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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Red Sea and Arabia

Red Sea and Arabia

Yemen

A World Heritage island group in the Arabian Sea with rich coral reefs. Shared as a story only, with no trips.

Sunrise over the Detwah lagoon on Socotra island
Socotra · Photo: Andrew Svk on Unsplash
On pause, travel not recommended

On pause, travel not recommended. A government travel advisory says not to travel here, so we do not offer trips. Sources: Recomendaciones de viaje Yemen, Exteriores (Spain), updated 5 Feb 2026; Socotra Archipelago, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Why: EU and US citizens may be advised against all travel to Yemen, Socotra included, because there are no safety guarantees and returning may be difficult, so please check your own government's website. So we offer no trips and share only the story. What we can confirm is that Socotra is a UNESCO World Heritage site with marine and land sanctuaries, and that overharvesting of marine life is one of its threats.

We share this country as a story and do not offer trips. This is not a judgement of the people or the ocean here. It only means that today we could not find a visit that meets our animal-welfare and safety standards. Places change, so we look again every year.

⚠️ Official travel advice is a separate question, and it differs by passport. EU citizens or US citizens may be advised against travelling there, so please check your own government’s website before you plan.

Coral reefs

Why Yemen

Socotra is a World Heritage island group, a Biosphere Reserve and a Ramsar wetland site. UNESCO records 253 species of reef-building corals, 730 species of coastal fish and 300 species of crab, lobster and shrimp, with overharvesting of marine life named as a threat. EU and US citizens may be advised against all travel to Yemen, Socotra included, because there are no safety guarantees, flights can be cancelled without notice and getting home may be hard, so please check your own government's website. So this is a story only. We do not go, and we do not offer trips.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

TanzaniaDem. Rep. CongoSomaliaKenyaSudanChadCentral African Rep.CongoBurundiUnited Arab EmiratesQatarOmanIndiaBangladeshBhutanNepalPakistanIranSri LankaChinaEritreaYemenSaudi ArabiaEgyptLibyaEthiopiaDjiboutiSomalilandUgandaRwandaS. SudanSocotra Archipelago, Yemen

When to go

Timing changes a lot from place to place. See each place below.

Official travel advice or our ethics check means we do not send guests here.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

On pause, travel not recommended

We follow government travel advice. We will look again when it changes.

This is not a judgement of the people or the ocean here. It only means that today we could not find a visit that meets our animal-welfare and safety standards. Places change, so we look again every year. Checked 30 Sep 2026.

⚠️ Official travel advice is a separate question, and it differs by passport. EU citizens or US citizens may be advised against travelling there, so please check your own government’s website before you plan.

Sources for this check
The story

Where in Yemen

We share these places as stories and research notes. We do not offer or sell trips here.

Socotra Archipelago

On pause, travel not recommended

An island group in the Arabian Sea protected as World Heritage, with reefs full of coral and coastal fish. Story only, we do not go.

Animals

Animals recorded in Yemen

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Loggerhead turtle at the surface feeding on Portuguese man o' warLoggerhead turtleCaretta carettaSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasVulnerableGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernCommon bottlenose dolphin swimming over a seagrass bedCommon bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerableTwo spinner dolphins swimming over sand in clear waterSpinner dolphinStenella longirostrisSeen in 66 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBlue-spotted ribbontail ray resting on sand, seen from aboveBlue-spotted ribbontail rayTaeniura lymmaSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPantropical spotted dolphin gliding at the calm ocean surfacePantropical spotted dolphinStenella attenuataSeen in 56 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMasked booby on Ascension IslandMasked boobySula dactylatraSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernDark cormorant perched on a pale rock ledge with its head raisedSocotra cormorantPhalacrocorax nigrogularisSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasVulnerableWhite-eyed gull perched on a corrugated roof against a blue sky, with a dark hood and red billWhite-eyed gullIchthyaetus leucophthalmusSeen in 10 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAdult brown booby standing on a rock with its bill open against blue sky, PrincipeBrown boobySula leucogasterSeen in 104 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Curious?

Why this is a story, not a trip

Read our ethics check above. If you would like to talk about it, Rocío is happy to explain.

Ask RocíoBack to the Ocean Atlas

Also in Red Sea and Arabia
BahrainDjiboutiEgyptEritreaIranIraqIsraelJordanKuwaitOmanPakistanQatarSaudi ArabiaSudanUnited Arab Emirates

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For partners

Based in Yemen?

We are always happy to hear from exceptional local operators, accommodation, conservation organisations and destination experts in Yemen. If your work fits responsible, small-group ocean travel, we would love to learn more.

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