Accomodation

In Socotra, hotels are not available at most places & we will be camping at well maintained campsites. All camping gear (tents, mattresses, sheets, & pillow).

Visa requirements & flights

A Yemeni visa is required for most nationalities wishing to visit Socotra.

In order to obtain a permit for Socotra as a tourist, you will need to send us a scanned copy of your passport in pdf format which I will then forward to our agency in Socotra where the visa will be issued.

Yemen is one of several Arab League countries that takes part in the boycott of travel to Israel.

If you have any Israeli visas, passport stamps, arrival/departure cards, or Egyptian or Jordanian stamps issued on a border with Israel, you may be deported from Yemen. However, I was informed that stamps from Israel shouldn’t be an issue when travelling to Socotra but it’s not a guarantee so it’s at your own risk.

All passport holders of Israel, Turkey, & Iran are not allowed to visit Socotra.

Once your visa is issued i will send you a copy, which you need to print and bring with you to show at the counter in Abu Dhabi for the check in for the flight to Socotra. Upon arrival in Socotra you will be given your original visa.

I recommend to book your flights to Abu Dhabi one day prior to departure to Socotra and one day after the return from Socotra.

Flights should not be booked until you have a confirmed ticket issued from my agency. Socotra is limited to 2000 visitiors per year so flights are very fast sold out and we have no guarentee.

Important!!

For non u.s citizens once you have visited Yemen and have a stamp on your passport, you wont be able to apply for an ESTA application to the USA, instead you will have to apply for a regular tourist visa which can cost much more.

Equipment Requirements

·      DSLR or Mirrorless Camera

·      Sturdy Tripod (Rental is availble)

·      Remote shutter release Cable

·      Wide angle lens f-stop (f1.4-f2.8) Preferably

·      Hiking Boots, Sandals, Swim suit

·      Warm clothing

·      Additional Batteries & Memory Cards

·      lens cloth & Blower for dust

·      power converter for the car for charging your cameras and phones & any additional electronics

Refund & cancellation policy

If a participant decides to cancel their reservation, they can do so at any time by communicating it as soon as possible to the official email address of the organisers info@isabellatabacchi.com and barakatphotography@outlook.com.

· However, you should keep in mind that the cancellation by a participant would create management difficulties in bookings as well as the risk of not reaching the minimum number of participants for the trip (and consequently the need to search for a new person).

Also the deposit is directly used to pay for your flights & visa from Abu Dhabi to Socotra Return which is non refundable.

For this reasons:

·  If the cancellation request is submitted at any time after the deposit was paid, you may not receive a refund of the deposit due to pre paid flights & Visa.

· If the cancellation request is submitted MORE than 90 days (before departure), you may receive a refund for the outstanding amount(anything paid above the deposit) minus the deposit $ 1690 & a 20% administration fee of any OUTSTANDING amount that was paid above the deposit.

·  If the cancellation request is presented LESS than 90 days before departure, it will NOT be possible to receive a refund for the full booking fee & deposit.