Arher Beach

Socotra Island, Yemen

Coordinates: 12.550000, 54.460000

Nearby Places

• Hoq cave 12.18 Km W (289°)
• Homhil Plateau 19.89 Km W (277°)
• Dihamri Marine Reserve 23.48 Km NW (293°)

Arher is located on the north-east shore of Socotra where the giant, tall white sand dunes which spread from the mountain in the back to the sea in front.

Arher beach is famous not for it’s beach, but rather for giant, tall white sand dunes which spread from the mountain in the back to the sea in front. The white sand is soft and very thin, it’s quite a task to climb the dunes and go at the top, but once up the views are very rewarding.

There are a couple of freshwater streams which spring from the mountains and go all the way to the sea; there, at the foot of the dunes, it is possible to camp even though there are no services at all, but given the location and the view you won’t mind at all.

Arher beach is the best spot for sandboards or paragliding as there the biggest sand dunes in the entire island. It’s also an excellent spot for camping near freshwater coming from the streams flowing into the sea.

If you want to swim, better walk further along the beach from the spring, behind the second dune. The beach line in front of the spring is inadequate for swimming – the water is shallow, there are too many stones, some rather sharp. While further on you can find some sandy spots in between the stones and cliffs, good enough to enter the water. However, the current was relatively strong here; and the swim in rough waters was not the best I experienced in Socotra.

These dunes are very popular for sand-boarding, but climbing them up is a task for well fit people only. Apart from the sand dunes, the quirky mountainous landscape, as well as stones, picturesquely spread all over the beach provided for fantastic photo opportunities.

It is recommended to go to the island’s easternmost point where the Arabian Sea and Indian Oceans come together – magical.

Know This

Note that there are no facilities at this camping site except the “natural” ones, and no electricity. But then you can not blend in with nature here, because the road for cars passes right through the beach, which is not too spacious; it was like camping by the scenic road.

The breathtaking beach of Arher is a very popular place because it is easy to reach by road from the capital city of Hadibo. It is also a favourite picnic spot for locals, so it is recommended that you avoid going there on Friday and Saturday (their public holiday) because it might be a little crowded on these days.