The weather in Riyadh was a lot nicer than in Jordan, pleasantly warm but not hot which allowed me comfortably to wear pants and long-sleeve shirts without being overheated. Female tourists are not required to wear abayas but it is better to be covered. I took the metro from the airport to the city center. […]
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Feb 2025 Read More »
It was a few degrees above freezing in Ammam when the plane landed – a stark change from the heat on Socotra. I put on all clothes that I had in my backpack to keep myself warm. The bus from the airport brought me to Amman’s 7th Circle, I walked to the hotel from the
Day 7: Degub Cave We relaxed on our last day on the beach. After lunch, we packed the tents the last time and loaded them into the cars. There was one more place to see – Degub Cave that is more like a grotto and not as big and impressive as Hoq Cave. The hike
Socotra, Yemen, Feb 2025 Read More »
Day 5 Day 6: Hajhir Mountains We spent all previous nights on the beach where it was warm. I was already used to sleep in my tent covered only by the sheet. This time we were at a high elevation. The campsite was a beautiful place. We watched the sunset sitting at our tents’ entrances
Socotra, Yemen, Feb 2025 Read More »
Day 4, Homhil Protected Area Day 5: visiting the fishing village & the cave dweller In the morning, we went to a small fishing community that is only accessible from the sea. The boat ride took about 1 hour. Our group was greeted on the shore by excited kids and their very hospitable parents. They
Socotra, Yemen, Feb 2025 Read More »
Day 3, Arher Sand Dunes Day 4: swimming in a natural infinity pool on Homhil Plateau From Hadiboh, we drove up a really bad serpentine road. It was so steep that it looked unpassable. Our battered Toyotas crawled along it at a walking pace tilting from one side to the other. The drivers looked unperturbed
Homhil Protected Area, Socotra, Feb 2025 Read More »
Day 2, Kalysan Canyon Day 3: hike to Hoq Cave That day, we hiked up to Hoq Cave. It is a natural 3-km long cave. Going there required hiring a local guide from the nearby village. Some important looking man registered our group in his accounts book, we paid the entrance fee. It took 1.5
Arher Sand Dunes, Socotra, Feb 2025 Read More »
Day 1 Day 2: hike to Kalysan canyon & bottle trees In the morning, we packed everything and after a good breakfast drove east to Kalysan Canyon. There we saw our first bottle trees that are endemic to Socotra. We could not contain our excitement, stopped the cars and everyone rushed to take photos of
Kalysan Canyon, Socotra, Feb 2025 Read More »
The best time to visit Socotra is from February to April when its bottle trees are in bloom. Coincidentally, it is also the peak season for tourists. Who would have thought? AirArabia has 1 or 2 weekly flights to the island from Abu Dhabi and they are fully booked well in advance. In order to
Socotra, Yemen, Feb 2025 Read More »
Ghardaïa and around it Algerian Airlines rescheduled our flight to Algiers from early morning to 1.45 p.m. It was for the better. We slept late, rested at the hotel, had lunch, and drove to the airport in Ghardaïa without rush. However, our program for the day in Algiers was cut short. We had time for
Algiers, Algeria, Oct 2024 Read More »
