Alayeh Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Qalansiyah, Yemen (12.710100, 53.519454)
Open:	no restrictions. [2025]
Fee:	free. [2025]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Alayeh Cave
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

The Alayeh Cave is located on Socotra island, which belong to Yemen. The arid island is very sparsely inhabited and has few small hamlets and villages. The cave is located at the Detwah Lagoon in the northwestern corner of the island, north of Qalansiyah town. This is neither a show cave nor a wild cave, it’s probably a sort of cave house, but as there are minimal alterations we classified it as a cave. This small sea cave is inhabited by a sort of who is called the Socotra caveman. If he is visited by tourists he is quite friendly, offers tea, and presents his dolphin skeleton, whale jaw, and whale tooth necklace. In other words, he lives in the cave, hunts for seafood in the sea, and is happy to share a few stories. Ellai, the hermit of Socotra Island, has become a sort of celebrity with adventure tourists. Fortunately he lives so remote that the number of visitors is still low. If you think he is a sort of hippie or dropout you are wrong. He is actually home here, his family lives in this cave for generations, he, as well as his mother, was born in this cave. It is the traditional way of life, Socotri lived in some 30 caves along the coast and lived from the sea. Today most of them live in small villages along the coast.

We are aware that there is not much to see, the cave is pretty small, and it is also very remote. Actually it is a private home, so it is not a tourist site, although the owner is very kind and invites you to a cup of tea and shows you his cave. The reason why we listed it is that it is a cave which is still inhabited, which is pretty rare.