms we may find diminutive Socotra Scops Owl and Bruce’s Green Pigeon. Golden-winged Grosbeaks sing by the entrance to the huge Hoq
Cave, inside which are many superb formations. Nobody has ever reached the end of the cave system!
You are never far from the coast on Socotra and indeed it is the sea that provides much of the islanders’ sustenance. Marine life is so rich it seems you merely have to put your hands into the water to pull out dinner! One of our campsites is in a marine nature reserve where the waters are thick with colourful fish – a kaleidoscope of colour greets us as we enter the warm waters. Swarms of Indian Triggerfish, Sohail Surgeonfish and Silver Batfish crowd around coral heads where pairs of exquisite Solander’s Toby’s defy us to approach their castle. There’s a dozen species of Butterflyfish and impressive Trapeze and Regal Angelfishes. Diversity is amazing – Honeycomb Moray, Cube Boxfish, Scribbled Filefish, and all sorts of colourful Wrasse and Parrotfish! Green Turtles cruise past and overhead Great Crested Terns are abundant. Red-billed Tropicbirds breed on the cliffs close to Shoab where we’ll spend time amongst cavorting Spinner Dolphins. We might see Whale Sharks here too. Masked Boobies, Brown Boobies and Socotra Cormorants are amongst a good range of seabirds.
We’ll spend plenty of time enjoying (and photographing!) an array of stunning, untouched landscapes, incredible sunrises over the dragon trees, towering sand dunes as well as swimming in deep cool highland pools and experiencing the fine hospitality of the exotic Soqotri people. And we’ll be able to stay in the most beautiful and remarkable of these landscapes as our local team will daily move our lovely large Arabian-style tents and have them ready for us when we arrive!
The second week sees us move our focus full onto Socotra’s marine paradise. You are never far from the coast on Socotra and indeed it is the sea that provides much of the islanders’ sustenance. Marine life is so rich it seems you merely have to put your hands into the water to pull out dinner!
Azure seas and pristine white sands surround this rugged island. Entering the water at the marine reserve at Dihamry is to enter an underwater paradise. Swarms of brilliant blue and gold Yellowtail Tangs and elegantly patterned Convict Surgeonfish are right in front of your mask in the shallowest of waters. The waters are thick with colourful fish – a kaleidoscope of colourful Sohail Surgeonfish, Lined Surgeonfish and Orange-spine Unicornfish reflect their dazzling colours in the crystal-clear surface waters.
We’ll spend the week camping at some truly amazing coastal locations, concentrating on exploring Socotra’s fabulous marine heritage, a nature that seems very pristine still. We’ll have boat trips with local fisherman where we’ll spend time with the abundant pods of acrobatic Spinner Dolphins that cavort through waters backed by spectacular coastal scenery. Bottle-nose Dolphins are also common and we’ll encounter turtles, Green and Hawksbill, as well as Loggerhead and Olive Ridley, both from the boats and frequently whilst we are snorkelling. The latter we’ll do from coastal camps, almost daily, and sometimes twice a day (or even all day if you’re keen!).
At Dihamry a resident shoal of diamond-shaped Silver Moonyfish looks like fish wallpaper and its great fun hanging around these guys as impressive Bluefin Trevallies swim lazily through them. This is an incredible place for Morays, Honeycomb Morays are common and there’s also Laced Moray, ash-grey Geometric Moray and even Giant Moray. Octopus are seen on most snorkels – Large Blue Octopus and White-spotted Octopus – and squadrons of Bigfin Squid too. Colourful Picasso Triggerfish and Arabian Picassofish inhabit sandy patches where we might see the amazing Tasselled Flathead lying on the bottom. Gorgeous Crowned Tobies hover above coral heads as Guineafowl Pufferfish float past. Impressively large and improbably-coloured parrotfishes nibble away at the reef. Bicolor Parrotfish, Heavybeak Parrotfish, Purple-Brown Parrotfish, Bullethead Parrotfish and Rusty Parrotfish among them. Brilliant blue and yellow Caerulean Damsels and exquisite Solander’s Tobies defy us to approach their coral castles. There’s a dozen species of Butterflyfish and impressive Yellowbar and Emperor Angelfishes. Diversity is amazing – Lemon Angelfish, Threeline Damsel, Jewel Damselfish, Olive Dottyback, Peacock Grouper, Cube Boxfish, Scribbled Filefish, and all sorts of colourful Wrasse including Broomtail Wrasse, the jewel-like Blue-spotted Wrasse, and ridiculously colourful Queen Coris. There’s gorgeous orange Lyretail Anthias and swarms of transparent Schooling Cardinalfish. Afternoons are when the spectacular Broadbarred Firefish comes out to hunt and we’ll see Devil Firefish too. Suddenly the water seems to fill with fish as huge squadrons of Lunar Fusilier and Multi-lined Fusiliers filter past, or perhaps shoals of stripey Bengal Snapper. There’s plenty of big silvery fish with various Trevallies, Great Barracuda and the fabulous underwater torpedo that is the Rainbow Runner. Humpback Unicornfish, Horseface Unicornfish and Sleek Unicornfish are all accurately described by their names, as are the stunning Clown Triggerfish, Titan Triggerfish and simply demonic Red-toothed Triggerfish. Rock-pooling is great fun when you’ve a moment out of the water as there are all sorts of crabs, blennies and even the smaller Morays such as Barred Moray and the recently described Pharaoh’s Moray.
Red-billed Tropicbirds breed on the cliffs close to Shoab. Dark-spotted Stingrays cruise the waters of Qalansiyah Lagoon alongside lots of Cuttlefish. On the boat trips we’ll watch for the larger ray species such as Mobulas, and Ocellated Eagle Rays, and we’ve a good chance of seeing Whale Sharks too. Masked Boobies, Brown Boobies and Socotra Cormorants are amongst a good range of seabirds.
Crucially we’ll be able to enjoy these remarkable and beautiful coasts in situ as our local team will move our lovely large Arabian-style tents and have them ready for us when we arrive at each camping location!
Dates and Prices
16th February - 2nd March 2027 (15 days)
For the first week Flora, Birds, Marine Life and Wild Landscapes, and for the second week Socotra’s rich Marine Life – fish, dolphins and birds.
The minimum is 5 and the maximum is 12. Ian Green is the leader for both weeks, during the first week aided by Stefano Doglio if the group exceeds 8 people and for the second week by Sarah Green. Both groups will be accompanied by Ali, a local Soqotri leader.
Return flights from Abu Dhabi to Socotra. All transport, meals, accommodation and gratuities in Socotra. Yemen visa. Services of your leaders. Please note: items of a personal nature including insurance, are not included. Flower, bird and marine fish checklists are available.
Camping may not be everyone’s cup of tea but this is really the way to experience the amazing landscapes and wildlife of Socotra. We use large Arabian-style tents. They are 4m diameter and you can stand in them throughout – we accommodate a maximum of two people per tent. Each tent comes with mattresses and pillows. If you prefer a single occupancy tents there are little tents available too. We move camps each night and each camp is in a stunning location so you are always there at the best time for both wildlife viewing and photography. The camps also come with tables and chairs and in some places with shelters too for meeting and eating under. Our cooks serve good island staples with various baked and fried fish, chicken, rice, eggs and delicious fresh flatbreads. There’ll be more than one chance to feast on the island’s delicious lobsters! On several of the nights the camps are set by permanent toilet and shower facilities but on three of the nights there are no such facilities…
Generally only a few miles a day, but with some steep trails along rocky and sometimes narrow paths. The terrain is always uneven and rocky with areas of sharp limestone and tough (but not spiny!) shrubberies. During the second week there will be a number of boat trips using local fishing boats of up to 3 hours in length. During this week there will be daily snorkelling sessions sometimes two and these can last as long as you want!
We use the direct return flights from Abu Dhabi to Socotra. These depart very early morning and arrive back into Abu Dhabi in the morning a week later.
Mostly clear and sunny and then it gets hot quickly though temperatures rarely exceed 30°C at this season. Thick mist can descend on the highlands swiftly and envelop the area, greatly reducing visibility, though we’ll mostly be below this. Winds are generally light though the odd day there might be a stronger breeze. The waters are exceptionally clear.
Either half of this tour can be done as a wonderful stand alone tour. See
Socotra – Dragon Trees and Frankincense and Socotra – A Marine Paradise for more information.
Contact us to check if there is availability for the number of places you require. Click on the ‘Book this Tour’ button on this page to be taken to the online booking form or contact us and we will send one to you which you can complete and send back to us. You will receive confirmation of your place, and then a detailed information pack will be dispatched to you about twelve weeks before departure. This will contain up-to-date health information.
Dragon Trees & The Hagghier Mountains of Socotra
16th Feb - 2nd Mar 2027 (15 days)