Socotra Classic Circuit
8 days, 7 nights · Camping, a new camp each night · up to 8
The full lap of the island in eight days, camping somewhere new each night.
About $1,600
per person, land only · flight extra
Fifteen days lines up with the flight two weeks later, and it changes the trip. There is time to walk into the Haghier mountains for two days before seeing the rest of the island, the forest, the reef, the caves, the east and the west, without the rush of a single week.
The mountain section is on foot, usually with a camel carrying the kit, and the nights up there are basic. After that the pace eases: most nights camping at the island's best-known sites, and two nights in a hotel in Hadibo.
Highlights
- Two days on foot in the Haghier mountains
- Firmihin forest and the Diksam plateau
- Hoq Cave and the Rosh marine reserve
- Ras Irissel and the Arher dunes
- The boat to Shuab
The route
Two days trekking in the Haghier, then the whole island: camping, with two hotel nights
- 1Delisha Beach
- 2Hajhir Mountains
- 3Firmihin Forest
- Wadi Dirhur
- 4Diksam Plateau
- 5Wadi Ayhaft
- 6Dihamri Marine Protected Area
- 7Kalysan Canyon
- Qaria Lagoon
- 8Homhil Protected Area
- 9Hoq Cave
- Rosh Marine Reserve
- 10Ras Irissel
- 11Arher Dunes
- 12Aomak Beach
- 13Digub Cave
- 14Qalansiyah
- 15Detwah Lagoon
- 16Shuab Beach
- 17Hadibo
Day by day
We do not print driving times: almost none are published for Socotra, and we would rather leave them out than guess.
Hardscarf · CC BY-SA 4.0Day 1NorthArrive, and Delisha
From the airport to Delisha beach, with its freshwater lagoon behind the dunes, for the sunset. First camp.
- Delisha Beach
Overnight: Delisha beach camp
Valerian Guillot from Cambridge, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0Day 2Haghier mountainsInto the mountains
The walk begins: up through the wadis of the Haghier among endemic plants, past the village of Kishan, to a high camp at Adoho Dema'alah. A camel usually carries the kit.
- Hajhir Mountains
Overnight: Mountain camp
- Day 3Haghier mountains
The high ridges
A day along the high ridges towards Fa'arh peak, with views down to the coast, then down through Wadi Di-Azaqaloh to camp in the wadi.
- Hajhir Mountains
Overnight: Wadi camp
Hardscarf · CC BY-SA 4.0Day 4CentreDown to Firmihin
Off the mountain to canyon pools, then on to Firmihin, the densest dragon's blood forest left on earth. Camp among the trees.
- Firmihin Forest
Overnight: Firmihin forest camp
Hardscarf · CC BY-SA 4.0Day 5CentreDirhur and Diksam
Into the Wadi Dirhur canyon and up onto the Diksam plateau, with its views over the gorge and its Bedouin grazing land.
- Wadi Dirhur
- Diksam Plateau
Overnight: Diksam plateau camp
Valerian Guillot · CC BY 2.0Day 6NorthAyhaft
North to the Ayhaft national park, a green valley of freshwater pools, tamarind and cucumber trees and endemic birds. The night is in a hotel in Hadibo.
- Wadi Ayhaft
Overnight: Hotel, Hadibo
Gerry & Bonni · CC BY 2.0Day 7North-eastDihamri
A day on the reef at Dihamri for snorkelling, and an evening in the fishing village.
- Dihamri Marine Protected Area
Overnight: Dihamri camp
Hardscarf · CC BY-SA 4.0Day 8EastKalysan, Qaria and Homhil
The pools of Kalysan canyon, the Qaria lagoon with its flamingos and herons in season, and the bottle trees and infinity pool at Homhil.
- Kalysan Canyon
- Qaria Lagoon
- Homhil Protected Area
Overnight: Homhil camp
Valerian Guillot · CC BY 2.0Day 9EastHoq Cave and Rosh
The climb to Hoq Cave and its ancient inscriptions, then down to the coast at the Rosh marine reserve.
- Hoq Cave
- Rosh Marine Reserve
Overnight: Rosh camp
Hardscarf · CC BY-SA 4.0Day 10Far eastRas Irissel and the Arher dunes
Out to Ras Irissel at the island's eastern tip, then the dunes at Arher, piled against the cliffs above a freshwater stream.
- Ras Irissel
- Arher Dunes
Overnight: Arher camp
Hardscarf · CC BY-SA 4.0Day 11SouthDefarhu, Aomak and Digub
Through Wadi Defarhu to the south coast: Aomak beach, and the view from Digub Cave over the plain.
- Aomak Beach
- Digub Cave
Overnight: Aomak beach camp
Hardscarf · CC BY-SA 4.0Day 12WestQalansiyah and Detwah
Across the island to the west: the fishing town of Qalansiyah and the lagoon at Detwah.
- Qalansiyah
- Detwah Lagoon
Overnight: Detwah lagoon camp
Valerian Guillot from Cambridge, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0Day 13WestShuab, by boat
A boat along the cliffs to Shuab, often with spinner dolphins alongside, and a day on the beach.
- Shuab Beach
- Detwah Lagoon
Overnight: Detwah lagoon camp
Rod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia · CC BY-SA 2.0Day 14NorthHadibo
Back to Hadibo for the town, its markets and a last evening in a hotel.
- Hadibo
Overnight: Hotel, Hadibo
- Day 15
Out
Transfer to the airport, three hours before departure.
What is included
- Socotra entry permit, arranged through the operator
- Airport transfers on Socotra
- 4x4 with driver throughout
- English-speaking Socotri guide, plus local guides at the cave, canyon and forest
- All meals, snacks and drinking water
- Entry fees for the protected areas on the route
- A pack camel and handler for the mountain section
- Tent, mattress and bedding, set up by the crew
- Two nights in a hotel in Hadibo
- The boat to Shuab
What is not
- Return flight Jeddah–Socotra, usually about $950–1,100, which we book for you
- Flights to and from Jeddah
- Travel insurance, which needs a policy that covers Yemen (see our insurance guide)
- Tips for the crew
- Personal spending: bring US dollars in cash
- Drone permit, if you bring one
- Snorkelling gear: bring your own or hire it at Dihamri
What it costs
The trip
About $3,150
Per person: everything on the island in the list above.
The flight
About $950–1,100
Return, Jeddah to Socotra. Seats are not sold online, so we book it for you.
Both figures are approximate. The exact price depends on your dates, your group size and the flight rotation, and you get it in writing when you enquire, before you pay anything. Why the same trip is quoted so differently across the market is covered in what Socotra actually costs.
Socotra is a cash-USD island: no working ATMs, no card acceptance. Bring $500–800 in small denominations, and note that only crisp notes from 2009, 2013 or 2017 onwards are reliably accepted.
This suits you if
- Travellers with two weeks who want the whole island
- Walkers who want the Haghier mountains as well as the coast
- Anyone who finds eight days too rushed
Pick something else if
- Anyone who cannot manage two days of mountain walking
- Travellers short on time
- Anyone who wants a hotel every night
If the flight does not come
In January 2026 roughly 600 travellers sat on Socotra for about a week when the rotation stopped. It is the clearest risk on the trip, and the written terms across this market are all over the place: one operator charges $100 per person per day and says plainly that no cash refund will ever be issued for a cancelled flight, offering only non-transferable credit; another promises a full deposit refund; two put every extra night entirely on the traveller; one is silent on force majeure altogether. Travellers who were caught in January 2026 have publicly described recovering money by bank chargeback after being ignored, and being billed with no cost breakdown. Before you pay anything, get the terms for your dates in writing: who keeps the camp, food, vehicle and guide running, who pays for the extra nights, and what is refunded. We ask the operator for exactly that and send it to you with your quote. Treat a vague answer from anyone as an answer.
More on the risk in is Socotra safe and insurance and health.
Frequently asked questions
How hard is the mountain section?
It is the hardest part of any Socotra trip: two days of walking on rough paths through the Haghier, with basic camps. You need to be comfortable walking for several hours a day on uneven ground. The rest of the trip is much easier.
Why fifteen days?
The flight from Jeddah runs on a weekly pattern, so trips come in weekly blocks. Fifteen days lines up with the flight two weeks later and leaves room for the mountains.
Is the flight included?
No. The return flight between Jeddah and Socotra is extra, usually about $950–1,100, and we book it for you: seats are released to licensed operators rather than sold online. The price shown is the land price per person.
How exact is the price?
It is an approximate land price per person. The final figure depends on your dates, the size of your group and the flight rotation, and you get it in writing when you enquire, before you pay anything.
Do I need a visa?
Socotra uses an entry permit sponsored by a licensed local operator, not a visa you apply for yourself. It is arranged for you and included in the price. It is usually issued a week or two before travel, so do not leave booking to the last minute.
When can I go?
October to April. The southwest monsoon closes the island from roughly May to September: winds pick up, sea crossings stop and flights are often cancelled.
