Socotra Island - Like Another Planet - off Africa.

It is like being on a different planet .... These pictures and information are excellent
Viewing and reading. Socotra Island : you have to see it to believe it This island
simply blows away any notion about what is considered "normal" for a landscape on
Earth.
 

Imagine waking up on the Socotra Island and taking a good
look around you . After a yelp of disbelief, you'd be inclined to
 think you were transported to another planet - or traveled to
another era of Earth's history.

The second would be closer to the truth for this island, which
is part of a group of 4 islands, has been geographically
isolated from mainland Africa for the last 6 or 7 million years.
Like the Galapagos Islands , this island is teeming with 700
extremely rare species of flora and fauna, a full 1/3 of which
are endemic, I.e. Found nowhere else on Earth.
 

The climate is harsh, hot and dry, and yet - the most amazing plant life
thrives there. Situated in the Indian Ocean 250 km from Somalia and
340 km from Yemen , the wide sandy beaches rise to limestone
plateaus full of caves (some 7 kilometers in length) and mountains up
to 1525 meters high.

The name Socotra is derived from a Sanscrit name, meaning "The
Island of Bliss"... Is it the beaches? The isolation and quiet? Or the
strange and crazy botanical allure?

Alien-looking plants: H. P. Lovecraft's secret inspiration?

Was the famous Chtulhu myths creator aware of these forbidding
mountains with their hauntingly weird flora (think of plant mutations
from his "The Color out of Space") ? We almost tempted to call
Socotra the other "Mountains of Madness" - the trees and plants of this
 island were preserved thru the long geological isolation, some
varieties being 20 million years old...

We begin with the dracena cinnibaris or Dragon's Blood Tree, the
source of valuable resin for varnishes, dyes, and "cure-all" medicine;
also (predictably) used in medieval ritual magic and alchemy -
 

The branches spread out into the sky and from below appear to hover over
the landscape like so many flying saucers... And from above they have a
distinct mushroom look:
 

There is also the Desert Rose (adenium obesium) which looks like nothing
so much as a blooming elephant leg:
 

Dorstenia gigas - apparently does not require any soil and sinks roots straight
 into the bare rock:
 

It also has a distinct personality and likes to smile for the camera:
 

Somewhat similar to the weird Dorstenia gigas, is this "bucha" vegetable, found as far
north as Croatia . I hope it's not pregnant with anything malignant inside this sack.
John Wyndham (with his "The Day of the Triffids") would've loved it:
 

Also found in Socotra 's landscape is the ever-strange and extremely rare
Cucumber Tree (dendrosicyos socotranum) - and yes, it's related to what's sitting
in a pickle jar in your fridge:
 

Getting around can be a challenge, as there are almost no roads

Despite the fact that this island has around 40,000 inhabitants, the Yemeni
government put in the first roads just 2 years ago - after negotiations with
UNESCO, which has declared this island a World Natural Heritage Site. I would
prefer a camel ride to what is bound to be a bumpy and slow 4x4 ride.... It is a
quiet and peaceful enclave in an otherwise troubled world. If you decide to visit
there, you can forget about beachfront hotels and restaurants; this island is
geared towards Eco-tourism and sustaining the local economy and way of life.
 

This island is a birder's paradise as well, with 140 different species of birds; 10
 of which are not found anywhere else in the world. A unique Socotra warbler,
sunbird, starling, bunting, sparrow and cisticola are among the ones found
here. There are also Socotra Cormorants:
 

Want to see some fairy-tale (and possibly haunted) shipwrecks? There are
diving tours available...

Hopefully some IMAX crew would film it in all its glory one day.
 

To give you a glimpse of Socotra and Yemen unique architecture, check out
this place located on the mainland:

Al Hajarah, Yemen - Walled city in the mist
 

Socotra is one of those "lost world" islands (separated from the world six
million years ago) where intrepid travelers - particularly those seeking
exotic nature and wildlife in a remote tropical setting - can go days on end
without rubbing shoulders with that less -than-endangered species.tourists.

Known for decades as the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean , it's the world's
tenth richest island for endemic plant species. And the biggest island in the
Middle East 125 kilometers in length and 45 kilometers across.

Meanwhile the landscape is one of contrasts, for example, it has isolated
nature preserves with dazzling wildlife (including 900 species of plants, and
 the famous Dragon's Blood Tree "dracaena cinnabara" and the some of
rarest birds that exist nowhere else in the world), and picturesque sandy
beaches.
 

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