Price and booking
- Length
- 8 days 7 nights
- Departures
- March–April · 6 workshops
- Group size
- Up to 8 guests
- Hosted by
- Led in person by co-founder Li Jian
Price
Seven nights in private luxury camps, all meals and soft drinks at camp, and the photography mentor throughout. Limited to eight participants per workshop.
Dates and conditions
Six photography workshops each March–April; Thursday-to-Thursday, limited to eight participants per workshop
Seven nights in private luxury camps, all meals and soft drinks at camp, and the photography mentor throughout. Limited to eight participants per workshop.
Departure dates
| Date | Availability |
|---|---|
| 2 spots left | |
| Fully booked | |
| Fully booked | |
| Fully booked | |
| 3 spots left | |
| 4 spots left |
Six eight-day photography workshops run each March–April, timed to the desert rose blossom and the Milky Way. Each workshop is limited to eight participants. Availability is shown as of today; dates marked in grey are fully booked, and all bookings are confirmed on request.
Day by day
Day 1
Arher dunes · snorkelling · Ras Erisel
We meet you at Socotra airport and drive to Arher, where towering dunes rise straight out of the coastline and desert meets ocean in a single, breathtaking panorama. In the evening we watch the sun set where the Arabian Sea meets the Indian Ocean.
Stay Arher beach private luxury tented camp
Day 2
Arher dunes · Homhil Protected Area
We begin on the Arher dunes for sunrise, with golden sand set against the deep blue sea and spinner dolphins often passing offshore. After lunch we explore the Dihamri Marine Reserve, where abundant marine life and colourful coral make it ideal for snorkelling or diving. Later, we continue to Homhil for dragon blood trees, desert roses, frankincense trees, cliff pools and rock channels. Bring your swimwear. We close the day photographing the sunset.
Stay Arher private luxury tented camp or Homhil camp
Day 3
Momi Plateau · Desert Rose
Today we head to the Momi plateau to photograph desert roses, also known as bottle trees. This is the island's densest concentration. Each tree has its own posture: some rise like giant vases, some have twin trunks that seem to embrace, and others lean against the rock, their bare branches breaking into pink, rose-red or pale white trumpet-shaped blooms. Against bare limestone with almost no soil, they tell the story of millions of years of isolated evolution. Today's locations are chosen according to the bloom.
Stay Arher beach private luxury tented camp or a temporary camp on the Momi plateau
Days 4–5
Dragon blood tree forest · Diksam Plateau
Diksam is known as the home of the dragon blood tree. We spend two full days exploring the area, including the famous Firmihin Forest, where the layered canopies are astonishing. We walk through what feels like an alien world, looking for compositions among the umbrella crowns. On one night, we photograph silhouettes of people and trees against the moonlight, the Milky Way or star trails.
Stay Diksam private luxury tented camp
Day 6
Diksam Plateau · Detwah Lagoon
After sunrise among the dragon blood trees, we drive to Detwah Lagoon, the island's best-known sight: white sand and turquoise water at high tide, with remarkable reflections at low tide. You can also climb the ridge beside the lagoon to find the solitary bottle trees and watch the sun go down over Detwah. Your tent is pitched at our private lagoon camp. Showers use natural spring water, and guests share the toilets and showers.
Stay Detwah Lagoon private luxury tented camp
Day 7
Dolphin Bay · Shuab Beach · Qalansiyah
Sunrise over Detwah is just as remarkable. We walk along the beach before breakfast, then take a boat to Shuab, the "golden beach", passing dramatic cliffs and possibly more spinner dolphins. Shuab is made for a relaxed morning of swimming and scenery; then we return by boat to the private camp beside the blue lagoon for lunch. In the afternoon we return to Hadibu, the capital, to visit the local market and pick up souvenirs.
Stay Hadibu hotel (twin rooms)
Day 8
Farewell to Socotra
A lie-in, then breakfast and the transfer to the airport. The journey ends, but the island stays with you.
This itinerary is indicative. Your photography mentor may adjust the order or locations to suit the season, weather, roads and camp conditions, and make the most of the light and shooting opportunities.
Inclusions and booking
What is included
- Carefully selected private luxury tented camp accommodation
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner and soft drinks, all prepared by our camp team
- All ground transport and logistics throughout the journey
- Professional photography mentor throughout—led in person by co-founder Li Jian
- Solar or generator power, charging points outside the tents and Starlink, at no extra cost
- Temporary camps added for the photography itinerary
- All necessary permits and local arrangements
- Chinese meals and seafood dinners specially arranged
Booking and cancellation
A deposit confirms the booking; the balance is due no later than two months before departure. Bookings close 21 days before departure.
The cancellation service fee is USD 500. Flights, visas and other separate arrangements follow their provider's rules.
In this policy, “package price” means only the Socotra land arrangements listed on the journey page, including camp accommodation, meals, local transport, guides and island permits. It does not include international flights, the round-trip flight to Socotra, visa fees, travel insurance or personal expenses. Flights, visas and other third-party arrangements are governed by the provider's terms and are not part of the package contract. Where we arrange them on your behalf, their fees and conditions will be quoted separately.
Payment schedule: A deposit is required to confirm the booking. The remaining balance must be paid in full no later than two months before departure. If the booking is made less than two months before departure, the remaining balance is due on the day of arrival in Socotra.
All cancellation and amendment requests must be submitted in writing by email or another traceable channel. The time we receive the written request determines the applicable cancellation tier, calculated in Beijing time.
A substitute guest may be requested, subject to approval by us, the airline, visa authorities and other suppliers, and subject to full payment by the substitute. Any ticket reissue, visa, permit-change or supplier fees are payable by the guest. Once the substitution is confirmed, the original guest will be refunded the package payments we received, less the USD {fee} service fee and any non-refundable package costs already incurred. If substitution cannot be completed, the cancellation terms below apply.
90 days or more before departure: we will refund the package payments we received, less the USD {fee} service fee and any non-refundable package costs already incurred.
60–89 days before departure: we will refund 50% of the remaining refundable package balance after non-refundable package costs have been deducted. No additional cancellation service fee applies.
Fewer than 60 days before departure: the package price is non-refundable. Separately booked flights, visas and third-party services remain subject to their provider's rules.
One date change may be requested per booking, including within the final 60 days before departure. Amendments are subject to availability and approval by the airline, visa authorities, camp and other suppliers. The guest will pay any price difference for the new dates and any airline, visa or third-party charges. If the quotation specifies a separate amendment fee, that fee will apply.
If we cancel a confirmed journey, the guest may choose a replacement date, a comparable alternative itinerary or a full refund of the package price paid to us. For flights, visas and other services we were asked to arrange separately, we will pass on any refunds or credits actually recovered from the relevant provider.
If we make a material change before departure, such as reducing the number of trip days, removing a core experience or materially downgrading accommodation, the guest may accept an alternative arrangement or cancel for a full refund of the package price paid to us. Minor adjustments made for weather, safety or local conditions will be communicated as early as possible and do not normally qualify for a refund.
Flight cancellations, delays and routing decisions are made by the airline, and we will assist with the available options. If the journey cannot proceed before departure because of force majeure, we will first offer a new date or alternative itinerary where practicable; if none is available, we will refund the package price paid to us and pass on any third-party refunds or credits actually recovered. After departure, safety comes first: we will adjust the itinerary as necessary and disclose additional actual costs before they are incurred. The airline's rules continue to apply to flights.
After a refundable amount is confirmed in writing, we will initiate the refund within 14 business days. The original payment method will be used where possible; banks, card processors or cross-border transfer providers may charge fees and require additional processing time. Comprehensive travel insurance covering medical care, evacuation, flight disruption, cancellation and trip interruption is strongly recommended.