evidence: The island of Socotra, part of Yemen’s Socotran Archipelago, has long been a niche obsession for travel enthusiasts and academics. Its unique species, breathtaking, undeveloped landscapes and iconoclastic local culture have earned it the nickname "the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean". Bloggers have called it the Arabian Sea’s hidden jewel, or "the most alien-looking place in the world". [...] Officially part of war-torn Yemen, the island, awarded UNESCO heritage status in 2008, is geographically closer to Somalia on the African mainland and politically closer to the oil-rich kingdoms of the Arabian Peninsula. The name ‘Socotra’ is either translated as ‘paradise’ or ‘emporium of resin’. What we learnt was that there are, in effect, two Socotras to visit. There is the almost mythological island with its Martian landscapes, endemic plant and animal species and natural history. Then there is the Socotra of modern Yemen, with all the associated challenges of isolation and dependence on foreign assistance.