Abd al Kuri is a small, dry, wind-scoured island in the far west of the Socotra archipelago, in the Arabian Sea, closer to the coast of Somalia than to the mainland of Yemen. There are no roads to speak of, and no real place to ride a motorcycle; you reach it only by boat, with permission and with local help, so this is a stop of the imagination for most travellers. The archipelago is listed by UNESCO for its extraordinary biodiversity, and the main island of Socotra, with its bottle trees and dragon's blood trees, draws the most attention. Abd al Kuri is the quieter sibling, with a flat limestone surface and a long, empty coast.
What makes it interesting is the wildlife. Isolated for millions of years, the islands have developed many species found nowhere else, and Abd al Kuri has its own, including a sparrow, a small bird which is unique to the island. Seabirds, including the Socotra cormorant, nest on the nearby rocks, and the surrounding sea is rich in fish, with turtles nesting on the beaches. The nearby islet of Kal Farun is a tiny rock where seabirds gather, and its name echoes the Arabic for Pharaoh.
The people of the island are fishermen and herders, with a few small villages along the coast, living with goats, camels and boats, and speaking dialects that differ from the Arabic of the mainland. Their life depends on the sea, and the monsoon winds between June and September make the crossing from Socotra dangerous, so most visits take place in the calmer winter months.
A caution is needed. Yemen has been in conflict for years, and travel in the country is subject to serious warnings by most governments, with Socotra itself having its own political situation. Anyone considering a visit should check the latest advice and the practical possibilities, which can change quickly. For this reason, the point is best enjoyed in books, photographs and the maps of the sea, where the two small dots of Abd al Kuri and Kal Farun sit at the edge of the Horn of Africa.