Traveller's guide

Other small islands have ventured into eco-tourism and their environment and/or populations have suffered for it. The impacts on the Galapagos, the Caribbean, the Canaries and the Seychelles are well documented and we must learn from this.

Limited tourism has already begun on Soqotra. With no clear tourism strategy, this has sometimes had unfortunate effects: Soqotrans now view the‘tourist’ (a new concept) in a variety of ways: as -

a source of ready money but of no interest otherwise
a guest (and therefore a potential source of expense, trouble and embarrassment)
a nuisance (disturbing grazing animals, disrupting village life, polluting drinking water etc.)
an exploiter (removing plants, samples of rock, fauna, fish, shells)
an absolutely irrelevance (since serviced by agencies from the mainland who are unlikely to employ islanders)

However, by example, tourists can play a positive role in helping to ensure that the islands’ environment is protected, enhanced and understood, and its resources valued. By visiting the island in a sensitive way and contributing to its economy, they can also aid the Soqotran people in their desire to enhance their quality of life while still maintaining their cultural identity, and they can contribute to a wider understanding between the islanders and the outside world.

The World Wide Fund for Nature’s vision for sustainable tourism states that sustainable tourism and its associated infrastructure should:

Foreigners in general have an ambiguous reputation on the island, and whereas the larger settlements of the coast are more used to seeing people from overseas (as are the many mainland Yemenis who now live and work on the island), those in the interior are often uncertain and nervous of us. It is important for all of us and for the future development of the island that we do our best not to upset those on whose full and friendly co-operation we depend for our own and future successful and meaningful visits. For this reason, the following notes are given as a guideline to acceptable and unacceptable behaviour on our part.

Shorts for men are not acceptable - they are seen as underpants, and as such indecent unless covered with another garment. T-shirts and short-sleeved shirts are perfectly acceptable, as are trousers rolled up to the knee.

Women as a general rule should cover themselves from the ankle upwards and from below the elbow upwards. Trousers are acceptable but something loose should be worn over them to hide the outline of the buttocks. It is appreciated if some sort of headscarf is worn when visiting local communities.

Soqotrans are extremely courteous and respect the ability to remain so even under severe provocation; it is important that however tired or frustrated you might feel that this is not apparent in your behaviour towards Soqotrans.

You should remember that elderly people are held in special respect on the island and behave accordingly.

Be careful of showing your admiration too markedly for anything you see: if animate you might be thought to ‘harm’ it with your ‘covetous eye’, if inanimate, you are likely to have it pressed on you as a gift.

Men ‘from over the sea’ have a dubious reputation in parts of the island as far as women are concerned, so it is important that you treat any women you see or meet with the necessary respect (ie. do not stare at them, watch them, or look overly interested in them).

You will not be pursued by children asking for presents as happens elsewhere in parts of the world (including mainland Yemen) and it is important that we do not encourage this potentially harmful habit by giving gifts indiscriminately to children we happen to come across. However, small gifts useful or of interest to schoolchildren (posters, postcards, pencils, booklets, badges and so on) can be left at the schools, mosques or with community elders to show friendliness (see also under Tipping)

All those who have come to Soqotra agree that the two most marked characteristics of the people of are their generosity and their courtesy. For their part, they often find us abrupt and impatient. It is important when you meet to go through the formal greeting ceremony before embarking on the matter in hand, and again before taking your leave. Try and be patient with this, and make a point of politely shaking the hand of every person present (including children). However, see the notes below:

For visiting men - women, especially young women, may or may not expect to have their hand shaken. Let them take the lead.

For visiting women - Some Soqotrans have been taught that it is wrong for a man to shake the hand of a woman. Again, follow their lead.

Many of the Hadibo houses have long-drop lavatories. It is important to remember not to put anything down these that might interfere with the natural composting / drying process (ie. disinfectant).

In the field you will soon notice that your every move in this direction is closely observed by the Egyptian vultures which will rapidly clean up anything you have left behind!

You are likely to be invited into Soqotran homes: this can be a house, a hut, a cave, or just an area marked out with rocks. Whichever it is, it is good manners to remove your footwear before stepping over the threshold into their private space. It is then courteous to go around shaking the hand of all those present, and then sit down with the legs crossed or folded beneath the body. Tea will usually be offered: it is polite to accept the first cup, a second can be refused with an upheld hand or shake of the head, saying "shukran" ('thank you').

You may be asked to join Soqotrans in a meal. Please remember that they can ill afford to offer such hospitality, however pressing they seem: it is their culture which insists that hospitality should always be offered to a stranger or visitor. You may chose to refuse on these grounds, or, unless the meal is offered as a thank you for something you have been able to do for the family or community, you may offer to pay for any meal you eat: this may be refused or accepted, but such an offer is generally appreciated. (If you consider that a sack of 50 kg. of rice or flour costs around YR3,000, plus the effort of fetching water and firewood, you can generally work out an appropriate sum to offer – be guided on this by your Soqotran companions).

Do not choose a spot beside the local water source - your presence is likely to make the women and girls whose job it is to fetch water or water livestock nervous.

Keep a reasonable distance from livestock pens and byres to avoid disturbing livestock.

Make sure that the ‘walled enclosure’ you have settled in is not the local mosque or out-of-season kitchen garden

Soqotrans are getting used to foreigners photographing views, plants and buildings. However, it is imperative that you do not photograph a person without first asking their permission, and especially do not photograph women.

It must be always remembered that Soqotra is a country of very devout Muslims. If you are traveling around the island, your Soqotran companions will expect to stop to pray at noon, mid-afternoon, at sunset and at around nine o'clock in the evening, and, if you are camping with them, will wake you with the call to prayer at around four o'clock in the morning! Because it is essential to ritually wash before praying, this sometimes means that you will stop before these times in order to be near a source of water. Look on it as an enforced, potentially pleasant break, and if you are fed up at the delay, try not to show it. The prayer stop rarely takes more than a quarter of an hour.

Soqotra outside Hadiboh is remarkably rubbish free. It is imperative that you set a good example by bringing all your rubbish back to Hadibo with you and disposing of it properly there. If you have been picnicing or camping, try to be scrupulous about removing every trace of your passage.

For tourism to bring any real benefits to Soqotra, the economic benefits of tourism must, as far as possible, remain on the island. To help the local economy, we would encourage you where you can to purchase anything you need on the island, rather than bringing everything with you from home or from the mainland. Keeping us all informed about what is and is not available on the island will be a great help in ensuring that this guide is kept up to date.

Tipping is not expected anywhere on the island, nor is it desirable to introduce this custom indiscriminately. However, we have given either a gift or an extra sum of money for help ‘beyond the call of duty’ or if a trip has been especially onerous.

Water is extremely short in most areas of Soqotra, and you should try and take with you most of what you will consume, rather than using up the scarce resources of Soqotrans outside Hadiboh. Bottled water is available in Hadiboh.

Do not forget that any body of water you see is likely to be the main source of drinking water for the people of the area. While it is perfectly acceptable to fill a water container and use this for washing away from the water, it is not normally acceptable to jump in and wash in the water itself, unless invited to do so.

Water for washing: in the field you may well be faced with a lack of water for washing. We have found that a supply of ‘baby wipes’ or similar saturated tissues do the job adequately, interspersed with more thorough washing in Hadibo.

Although it is generally hot and sunny, in the winter rainy season and in the winds of the monsoon it can be surprisingly chilly at night, especially in the high mountains (particularly if you have become sunburned during the day), so it is a good idea to bring a sweater. We have also found it useful to take a light waterproof, and have even been grateful for an umbrella!

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We need your comments on this material and rely on the assitance of everyone who visits the Soqotran archipelago to help us to improve the Travellers Guide.

SOQOTRA - A TRAVELLER'S GUIDE

Short DOs and DON'Ts Guide

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