Asia

[Visited: December 2021]

After an exciting visit to Diksam Plateau where we saw the famous dragon blood trees, we leave their habitat behind and head down to sea level again. We pay a short visit the capital Hadibo.. Unlike the Yemeni towns and villages I have seen on the mainland, it is soon clear that Hadibo lacks any of their stone-house-charms. It clearly is not a pretty city, and the incredible amount of trash everywhere at times even makes it depressing to walk around in. There is a lively market, where lots of fresh fish and other items are sold. There are the Yemenis, who are welcoming and curious about the visitor, but overall, we are not sad when we move on. We drive further east, along the coast and partly inland, until we take a left and drive on a dirt track alongside a bay.
We have arrived at Dihamri Marine Protected Area: an area at the foot of mountains rising sharply from the calm sea. We soon see two rocky outcrops at the end of the sandy bay, and it turns out that our encampment is right next to them. A breeze ensures that we do not feel the sun burn, we immediately change, and go for a swim in the transparent waters of the rocky shore. I did not take a snorkel, and am fine not even renting one. There is plenty of fish to see just from the shore, and I am also interested in exploring the beach which has thousands of pieces of coral washed ashore, in as many different shapes. I am especially looking for heart-shaped ones, and find several which look good enough to take along. After lunch, we go for a longer walk on the sandy beach to the east of the peninsula of the two hills.
We walk alongside the calm surf, take a more inland trail on our way back and see plenty of the curious bottle trees. We pass a group of women, all dressed up in black robes, on our way to the two rocky hills. We climb up the highest one, and find several others here who hold their phones into the air as this is the best spot to pick up a communications signal. The sun sets over the mountains of Socotra, and as soon as the light is gone, the breeze reminds us that this is winter. Fortunately, there are spots on the rock where you can take shelter and watch the night chase daylight out of the sky. The next morning, I am up early and make it to the top well before sunrise. I will never get enough of that overpowering sight of the sky getting lighter and lighter, the clouds in the sky taking always warmer colours, and then suddenly - bang - that huge orange ball pops above the horizon. It instantly sets the coastline afire, and the views are truly spectacular, and make the early rise all the more rewarding.

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Dihamri Marine Protected Area (Yemen)

Dihamri Marine Protected Area > Yemen > Asia

[Visited: December 2021]

Around the World in 80 Clicks