Our first port of call and a place we literally hike to from the mountain of Homhil National Park, Aher Beach is a great place to eat, drink, swim, hangout and climb a pretty damned amazing sand dune.
To read about Homhil National Park click here.
Aher Beach
After hiking Homhil National Park downhill the site of your cars is a nice one, particularly the liquid refreshments they provide. After jumping in it literally a 15 minute drive to Arher Beach, a popular spot for camping in Yemen.
The journey like most things in Socotra is a highlight, with the sand dunes to the right and beaches to the left both being awe inspiring. On arrival you are set up with an open plan dining tent, which on the day we went at least would service su for our 5pm lunch, as well as where your tents get set up for the night.
The really highlight here though is the main sand dune of Aher. Located right behind where you dine it is both a hikers dream as well as a feat of nature. This natural phenomenon is caused by wind blowing the sand during storms which render the Republic of Socotra almost unlivable for a time. Life though looks simple enough for the few people you see that do live here, with one assuming much has not changed much even since communist times.
You can read about the Peoples Republic of Kampuchea here.
Climbing Aher Sand Dune
If you are lucky you will see people already up there, brave souls who have literally waded through sand to get to the top. This involves digging your way to the top with sand literally getting everywhere. You are though greeted to a stunning natural view when you hit said top, as well as some pretty rad photo opportunities.
Visiting the Raw Erisel meeting point of the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean
Literally the tip of Socotra and where the Arabian se and the Indian Ocean meet, do not expect massive waves, or the literal meeting of strange bodies of water, but it is very beautiful, not to mention the literal northern most point of Africa before you hit the middle-east and Asia.
You will also see lots of nature here, such as fish, crabs and fish easting crabs, bot to mention a hell of a lot of dead puffer fish. A few years ago they started washing up on the shore, no one of course knows why, but we can sum it to be a man, rather than nature made problem. We tend to do this part of the trip before hitting one of the mot famous caves in the country.
Aher Beach Nightlife!
You can bring two bottles of booze to Socotra, which if everyone does means you are really covered for the week! This is one of the best places to have a few drinks at night. It is also a great place for a campfire, laughing and just enjoying beachside living. And then you can swim in Arabian Sea, jump into your tent and get rocked to sleep by the cool sounds of the ocean. A classic end to classic Socotran, or Socotri night.
Want to join us in Socotra? You can check out our tours here.
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