Socotra looks like the set of a science fiction film. On this island in the Arabian Sea, about three hundred and fifty kilometres off the coast of Yemen, the dragon's blood tree spreads its branches like an umbrella turned inside out, desert roses swell from the rocks with fat, bottle-shaped trunks, and frankincense trees cling to the cliffs. Around a third of the plant species here exist nowhere else on Earth, the result of millions of years of isolation, and the archipelago became a World Heritage site in 2008.
The south coast is wide, sandy and windswept, with long beaches, dunes and lagoons, and only a few fishing settlements. Inland, the land rises to limestone plateaus such as Dixam, where the dragon's blood trees grow in the greatest numbers, cut by deep canyons with pools of water. The island's people speak Soqotri, a language related to the ancient languages of southern Arabia, and they live from fishing, goat herding and the date palms of the valleys.
You are unlikely to arrive here on your own bike. Socotra has been extremely difficult to reach in recent years, with limited flights and the political situation in Yemen affecting access, and travel usually involves a local tour operator, who will provide vehicles and drivers. The roads that do exist were mostly built in the early twenty-first century, linking the main town of Hadibu with the airport and the main areas of the island; some are asphalted, many are rough tracks across rocks and sand. From June to September, the south-west monsoon brings very strong winds and rough seas, and much of the island is effectively closed to visitors.
Hadibu, on the north coast, is the main town, with a few shops, simple restaurants and fuel, and outside it supplies are very limited. Bring everything you need for the day, especially water. Accommodation is mostly in simple camps on the beach or in the mountains. Respect the local customs, which are conservative, and the fragile environment: do not take plants, seeds or animals, and leave the landscape as you found it.