The map below shows the areas that we explored on this day.
The largest Blood Dragon tree forest on the island is situated near a small village that offers its visitors fantastic hospitality. One of the key figures in this area is Salem Al Khebani, a highly respected individual on Socotra. He lives in this village and started a small nursery, trying to grow Blood Dragon trees from seeds. There is an international group of people researching why there are no small Blood Dragon trees growing in the wild. The Blood Dragon trees that can be seen in the mountains are ancient. Some are over 600 years old. The majority is way over 100 years old. It is possible that the goats, which are everywhere on Socotra, eat these young trees before they have a chance to grow bigger. These trees grow only in a very special microclimate that exists only on Socotra, at an elevation of 700 to 800 meters above sea level.
Salem Al Khabani has many children. One of his sons is involved in organizing trips like ours for people from all over the world. We didn't see Salem on our first visit to his village, but we came here again the following week and met the legend.
On our first trip to his village, we stopped for a moment at one of the trees to chat with the kids who were playing in its shade. After this brief stop, we descended to the bottom of the deep canyon and explored its beauty. There are several small pools with water, where tiny fish and crabs survive, waiting for the next rainy season to come. Once you submerge into the water (and it was a must on this hot day), fish quickly find you and start gently nibbling on your peeling skin. If you want to take a bit longer hike (± 1 hour one way), you can go further into the canyon to plunge into a big, deep lake with wonderfully warm water. After a few hours of these adventures, we came back and stayed overnight at the village. We did not explore the forest on this day, knowing that we would return here on day 11 to enjoy a full day at this amazing place and meet Salem, who would offer his legendary hospitality.
The following day, I got up before sunrise and went for a hike to take photos of this magical landscape. Once the sun was up, I flew my drone to the other side of the canyon and took a birds-eye view of the Blood Dragon Tree Forest. I also had the chance to see the cave dwellings used by locals as homes until very recent years, up close. These caves are still being used for various practical purposes. Sitting in one spot for a while in the early morning, shortly after sunrise, was a fantastic feeling. I can fully understand why they were living in these caves for so long...
