The new, thoroughly updated second edition of Bradt's Socotra remains the first and only guide available to the largest of the four islands that make up the Socotra Archipelago in the Arabian Sea, 240 miles offshore from their mother land, Yemen. A UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site packed with dramatically varied and essentially undisturbed landscapes (mountains, forest, ravines, sand-dunes, beaches, caves.), Socotra is unique. Sometimes known as 'The Galapagos of the Indian Ocean', the archipelago has an exceptionally large number of species found nowhere else in the world ('endemic') in an area smaller than Rhode Island.
Accordingly, wildlife-watchers love Socotra: of 220 bird species recorded, 11 are endemic, while more than 300 plant species are endemic, as are all the land snails, 90% of reptiles and about 60% of spiders. Socotra offers much to fascinate the adventurous traveller. Visitors may snorkel from boats or pristine beaches; camel-trek into mountains formed by volcanic activity; gawp at bizarre plants - dragon blood trees that resemble huge, fuzzy-topped umbrellas and giant desert roses; engage with Socotra's rich history, which stretches back to the Stone Age and includes ancient cave art; and lunch at delightful fishing villages.
