Otherworldly – Numberlink / Marching Bands

Question

_{This is part 73 of the puzzle series Around the World in Many Days. Each part is solvable on its own.}

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Dear Puzzling,

The grey numbers here form a Numberlink puzzle. Draw lines in the grid using horizontal and vertical lines connecting centres of cells so that each line starts and ends at a different cell containing the same number. Lines may not go through a cell with a different number or cross another line.

The black numbers and rectangular borders form a Marching Bands crossword. The number clues (marchers) fill each row left to right, and the letter clues (bands) go clockwise around the grid, starting in the indicated cell.

Today I have visited an otherworldly-looking place full of unique flora and fauna. I have hiked to see some volcanic caves and taken a boat tour to admire the local wildlife and surrounding landscape. Can you guess where I am?

Love, Gladys.

Numberlink on Penpa+
Marching Bands on Penpa+

Marchers
1a. Dog command
1b. Provide cover
2a. Dark-coloured hardwood
2b. Fling
3a. Part of a flight
3b. Comedian Rogen
4a. "Untouchable" Eliot
4b. — statesman
5a. Ogled
5b. Word with "mass" or "social"
6a. Important principle
6b. Musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber
7a. Part of the psyche, according to Freud
7b. Short numeric access code
7c. Fixed
8a. Draw
8b. Grew into
9a. Beastlike companion of Dionysus
9b. "I Wanna Be Somebody" band

Bands
A1. Batman —
A2. Part of the body that may be affected by a UTI
A3. Dance instructions
A4. Wrong
A5. Umami, for one
A6. Present, for example
B1. Like the Grim Reaper's fingers
B2. Hindu social group
B3. Thing
B4. Manfred von Richthofen, say
B5. Pale yellow colour
B6. Up to this point
C1. Broadcasts
C2. Old Norse text
C3. Perform a vasectomy on
C4. Singles
D. Picked
E. 1931 thriller film by Fritz Lang

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Gladys will return in Seafront Metropolis.

Answer 1

Gladys is in:

Socotra, Yemen - described as "the most alien place on Earth"

Answer to the Numberlink:

Answer to the Marching Bands:

Marchers
1a. Dog command - BEG
1b. Provide cover - INSURE
2a. Dark-coloured hardwood - EBONY
2b. Fling - CAST
3a. Part of a flight - STAIR
3b. Comedian Rogen - SETH
4a. "Untouchable" Eliot - NESS
4b. — statesman - ELDER
5a. Ogled - EYED
5b. Word with "mass" or "social" - MEDIA
6a. Important principle - TENET
6b. Musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber - CATS
7a. Part of the psyche, according to Freud - EGO
7b. Short numeric access code - PIN
7c. Fixed - SET
8a. Draw - TIE
8b. Grew into - BECAME
9a. Beastlike companion of Dionysus - SATYR
9b. "I Wanna Be Somebody" band - WASP

Bands
A1. Batman — - BEGINS
A2. Part of the body that may be affected by a UTI - URETHRA
A3. Dance instructions - STEPS
A4. Wrong - AWRY
A5. Umami, for one - TASTE
A6. Present, for example - TENSE
B1. Like the Grim Reaper's fingers - BONY
B2. Hindu social group - CASTE
B3. Thing - ITEM
B4. Manfred von Richthofen, say - ACE
B5. Pale yellow colour - BEIGE
B6. Up to this point - YET
C1. Broadcasts - AIRS
C2. Old Norse text - EDDA
C3. Perform a vasectomy on - SNIP
C4. Singles - ONES
D. Picked - SELECTED
E. 1931 thriller film by Fritz Lang - M

By combining the two puzzle solutions:

The unused cells in the Numberlink reveal the letters to read from the Marching Bands grid. These letters spell out SOCOTRA, the solution to the puzzle.