Socotra Island Tours & Expeditions 2026/2027

1. Check Saudi entry requirements first

   Before deciding to travel via Jeddah or making payments, check whether you need a Saudi visa and which visa you can apply for on the official websites:

   • KSA Visa
   • Visit Saudi
   • Saudi eVisa

   Requirements depend on your nationality and, where relevant, residence status. Some travellers do not need a visa; others can apply for an eVisa. Other nationalities may need to apply through a Saudi embassy or consulate.

   Confirm your eligibility before paying for flights. If you enter Saudi Arabia on both the outward and return journeys, your entry permission must cover both entries. If you need a visa, make sure it allows Multiple Entry.

   The standard tourist multiple-entry eVisa is generally valid for one year from issue. This does not permit a year-long stay; check the permitted duration and conditions on your issued visa.

   You arrange your Saudi visa yourself. We arrange your Socotra visa application.

2. Send your travel dates and preferences

   Tell us your preferred dates, trip duration, number of adults and children with their ages, all travellers’ nationalities, and your accommodation and itinerary preferences. Would you like a group tour or a private trip?

   Flexible dates are especially helpful for group tours: we can look for an existing group or agree on dates to form a new one. Suitable outbound and return flights must also be available.

   To proceed with booking, send us clear copies of every traveller’s passport identity page.

3. Check flight availability and reserve seats

   We check seats with Yemenia Airways and arrange reservations for Jeddah–Socotra–Jeddah. Tickets to Socotra are currently not available through public online booking platforms.

   We recommend booking 4–5 months in advance. For the bottle tree blooming season from late February to April, we recommend 8–12 months ahead.

   In some cases, we can hold a seat for approximately 24 hours without payment. We will confirm whether this is possible and the payment deadline. A temporary reservation is not an issued ticket.

4. Agree on your quotation and costs

   • Group land programme: USD 1,050–1,390 per person.
   • Private trip for one person travelling alone: USD 1,750.
   • Private trips for two or more people: quotation based on group size and itinerary.
   • Socotra visa: an additional USD 200 per person, with no additional processing surcharge.
   • Jeddah–Socotra–Jeddah: approximately USD 1,010–1,200 per person return, depending on dates and availability.

   We confirm your exact flight and tour prices before booking. The land tour including the visa starts from USD 1,250 per person. The Socotra flights and your international flights to and from Jeddah are additional.

5. Book and pay for the Socotra flights

   Once seat availability is confirmed, the full ticket price must be paid in advance. There are two options:

   • Through an authorized ticket office. This is a travel agency or ticket office authorized to sell Yemenia Airways tickets, not necessarily an airline-owned office. You receive payment instructions or a payment link by email directly from that office.
   • Through FEEL Socotra. You transfer the ticket price to us, and we pay for your ticket in cash at the Yemenia office on Socotra. With this booking method, travellers cannot make a direct bank or online transfer to the local Yemenia office.

   The price also depends on which office issues the ticket. Indicative prices for Jeddah–Socotra–Jeddah return flights per person are:

   • Yemenia office on Socotra: USD 1,010.
   • Authorized office in Dubai: approximately USD 1,065.
   • Authorized office in Cairo: approximately USD 1,100.

   The final fare depends on travel dates and seat availability and is confirmed before payment.

   When booking through us, you transfer the money to FEEL Socotra, not directly to the airline. We use these funds to pay for your ticket in cash at the Yemenia office on Socotra.

   For payment to us, Western Union or MoneyGram provide fast transfer options. You can also transfer to our business bank account, but this can take more than seven days. Please agree on the payment method with us so it fits the seat reservation deadline.

   The airfare is separate from the land programme. All payments are in US dollars. The traveller pays all bank and money-transfer fees.

6. Pay the Socotra visa fee and confirm your booking

   Once your flight is confirmed, pay the mandatory USD 200 visa fee per person in advance. Your place is confirmed when the flight has been booked and we have received the visa payment.

   We submit your visa application, normally about two weeks before arrival. The Socotra visa is generally valid for about four weeks; the dates on your issued visa apply. We send it to you before your trip once it is issued.

7. Only then book your international flights

   Book your international flights from your home city to Jeddah and back only after your Jeddah–Socotra–Jeddah flights have been booked and confirmed. An availability check or temporary seat reservation is not sufficient.

8. Allow enough time in Jeddah

   Plan to arrive in Jeddah at least four hours before the scheduled Socotra departure. We recommend arriving the day before and staying overnight in Jeddah.

   On the return journey, preferably book your flight home from Jeddah for the day after your planned return from Socotra. Flights can be delayed, rescheduled or brought forward. An overnight stay gives you more flexibility.

9. Terminal transfer and check-in

   International flights to Jeddah generally arrive at Terminal 1. The Socotra flight uses a different terminal. The terminals are some distance apart: allow time for a taxi or Uber transfer in both directions. Compare the fare shown in Uber with airport taxi offers.

   Allow time for immigration, baggage collection, the terminal transfer and check-in. Check the terminal details for your specific flights before travelling.

   There is no online check-in for Jeddah–Socotra. Check in in person at the airport counter.

10. Insurance and flight changes

    We recommend suitable change conditions and insurance for your separately booked international flights. Ask the insurer to confirm explicitly whether additional costs are covered if Jeddah–Socotra–Jeddah is cancelled or rescheduled, causing flight changes or extra overnight stays. Declare your full itinerary, including Socotra in Yemen.

    We have no control over delays, earlier departures, rescheduling or cancellations; these decisions are made by the airline. We will inform you of all changes known to us and stay in contact. We cannot guarantee unchanged flight times or that separately booked connections will be made.

11. Cancellation and refunds

    Tell us as early as possible if your plans change.

    • Socotra visa: the prepaid fee can be refunded up to two weeks before planned entry, provided the application has not yet been submitted. Once submitted, the visa fee is non-refundable.
    • Flight ticket: refunds and cancellation charges follow the airline’s or issuing office’s conditions. A full refund is not guaranteed.

    The traveller pays cancellation charges and all bank and money-transfer fees for refunds. This also applies to refunds of the visa fee.

12. Print your travel documents

    Print all important documents: flight tickets, booking confirmations, your Socotra visa and Saudi visa or entry documents. Keep them accessible in your hand luggage.

13. Pay for the land tour on arrival

    Pay the agreed land-tour price in cash in US dollars on arrival in Socotra.

    Please bring clean, undamaged USD 50 or USD 100 notes in the current design, without tears, stains or writing:

    • USD 50 and USD 100: notes marked Series 2009 or later.

    Check the series year printed on the note.

    Please do not bring USD 1, USD 5 or USD 10 notes: these are not accepted locally by banks or for currency exchange.

• Land program (8 days): USD 1,050–1,390 per person for a group, or USD 1,750 for a private trip for one person travelling alone — paid in cash on arrival in Socotra.
• Mandatory visa fee: USD 200 — paid in advance to secure your booking.
• Land programme including visa: from USD 1,250 per person — flights are additional.
• International flights — not included and paid separately.
• Jeddah–Socotra–Jeddah return flights: approximately USD 1,010–1,200 per person — depending on travel dates and availability. Paid in full in advance and charged separately from the land tour.

Socotra is part of Yemen, but its location and local conditions should be considered separately from those on the mainland. According to NASA, the archipelago lies around 320 km south of the Yemeni mainland.

Before your trip, ask local residents and guides about the current situation, and speak with travellers who have recently returned from Socotra. Their recent experiences can help you understand conditions on the island.

Also check your country’s current travel advice and confirm that your insurance covers your planned itinerary.

UK official travel advice · German official travel advice

• 72 hours or more before departure: AED 230 (~$63) + any fare difference
• Within 72 hours of departure: AED 520 (~$142) + any fare difference

• 72 hours or more before departure: 20% of the airfare + AED 150 (~$41) agency service fee
• Within 72 hours of departure: 20% of the airfare + USD 100 + AED 150 (~$41) agency service fee

Please note that airline conditions are subject to change.

Schedule may be subject to minor changes. Contact us to confirm current dates.

The season runs from late September to May. From June to September, strong monsoon winds make regular tourist expeditions considerably more difficult. Jeddah flights are normally suspended, while other routes may remain available depending on airline schedules and local conditions.

Average temperatures stay between 25–30°C throughout the season.