A view from the top of the magnificent Socotra’s Arher sand dunes. These dunes are extremely steep, tall and very tough to climb. But as you see here, the reward is stunning! The dunes are trapped against a huge sheer cliff on one side and the ocean on the other, and one might wonder where this sand came from, as the open expanse one one side is water. The key is the monsoon winds, and here it is the southwestern winds that collects sand from the top of the massif and beyond, during June and September. Think of a mountain peak in winter and how the snow collects on one side – snowdrift. It’s the same here, but with sand.
This calm and serene moment is a far cry from the relentless and immensely strong monsoon winds that go on for months. Twice a year and from opposite directions, which means Socotra is only this calm for a very few months of the year! Socotra has historically been isolated during the monsoons, and the Socotris have relied on provisions accumulated during the calmer months. Only when the airport opened in 1999 did the island become available year round.
Last updated on 8 November 2024
