Why this ride
The stops in between: Samha, Socotra a, Socotra b and back through Socotra a. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Darsa and Socotra b · 396 km
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 369 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 42
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Darsa
Darsa is a speck of rock in the Indian Ocean, one of the small islands of the Socotra archipelago, which lies about two hundred and forty kilometres off the Horn of Africa and belongs politically to Yemen. It is the sort of place that makes sense only on a map: a low, dry island west of the main island of Socotra, with few or no permanent inhabitants, visited by fishermen and by seabirds. Together with its neighbour Samha and the big island, it forms one of the most remarkable natural treasures in the world, which UNESCO listed in 2008.
Read the complete Darsa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Darsa is where the day begins. Next is Samha.
2. Samha
Samha is a small, barren island in the Indian Ocean, one of the two islands known as the Brothers that lie between the main island of Socotra and the Horn of Africa. Together with Socotra and the other islands of the archipelago, it belongs to Yemen and is part of the Socotra Archipelago World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2008 for its extraordinary biodiversity. A few hundred people live on Samha, mostly fishermen, in a village by the shore, and the island has its own endemic plants, adapted to the harsh, dry climate.
Read the complete Samha write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Samha comes up about 33 km into the recorded legs. Next is Sabunya.
3. Socotra a
At the western tip of Socotra, near the fishing village of Qalansiyah, the island ends in a lagoon of almost unreal beauty. Detwah lagoon is a shallow basin of white sand and turquoise water, enclosed by dunes and limestone headlands, where fishermen pull up their boats on the beach and dolphins sometimes swim in the bay beyond. Socotra lies in the Arabian Sea, about three hundred and fifty kilometres off the coast of Yemen and closer to the Horn of Africa, and it has been isolated for so long that a large share of its plants and animals exist nowhere else on earth. UNESCO listed the archipelago in 2008 for its extraordinary biodiversity.
Read the complete Socotra a write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Socotra a, about halfway. Next is Socotra b.
4. Socotra b
Halfway along Socotra's north coast, between Hadibu and the fishing town of Qalansiya, the island shows its gentler face. The coastal plain is narrow here, a strip of pale sand and scrub squeezed between the sea and limestone plateaus that climb steeply inland, and the road runs along it for most of the way west. Both towns lie roughly thirty kilometres away in opposite directions, which makes the place a natural midpoint on the island's main east–west journey.
Read the complete Socotra b write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Socotra b sits at 198 km, about halfway. Next is back through Socotra a.
5. back through Socotra a
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Socotra a write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Socotra a comes up about 210 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Sabunya.
6. Back to Darsa
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Darsa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 302 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Sabunya. Next is back through Samha.
7. back through Samha
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Samha write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Samha, late in the day. Next is Darsa.
8. Darsa
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Darsa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 396 km.
Leg by leg
Darsa to Samha
Darsa → Samha is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Samha to Socotra a
Samha → Socotra a is 103 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Socotra a to Socotra b
Socotra a → Socotra b is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra b to back through Socotra a
Socotra b → back through Socotra a is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Socotra a to Back to Darsa
back through Socotra a → Back to Darsa is 92 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Samha to Darsa
back through Samha → Darsa is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Darsa and Socotra B · 332 km
- Samha and Socotra B · 284 km · 221 km
- Darsa and Socotra a · 294 km