Visit Socotra
The road to the northern coast
Following the shoreline past fishing villages to the quiet beaches few visitors ever reach.
1 ноября 2025 г.
The road to the northern coast
Most visitors to Socotra spend their time on the south coast, where the dunes and lagoons cluster. The north coast is different: rockier, wilder, less frequented, and in places extraordinarily beautiful.
The road east from Hadibo hugs the coast for long stretches, occasionally climbing over headlands before dropping back to the sea. Fishing villages appear every few kilometres — small clusters of concrete and corrugated iron, boats drawn up above the tide line, nets drying in the afternoon wind.
The beaches here are not the white dunes of the south; they are long stretches of pale grey pebble, empty for kilometres, backed by low cliffs and the occasional stand of Boswellia trees releasing their resin in the heat. The swimming, where the water is calm, is exceptional.
We stopped at one beach for an hour. No footprints, no litter — only the sound of the surf and, occasionally, a fishing dhow passing in the middle distance.
The north coast rewards unhurried travel. Allow at least a full day; two is better.