Welcome to Socotra

WELCOME
TO
SOCOTRA

A JOURNEY
TO THE END OF THE WORLD

“The Socotra Archipelago in Yemen has long been a land of mystery.
Over the centuries travellers returned from the Indian Ocean isles with bizarre tales - of trees yielding dragon's blood and cucumbers, forest of frankincense, and towering pinnacles in the mist.".

ECO-TOURISM AT ITS BEST

Luxury is about the experience, not appearance. Enjoy the luxury of the essential .

ISOLATED

GO PLACES NO ONE HAS BEEN BEFORE

Disconnect from everyday life and widen your horizon.
Get inspired and explore one of the remotest place on the planet.

UNTOUCHED

SUPPORT LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Interact and engage with emotions, senses and physical activities.
Meet the people who call it home and get a rare insight of Socotri culture.

IMMERSIVE

NEXT DEPARTURES

We also design bespoke adventures to suit any traveller,
from solo to couples or larger groups of friends. For private tours feel free to pick your own date!

◎ January 31st - February 7th

◎ February 14th - February 21st

◎ February 28th - March 7th (OUTER ISLANDS EXPEDITION)

◎ March 7th - March 14th

◎ March 14th - March 21st

◎ March 21st - March 28th

◎ March 28th - April 4th

◎ April 11th - April 18th

◎ April 25th - May 02nd

Unveil the adventure

GET IN TOUCH TO RECEIVE OUR DETAILED ITINERARY

Our itinerary is designed to inspire, whether you are looking to make the most of a classic one week trip, or explore more as part of a longer bespoke adventure.

Exploration_travel

08/08/2020

Trip of a lifetime to the amazing island of Socotra I organised a one-week trip to the island of Socotra for late February to early March 2020. The trip was booked with the ‘Welcome to Socotra’ (WTS) team and the whole booking process was very easy. The WTS team booked the flights from Cairo to Socotra (return) and they even organised the visa. Matteo (one of the WTS team) was my tour leader and he led a group of 9 people during my one-week stay. I was travelling solo and some of the other people in my group were also solo travellers. We must have all been very fortunate, because all of the members of the group got along so well and I was made to feel so welcome by everyone even from the first day. My stay on the island involved camping every night and I personally enjoyed this as the weather was warm at night (on one night it was a little windy), and it was just so peaceful. Every day we had a different excursion organised and some of the places that Matteo took us to visit were just incredibly beautiful. I seriously cannot put into words the natural beauty of the island. My favourite place was Arher Beach - see the attached photographs. We visited different natural pools (one an infinity pool), deep caves (you can actually walk through), canyons, beautiful mountains, and more. The food provided by the team at WTS was unbelievably good. ‘Abdullah’ our chef was one of the nicest men I have ever met, so humble and friendly, and his culinary skills are amazing. I looked forward to the meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks) he prepared every day for us. ‘Salah’ was the driver of the 4x4 I was travelling in - I shared the car with another member of our group and Matteo. Salah is such a nice guy and he couldn’t do enough for us to make sure we were comfortable at all times. Travelling in the 4x4 was one of the highlights of my trip as we had so much fun together driving around the island and listening to music. There is not much more I can say about the trip apart from that my visit to the island has left a lasting impression in my heart and I hope + pray I am able to visit the island of Socotra again. If I do, I will 100% book with my new friends at WTS.

WanderlustV

02/08/2020

Truly spectacular, once in a lifetime adventure Wow, there are really inadequate words to describe to describe the beauty of Socotra and the professionalism that Welcome to Socotra offers to their guests. I found this tour organizer through Instagram and wasn’t sure how legit they were, but booked without much hesitation based on their price and responsiveness. Welcome to Socotra is run by two fun, well-traveled Italian guys who have spent considerable time on Socotra Island and have created awesome itineraries that really cater to more, independent young(ish) travelers who don’t mind getting active and camping in wild, beautiful spots. Amazing support staff too that really take care of guests - the food was incredible. Have no hesitation booking your Socotra adventure with them (vs some of the bigger agencies that do worldwide trips and hence charge you a premium for the name). I was on one of the last tours into Socotra before COVID hit, and hope to return in the future with Welcome to Socotra.

O4140IFtania

30/06/2020

Once in a lifetime trip Visiting Socotra is a once in a lifetime experience that is indescribable. The island is absolutely stunning and the people are nothing but welcoming and humble. Welcome to Socotra has such a great team. It was easy to book, plan, arrive and enjoy with drivers, guides, chef and of course Matteo making it the most unforgettable trip I have ever taken. I can't wait to visit again.

Girl With No Compass

29/06/2020

For the bold When you've traveled to as many countries as I have, you learn that some places you enjoy, some places you forget, and some places will leave you completely transformed. It's not fair to even describe this experience as "once in a lifetime", because once you've actually experienced it, you'll forever daydream about the next time you can return to explore this island. I spent a week with the Welcome to Socotra team in December 2019, and if I return I know I will have to spend two weeks. Their incredibly hospitable teams takes care of your visa, camping, cooking and all arrangements. While the island is not "popular" by any means, I arrived on a week the other tour operators had very full tours. The team at Welcome to Socotra reversed their usual itinerary to help make sure we got to experience some of the same incredible places and to avoid the "crowds" since most companies follow a similar itinerary. I've never enjoyed so much fresh, incredible seafood or experienced such amazing views and scenery. The hospitality of all the locals is second to none. If you expect glamping or a high end experience, hotels, electricity, cell service - let me be clear, this is not the tour for you. This is an extremely raw, rugged, and adventurous experience. Good physical condition is really needed to maximize your enjoyment. Much of the terrain is very steep, rocky, and there are so many views to be had after a good climb. This is an experience meant for an active, curious explorer, and not one for relaxing and unwinding completely. It is difficult to describe all you get to experience in a full week because one single day can be so full and rich, it feels like a hundred days packed into one - but it flies by fast as a minute. I'm grateful I managed to "get in" this trip after the borders opened for tourist and before Covid shut them back down. I'm looking forward to when I can return again.

Romaine W

28/06/2020

Socotra trip I absolute recommend visiting this amazing island of Socotra and use Welcometosocotra tours who will take best care of you and show you all of the island secrets and treasuries. I was happy I used them as they took care of everything from the visa to the flights, and then everything once I arrived. So my time there was just basically enjoying the ride, the hospitality of Welcometosocotra, and people of the island. Let Welcometosocotra make your Socotra trip one you will never forget. Romaine

Connector21313774292

26/06/2020

Visited Socotra Island, Yemen in Nov-2019 Visited Socotra Island, Yemen with Welcome To Socotra Team in the end of November, 2019. Personally, I've been to more than 120 countries ever and I felt like this place was surreal & one of the most unusual place of the world!! Although getting visa of Yemen and purchasing the flight ticket to Socotra Island are both difficult in this moment, however, Welcome To Socotra Team's was excellent and I didn't feel any difficulty. All communication were English. While tour, they served delicious meals, shisha, local music and dance. Those are unforgettable experience. I wish I could be back to there in the future. イエメンのソコトラ島へ当ツアー会社経由で渡航しました。イエメンビザ、ソコトラ島へのフライトの手配は全て会社が代理で手配をしてくれます。

SaraDallal

A trip of a lifetime After a week full of adventures, sea food, hiking natural trails, swimming in nature made infinity pools, ponds, Arabic sea and Indian ocean, exploring caves and walking on breathtaking virgin beaches, getting a tan and getting soaked by rain, goodbye became very hard. Such an amazing team @welcometosocotra and wonderful group we had. We will always have the lifelong memories. Singing in the car and hiking up the mountings and bonfire every night was all amazing. Learning about Socotra and the traditions and history from the Welcome to Socotra team was one of the main highlights as well. This is an island where you have to let go of your electronics and enjoy the walks, hikes, serene natural beauty and simplicity of what life is all about. We also had an amazing chefs and we enjoyed fresh cooked food and seafood and seafood and more amazing seafood. I was a solo traveler who joined other travelers I have never met on this trip and Welcome to Socotra made each one of us feel welcomed. Don't know if it was the simplicity of that place molded into it's magical nature or the fact that Socotra proved to me that happiness is a state of mind and being content. Whatever it was, it definitely left a mark on my heart and I am hoping to visit again.

Carissa W

25/06/2020

Out of this world I travelled to Socotra earlier this year, a trip I had been dreaming about for a long time. I had very high expectations even before I arrived, but the week we spent on the island surpassed anything I could have ever imagined. From the moment we arrived the Welcome to Socotra team showed us the island in a way I feel only locals can do. We felt welcome and at home, and each day we spent was more spectacular than the next. Matteo and the team provide a perfect compliment of ecological knowledge about the island's unique flora and fauna, as well as its culture and history. The time I spent there was not nearly enough, I left wanting so much more but I can say with certainly that it was the first of many trips to the island. I can't wait to get back!

tokyoliz0608

Incredible experience with Welcome to Socotra Traveling with Welcome to Socotra was such a highlight of my time there. They were extremely organized, knowledgeable about the island, and introduced my group to such wildly different, stunning areas. The food cooked by the chefs was fabulous and very fresh (a lot of grilled fish) and I'll never forget waking up to the sound of waves each morning while camping on the beach.

Robert Pljuscec

20/06/2020

Life changing I was working on Socotra with Wild Sea Expedition as a photographer and we end up secluded on island because of Corona for three months. During that time I had a luck to spend most of the time with Nicolo and his team from Welcome to Socotra. As a person who works in professional fishing guiding, I know a thing of two about getting to known a place...that been said I was blown away by Nicolos knowledge of the island, not only the locations but also the flora and fauna of the place. You can know that much only if you feel deep connection and love for the place. And as a photographer I can also say that many time he had a eye better than me for places we would visit... so i had an easy work on that field to...just point and shoot. I would recomend Welcome to Socotra to anybody that comes to the island. This guys are the top in their work and if you go to the island ...for you there should be no other choice than this team.