Powerful witches, flying snakes and other legends on a mysterious island in the Indian Ocean that seems from another world

If you fell asleep and woke up in this place while traveling, you would most likely think that is on another planet: the desert landscape could make you think of Mars, for example, but the strange plants and trees What he would see would confuse him even more.

You would see, for example, several dracaena cinnabari, spectacular trees whose shape is reminiscent of an umbrella; I would see roses from the Yemen desert and, here and there, dendrosicyos socotrana or “cucumber trees”, a particular species that populates the cliffs and hills of the place.

But then you would look at the location on your phone and realize that it’s not some unknown planet.

And the location would tell you that it is in a small island in the Indian oceanoff the coast of the Horn of Africa and about 350 kilometers from the shores of Yemen.

And you could see the name: Socotraan island 132 km long by 49 km wide that belongs to Yemen and is undoubtedly one of the most striking places on Earth: is home to 825 species of plants308 of which (37%) are unique in the world, that is, they are only found here.

Because of this rich and unique biodiversity, the island was declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 2008.

To be more exact, it would have to be said that Socotra is actually part of an archipelago, which has a surface area of ​​about 3,600 square kilometers and is also made up of other smaller islands: Abd Al Kuri, Samha and Darsa. But Socotra is the main one, and the one that attracts the most attention due to its exotic vegetation.

The island has a very special ecosystem whose biology, according to the landscape, also seems to have arrived from another planet. That’s why many call it “the alien island” or, due to its exceptional natural heritage, “the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean”.

And it’s not just about the vegetation, but also its fauna is very particular. For example, among the 140 species of birds who live on the island, at least ten are endemicthat is, they have never been seen anywhere else, and that is why there are species that have the name of the island in their name, such as the Socotra cormorant.

They are also endemic andl 90% of your reptiles and the 95% of its land snails.

The keys to this treasure being formed, and why it is preserved to this day, are the high temperatures of the island, the lack of water (it rains about 250 mm a year, especially in the high parts) and the isolation from the place, 350 km in a straight line from the southern coast of Yemen and 260 from the tip of the Horn of Africa.

Besides, Until 1999 it could only be reached by boatand between June and September -monsoon season-, that trip was very complicated by the strength of the wind and waves.

The local airport only opened in 1999, in a place where the majority of the inhabitants (about 60,000 currently) have lived for generations – many still today. no electricity or running watere.

Most of them (9,000) live in Hadibohthe main town on the island, where the houses are the color of the earth.

Both in Socotra and in the other islands of the archipelago, a own Semitic language, the socotríwhich is related to others from the Arabian Peninsula such as Mahri (a South Arabian language spoken in the eastern part of Yemen and in some areas of Oman) and Dhofari or Jebali (an ethnic group of Berber and Moorish origin, which today inhabits the northwest of Morocco).

The magnificent flora and fauna of the island also includes some species that are found in other places, but in Socotra the same. They surprise with their capricious shapeswhich make up an almost enchanted landscape, like a surrealist set.

The variety of flora is also partly due to the different environments, since Socotora has three types of land: coastal plains, a limestone plateau with karst caves in the center and, in the central-northern area, the Hajhir Mountains, at the foot of which Hadiboh is located.

The island It’s been a mystery forever.and since time immemorial they have proliferated Myths and legends about her.

Marco Polo, for example, claimed that the witches of Socotra were the most powerful in the world, and it was believed that they lived on the island flying snakesin its mountains hid a phoenix nest and who also lived in the place the roc birdan immense bird described by Sinbad the Sailor.

And although no such creatures exist, Socotra’s environment remains exceptional, which is why the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) designated it one of the five most important islands in the world in terms of biodiversity and conservation of wildlife.

However, this wealth is in danger: Different studies carried out warn about the fragility of its ecosystem, and place Socotra among the 10 island floras with greater danger of disappearance in the world, since it is very vulnerable to modificationsespecially at introduced species by man (like goats) and climate change.

And unfortunately, the place is no stranger to civil war that devastates Yemen: in 2020 the island passed into the hands of the faction that controls the south of the country, supported by regional powers such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The island is considered key from a geostrategic point of view, being located in the entrance to the Gulf of Adenwhere maritime traffic passes between the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

The airline Yemenia Airlines (yemenia.com) has flights to Socotra from the cities of Aden and Ryan in southern Yemen. Reservations cannot be made online, so it is necessary to assistance from a travel agencys. There is also a weekly flight from Abu Dhabi.

There are agencies, such as Socotra Eco Tours, that offer multi-day trips to visit the main sites of the island, including trekking through the mountains with glamping accommodation (www.socotra-eco-tours.com).

To enter you need to have a visa de Yemen.