Darsa is a speck of rock in the Indian Ocean, one of the small islands of the Socotra archipelago, which lies about two hundred and forty kilometres off the Horn of Africa and belongs politically to Yemen. It is the sort of place that makes sense only on a map: a low, dry island west of the main island of Socotra, with few or no permanent inhabitants, visited by fishermen and by seabirds. Together with its neighbour Samha and the big island, it forms one of the most remarkable natural treasures in the world, which UNESCO listed in 2008.
What is remarkable is the isolation. Socotra split from the African landmass millions of years ago and has been alone ever since, and about a third of its plant species are found nowhere else. The most famous is the dragon's blood tree, which looks like an upturned umbrella and weeps a deep red resin that was traded in antiquity as medicine and dye. The bottle trees, with swollen trunks and pink flowers, and the cucumber trees are just as strange. The surrounding sea has coral reefs, turtles and seabirds, and the place is often compared with the Galapagos.
There is no riding to be done on Darsa. The only way to reach it is by boat, and travel to the archipelago in general has been limited by the conflict in Yemen, with flights and shipping unreliable and the political situation changeable. On Socotra itself, there are a few paved roads and many dirt tracks, with strong winds, especially during the monsoon from June to September, when the sea is too rough for boats. The best time for visiting is from October to April, and local guides are essential.
If this place interests you, the better route is through the writing of botanists and travellers who have visited, and through organisations working on conservation there. Check the security situation and your government's advice before planning anything, because it changes.