CONTACT
Email:
info@unexploredsocotra.com
Mobile: +967 770178198 777990893
Abdullah Hazeem
Administrator
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Socotra island: new paradise
Welcome to Socotra island!
The archipelago of Socotra, part of the
Republic of Yemen, is located in the north west Indian Ocean at about 400km
south of Arabian peninsula. It consists of the main island of Socotra (3625 km2)
and three smaller west islands: Abd Al Kuri, Samha and Darsah.
The archipelago suffered from severe isolation due to its remote
geographical position, to heavy monsoon winds and to the lack of suitable
harbors. This resulted in very high levels of endemism in many terrestrial and
marine groups of organisms, which make the archipelago a site of global
importance for biodiversity conservation. The archipelago of Socotra has been
included in UNESCO' s World Heritage list since 2008 for its "biological
diversity and threatened species".
The people of Socotra have been kept away from the rest of the world for
centuries and had become almost completely self-sufficient, living in delicate
balance with their environment. Until recent times tourism has not been a
resource for the island. The preservation of Socotra natural and cultural
richness is the only basis for improving the living conditions of its
population. Thus, Socotra has been supported by conservation and sustainability
programmes, encouraging a responsible ecotourism, rather than a conventional
tourism, to protect the environment, the culture and the honor of the local
people. Important features of the ecotourism are the honest use of resources
from the place, the promotion of recycling, efficient use of energy, water
conservation and economic opportunities for local communities.
Socotra island offers to tourists miles and miles of white sandy beaches
and startling clear turquoise blue seas teeming with colorful fish, inland
mountains decorated with ancient dragon blood trees and hundreds of other
unique species that have not developed anywhere else in the world,
beautiful sceneries and the ancient culture of local people in traditional
villages.
This web-site offers to tourists information on the island and a wide
choice of activities that can be organized in a "perfect holiday": accommodation
(hotel or camping), meals (in restaurants or prepared by local cooks anywhere
you camp), trips (4x4 cars, boats, hiking and trekking, camel riding,
bicycling), sea exploration (snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing, swimming with
dolphins), and some other special tips (bird watching, fishing, visiting local
markets or just enjoying the tropical sunshine relaxing on a desert unexplored
beach).
FLORA
From a botanical point of view, Soqotra is historically known for the rare
and spectacular plants which characterize the dramatic mountain and
coastal landscapes. According to botanists, the island of Soqotra ranks
among the ten endangered islands in the world. The island has a very rich
and diverse flora while as much as 900 plant species could be found there.
Among those species, 600 kinds are rare and at least 300 are endemic while many
plant species of the island remained to be studied and yet new species
keep being discovered . Around 150 plant species are uniquely owned by the
island where no equivalents are available all over the world.
FAUNA
The animal world is characterized by the original absence (man introduced some
species later) of mammals (exception made for bats), amphibians, and
perhaps primary freshwater fish. Animal groups that managed to survive on
the islands stand out by the presence of numerous endemics, including
birds. Many groups remain to be discovered, especially in the marine
fauna. |
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