A little over a month ago, I mentioned my desire to organize a Wander Across Socotra Island Tour as part of my Wandering Earl Tours project. I had recently returned from my trip to Yemen at the time and my experiences on Socotra, that remote Yemeni island in the Indian Ocean, were so incredibly memorable and unlike anything I had ever experienced before, that I just had to put together a tour.
And from that single mention of the idea on the blog a month ago, I ended up with over twenty people on the ‘early list’. The ‘early list’ is what I use to gather the names of those who are interested in the tours I am planning before I have finalized all of the details. Once the details are finalized, I then email everyone on that ‘early list’ and give them a chance to confirm a spot on the tour before I formally announce the trip on the blog.
Well, the details are now finalized for this Wander Across Socotra Island Tour, and after contacting everyone on the ‘early list’ over the past couple of weeks, I’ve had twelve people already confirm their spots. And while twelve people is more than I normally prefer for my tours (usually the maximum is ten people), this tour is a little different.
With the way things work on Socotra Island, it will be quite enjoyable to have a larger group this time around. To be honest, I think everyone will love sharing our experiences together as we camp out under the stars, hike through the mountains, explore some very cool caves, wander around some of the most idyllic beaches you’ve ever seen, swim in the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean and on and on and on.
This trip is really going to be more than just a tour. It’s also going to be a gathering of like-minded travelers who truly want to experience something unique. (Check out the Socotra video I made in order to get an idea of what this island is all about!)
So, for anyone interested in joining this group and exploring one of the most unbelievably bizarre, exotic and simply awe-inspiring destinations on the planet, here’s the details…
Wander Across Socotra Island
Dates: January 8th – 18th, 2014 Tour Cost: $1900 USD per person Includes: Flight – Sana’a to/from Socotra Island, all accommodation, all meals on Socotra Island, all transportation, visa fees, visa preparation service, all permits and entrance fees to protected areas on Socotra
Once you’ve had a read, if you have any questions or you wish to book a spot on the Wander Across Socotra Island Tour, just send me an email and I’ll respond right away!
*In addition to the Socotra tour, I’ll also offer another Wander Across India Tour in March of 2014. And I will be adding tours to Iraqi Kurdistan, Mexico and hopefully Southeast Asia as well, all of which I will announce soon.
If you want to be placed on the ‘early list’ for India or any of these other trips, let me know and I’ll go ahead add your name.
Have a great weekend!
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Hey Carol – At the moment it is almost impossible to get there by boat. I am in constant contact with my network of people in Yemen and on Socotra and so far, they have told me that there is no real way for foreigners to get to the island right now. It could change however….hopefully it does!
Hey Carol – There aren’t any flights going to Socotra Island these days due to the situation on the mainland of Yemen. So it’s virtually impossible to get there at the moment unfortunately.
Hey Earl,
Love your blog. Listened to your podcast with Amateur Traveler on Socotra and have been trying to convince my wife to go ever since… To no avail 🙁
Maybe next time…
From the “wanna be wanderer”
Wandering Earl
February 17, 2014 at 12:37 pm - Reply
Hey Mike – Surely if you show her enough photos she’ll eventually come around!
Hi Earl,
I was just checking in again about the Socotra Trip to make sure I can get my name on the list and to see if you have a better idea which months you are considering for it. I understand you’re still finalizing details….
thanks, Richard
Wandering Earl
January 23, 2014 at 5:36 am - Reply
Hey Richard – I have now put your name on the list and it looks like the trip will take place early summer. I’ll let you know soon with the details!
Hey Earl. Am ethnically somali and wanted to be part of the tour. I just want to know how much the coast is and when you plan on going. Hopefully you’ll email me the details
Hi Earl,
I just found out about your scheduled trip today while searching online. I heard about Socotra less than a year ago and instantly knew I wanted to go. I made it a goal to go sometime in 2014 and was just going to go with a friend. But I would really love to go with a group. Jan sounds too soon to make it happen, but just in case, do you already have all you can take? Or do you have any plans for a 2nd trip anytime before June? Is January the best time of the year to go because of the heat? I’m serious about going.
thanks, Richard
Wandering Earl
December 19, 2013 at 3:45 am - Reply
Hey Richard – I’ve actually had to postpone the January trip because of scheduling issues with the local airlines that flies to Socotra. So I’m looking at running the tour later in the year and will get in touch with you once the details are finalized.
This looks awesome. I’m interested. I’m an Arab though and wouldn’t need visa assistance. Would that adjust the rate much?
I’m not Yemeni but I have relatives there so my experience of Yemen is not really tourist-y. It’s full of family visits and every day life stuff. I’d like to meet some travelers and see how you guys experience the Middle East. This might be a cool event for that.
Wandering Earl
December 4, 2013 at 2:07 pm - Reply
Hey Mojo – I’m not sure which country you’re from but there are only 3 that don’t require visas for Yemen. Everyone else, including those from other Arab countries, still need the visa unfortunately, unless you have a Yemeni passport.
Dude… After reading random blogs from your site and blowing over 3 hours eating up your road experiences I am officially a fan. Props to you and your ability to navigate these off the wall countries with apparent ease!
Wandering Earl
August 19, 2013 at 12:48 pm - Reply
Hey Matt – Welcome to the site and I’m honestly happy to have you as a fan! Looking forward to interacting some more here on the site.
Oh lol, I thought I was on the “early-list” for this.
I’m VERY interested in joining this trip. I can only give you a definite answer on the 16th of September, though, because I don’t know if my university exams will be on these dates or not. I’m thinking this might be too late for you, in which case the “me getting to know you” will have to be delayed a little longer. 🙂
I’d love to join you in Socotra. Could you let me know what the internet/wifi situation will be like on the tour ? My work is online so I need to have access to the internet a few hours every day (US time) wherever I am. If you don’t think that’ll be an issue, I’m pretty sure I’ll be coming along!
Hey Kym – Unfortunately, there will be no internet at all while on Socotra Island. There is only one internet cafe on the entire islands and even there, the connection is very poor at best.
I know your doing an India tour in early March and I was planning on being there already jan through march would you be there before doing your own travel or would you be arriving with the group
India is a great destination. Let me know if you are likely to be in Mysore and I will be happy to show you some of my favourite food/street food joints.
Sounds like so much fun, I wish I could join but I’ll be studying abroad (international health in Bangkok) for a year. Maybe I’ll join a later trip, the Iraqi Kurdistan trip sounds exciting, and it’s a place I would feel a bit too intimidated to travel solo to. Actually, now when I think about it, would you please add me to the early list for Iraqi Kurdistan?
Hope you have a great time in Yemen.
Take Care
/Sara.
This trip looks amazing and, being currently located in Kuwait, this would have not have been hard to arrange. The timing is off for us though. Please add two (johnny and Maui) to your early India list though. Hopefully we’ll be able to make that one. Happy Travels! John
I have a question, and it’s a bit off topic here, and you’ll have to forgive me I haven’t read all of your blog posts so I am not sure if this is something you have covered already. But through all your travels has there been any time where you purposefully decided to challenge yourself? To make the journey more than meeting people and seeing places, but to also challenge your limits? Now I’m pretty sure that all that you are doing already is pretty challenging as is. But maybe, just something like say… if you had a fear of heights then maybe you decided to go climbing in Tibet? With all this travel, I’m sure remarkable opportunities arise to really push yourself. At least, that’s what I want to do when I start traveling. 🙂 Live life purposefully.
This thought came across my mind when I was Googling whether or not it’s possible to cross from Alaska to Russia via the Bering Strait. Turns out, no… sadly Russia is not very friendly to the idea… plus other things. But there was a website I came across where a guy took the challenge and decided to take his own boat with I think a friend or something and went (via legal ways) from the US to Russia. Sounds like fun 🙂 well… tiring probably, but fun still 🙂
Hey Katie – It’s a good question and for me, I challenge myself by traveling to places that I know nothing about. I don’t really have any fear of heights or other kind of fears of that nature. Instead, I travel to countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan and Yemen in order to see with my own eyes, destinations and people that most are too afraid to reach. Sure, I also love hiking so I hike as much as I can and I challenged myself to learn Spanish while living in Mexico. There are definitely challenges I take on all the time, but believe me, traveling for this long is indeed challenging in itself, in many ways that most would never imagine.
I love this but I have to go with India first for now… its my dream country to visit please put me on that list for March 2014! 🙂 Much appreaciated Earl!!
Hey Diana – India works as well 🙂 You are now on the early list and I’ll send you an email once everything is ready and it’s time to start accepting bookings!
Like you Earl, I once fell in love with a little place that few had even heard of (Belize, I used to have to say “British Honduras”) and started running small group trips there. Uh, 20 years later I was still running “Imagine Travel Alternatives”. 😉
And yes, the group size is key. My trips likewise were very much off-the-beaten-path in those (pre-internet) days before mainstream travelers “discovered” Belize, and I found that a group size of 16 worked best (small enough to be intimate, yet large enough so I could keep the price down – economies of scale and all that). But any more than that – and the whole group dynamics changed.
Not sure if you too plan on more than 12 (i.e. you say you already have a dozen confirmed, yet are asking for more?), but I’d suggest a max of 16.
Hey Dyanne – Thanks for your input and I agree, the group size is key. With Socotra though, since we’ll basically have much of the island to ourselves, a bigger group, even up to 20 I’d say, would work well. But for all of my other tours, I do keep them at a maximum of 10.
As I can’t join the trip, I just wanna give a should about how amazed I am, really…traveling, setting up your own tours, the logistics that comes with it…
R-E-S-P-E-C-T ! !
<3<3<3 I love that you have done this. I listened to a podcast recently where you were talking about this place, and it sounds totally awesome! I really think it's great that you are offering these kind of tours. It makes me feel like I have a chance to get my feet wet in world traveling without breaking the bank and while surrounded by people who share these same interests and can share wisdom too. For now my biggest goal is to get my bachelors degree, but I know as soon as I graduate in 2016 I will definitely be signing up for one of your tours. Especially if you do a Mexico tour (or any other spanish speaking country for that matter). Because one of my minors is in spanish and I would love to travel there and be able to speak the language and become more fluent. It's something that is just way too expensive for me to do through the school though they do offer it. (they usually ask for $10,000 on average for their travel abroad programs, even the ones that are only gone for a few weeks in the summer) But I bet I would learn a lot more traveling in your group than I would through the University. And I bet more fun too. 🙂
Hey Katie – In that case, I shall look forward to having you join a future Mexico tour…and yes, I’m sure it would be a lot more fun than a university program 🙂
I have heard about getting there by boat, is this doable?
I am very serious about a private tour to Socotra for March 2019.
Hey Carol – At the moment it is almost impossible to get there by boat. I am in constant contact with my network of people in Yemen and on Socotra and so far, they have told me that there is no real way for foreigners to get to the island right now. It could change however….hopefully it does!
Do you have any tours to Socotra Island only February 2018? Can you arrange flights from Dubai or Sharjah?
Hey Carol – There aren’t any flights going to Socotra Island these days due to the situation on the mainland of Yemen. So it’s virtually impossible to get there at the moment unfortunately.
Hey Earl,
Love your blog. Listened to your podcast with Amateur Traveler on Socotra and have been trying to convince my wife to go ever since… To no avail 🙁
Maybe next time…
From the “wanna be wanderer”
Hey Mike – Surely if you show her enough photos she’ll eventually come around!
Thanks, Looking forward to it.
Hi if this is happening if like more info and to be listed for me and 3 others so a total of 4 please!
Hey Christine – It will be happening over the summer so I’ll be in touch with you shortly via email!
Hi Earl,
I was just checking in again about the Socotra Trip to make sure I can get my name on the list and to see if you have a better idea which months you are considering for it. I understand you’re still finalizing details….
thanks, Richard
Hey Richard – I have now put your name on the list and it looks like the trip will take place early summer. I’ll let you know soon with the details!
Hey Earl. Am ethnically somali and wanted to be part of the tour. I just want to know how much the coast is and when you plan on going. Hopefully you’ll email me the details
Hi Earl,
I just found out about your scheduled trip today while searching online. I heard about Socotra less than a year ago and instantly knew I wanted to go. I made it a goal to go sometime in 2014 and was just going to go with a friend. But I would really love to go with a group. Jan sounds too soon to make it happen, but just in case, do you already have all you can take? Or do you have any plans for a 2nd trip anytime before June? Is January the best time of the year to go because of the heat? I’m serious about going.
thanks, Richard
Hey Richard – I’ve actually had to postpone the January trip because of scheduling issues with the local airlines that flies to Socotra. So I’m looking at running the tour later in the year and will get in touch with you once the details are finalized.
This looks awesome. I’m interested. I’m an Arab though and wouldn’t need visa assistance. Would that adjust the rate much?
I’m not Yemeni but I have relatives there so my experience of Yemen is not really tourist-y. It’s full of family visits and every day life stuff. I’d like to meet some travelers and see how you guys experience the Middle East. This might be a cool event for that.
Hey Mojo – I’m not sure which country you’re from but there are only 3 that don’t require visas for Yemen. Everyone else, including those from other Arab countries, still need the visa unfortunately, unless you have a Yemeni passport.
What dates will you offer the Socotra trip again?
Hey Christine – I’m not positive yet. I’m still working on it but will let you know once I have it all figured out.
Is Socotra Trip still available. I live in Bali island, where is the meeting point place? Thanks
Dude… After reading random blogs from your site and blowing over 3 hours eating up your road experiences I am officially a fan. Props to you and your ability to navigate these off the wall countries with apparent ease!
Hey Matt – Welcome to the site and I’m honestly happy to have you as a fan! Looking forward to interacting some more here on the site.
[…] Wandering Earl Tours: Announcing “Socotra Island 2014″! (wanderingearl.com) […]
Oh lol, I thought I was on the “early-list” for this.
I’m VERY interested in joining this trip. I can only give you a definite answer on the 16th of September, though, because I don’t know if my university exams will be on these dates or not. I’m thinking this might be too late for you, in which case the “me getting to know you” will have to be delayed a little longer. 🙂
Hi Earl,
Socotra Island looks amazing! I was hoping that i could be put on the early list for the india tour, and the mexico tour. 🙂
Let’s make that a deal!
Hi Earl !
I’d love to join you in Socotra. Could you let me know what the internet/wifi situation will be like on the tour ? My work is online so I need to have access to the internet a few hours every day (US time) wherever I am. If you don’t think that’ll be an issue, I’m pretty sure I’ll be coming along!
Hey Kym – Unfortunately, there will be no internet at all while on Socotra Island. There is only one internet cafe on the entire islands and even there, the connection is very poor at best.
I know your doing an India tour in early March and I was planning on being there already jan through march would you be there before doing your own travel or would you be arriving with the group
Hey Alex – I will arrive a few days before the group I think.
Can you add me to the early list for Iraqi Kurdistan as well?
Hey Emily – You are now added to that list as well 🙂
India is a great destination. Let me know if you are likely to be in Mysore and I will be happy to show you some of my favourite food/street food joints.
All the best for Yemen!
Thanks Pratibha! Not sure if I’ll make it to Mysore this next time as I’ve been already before but I will let you know if I do!
Sounds like so much fun, I wish I could join but I’ll be studying abroad (international health in Bangkok) for a year. Maybe I’ll join a later trip, the Iraqi Kurdistan trip sounds exciting, and it’s a place I would feel a bit too intimidated to travel solo to. Actually, now when I think about it, would you please add me to the early list for Iraqi Kurdistan?
Hope you have a great time in Yemen.
Take Care
/Sara.
Hey Sara – Absolutely! You are now on the list and you’ll hear from me via email once the details are all set!
This sounds like a wonderful trip. Although not able to make it personally, I do wish you good luck with this journey!
This trip looks amazing and, being currently located in Kuwait, this would have not have been hard to arrange. The timing is off for us though. Please add two (johnny and Maui) to your early India list though. Hopefully we’ll be able to make that one. Happy Travels! John
Hey John – I shall add you both to the India list for sure and let you know once all the details are finalized!
I have a question, and it’s a bit off topic here, and you’ll have to forgive me I haven’t read all of your blog posts so I am not sure if this is something you have covered already. But through all your travels has there been any time where you purposefully decided to challenge yourself? To make the journey more than meeting people and seeing places, but to also challenge your limits? Now I’m pretty sure that all that you are doing already is pretty challenging as is. But maybe, just something like say… if you had a fear of heights then maybe you decided to go climbing in Tibet? With all this travel, I’m sure remarkable opportunities arise to really push yourself. At least, that’s what I want to do when I start traveling. 🙂 Live life purposefully.
This thought came across my mind when I was Googling whether or not it’s possible to cross from Alaska to Russia via the Bering Strait. Turns out, no… sadly Russia is not very friendly to the idea… plus other things. But there was a website I came across where a guy took the challenge and decided to take his own boat with I think a friend or something and went (via legal ways) from the US to Russia. Sounds like fun 🙂 well… tiring probably, but fun still 🙂
Hey Katie – It’s a good question and for me, I challenge myself by traveling to places that I know nothing about. I don’t really have any fear of heights or other kind of fears of that nature. Instead, I travel to countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan and Yemen in order to see with my own eyes, destinations and people that most are too afraid to reach. Sure, I also love hiking so I hike as much as I can and I challenged myself to learn Spanish while living in Mexico. There are definitely challenges I take on all the time, but believe me, traveling for this long is indeed challenging in itself, in many ways that most would never imagine.
I love this but I have to go with India first for now… its my dream country to visit please put me on that list for March 2014! 🙂 Much appreaciated Earl!!
Hey Diana – India works as well 🙂 You are now on the early list and I’ll send you an email once everything is ready and it’s time to start accepting bookings!
Like you Earl, I once fell in love with a little place that few had even heard of (Belize, I used to have to say “British Honduras”) and started running small group trips there. Uh, 20 years later I was still running “Imagine Travel Alternatives”. 😉
And yes, the group size is key. My trips likewise were very much off-the-beaten-path in those (pre-internet) days before mainstream travelers “discovered” Belize, and I found that a group size of 16 worked best (small enough to be intimate, yet large enough so I could keep the price down – economies of scale and all that). But any more than that – and the whole group dynamics changed.
Not sure if you too plan on more than 12 (i.e. you say you already have a dozen confirmed, yet are asking for more?), but I’d suggest a max of 16.
Looks like a most unique and fascinating trip!
Hey Dyanne – Thanks for your input and I agree, the group size is key. With Socotra though, since we’ll basically have much of the island to ourselves, a bigger group, even up to 20 I’d say, would work well. But for all of my other tours, I do keep them at a maximum of 10.
As I can’t join the trip, I just wanna give a should about how amazed I am, really…traveling, setting up your own tours, the logistics that comes with it…
R-E-S-P-E-C-T ! !
Thanks for that Lars and I do hope that I’ll get to meet you at some point, whether on or a tour or just traveling around!
Dude, you have the most incredible life. I am soooo jealous. I am living vicariously through your travels!
<3<3<3 I love that you have done this. I listened to a podcast recently where you were talking about this place, and it sounds totally awesome! I really think it's great that you are offering these kind of tours. It makes me feel like I have a chance to get my feet wet in world traveling without breaking the bank and while surrounded by people who share these same interests and can share wisdom too. For now my biggest goal is to get my bachelors degree, but I know as soon as I graduate in 2016 I will definitely be signing up for one of your tours. Especially if you do a Mexico tour (or any other spanish speaking country for that matter). Because one of my minors is in spanish and I would love to travel there and be able to speak the language and become more fluent. It's something that is just way too expensive for me to do through the school though they do offer it. (they usually ask for $10,000 on average for their travel abroad programs, even the ones that are only gone for a few weeks in the summer) But I bet I would learn a lot more traveling in your group than I would through the University. And I bet more fun too. 🙂
Hey Katie – In that case, I shall look forward to having you join a future Mexico tour…and yes, I’m sure it would be a lot more fun than a university program 🙂
The islands looks amazing with all the unusual trees! I hope to visit with you someday.
Hey, I’d be interested in getting more information about the southeast Asian tours.
Hey Keith – I shall put your name on the early list for the SE Asia tour and then I’ll be in touch once the details are all worked out!
Hey Earl – this sounds amazing. If you haven’t already, please put me on the early list for the India tour March 2014 🙂
Hey Chelsea – You are on the list 🙂
Aha …I remember a few years back you asked for suggestions …looks like you finally took mine up.
Yemen is just plain fascinating. Like stepping back in time 500 years in some parts of Sanaa. The people are fantastic also.
Have fun …still thinking of it. Hmmm.
Indeed it is…one of the most interesting places I’ve ever been.
This looks like a great tour! I won’t be surprised if you book up, quickly.
That is so nice! did you get any other pictures?