Why this ride
281 km from Qalansīyah to Qalansīyah, about 5 h 42 of riding. It goes by way of Socotra b, Socotra d, Socotra f and back through Socotra d. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Sabunya and Socotra f
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 281 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 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: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. 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 comes up about 0 km into the recorded legs. Next is Socotra b.
2. 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
about 37 km into the recorded legs you reach Socotra b. Next is Socotra d.
3. Socotra d
Hadibu is the main town of Socotra, a dusty, low-rise place on the north coast of the island, between the sea and the jagged granite peaks of the Hagghier mountains, which rise to around fifteen hundred metres just behind it. These mountains catch the clouds, and their slopes are greener and wetter than the coastal plains, with streams, pools and a remarkable range of endemic plants. The island's population is small, and Hadibu, with its market, mosques and goats wandering the streets, is the only real town.
Read the complete Socotra d write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Socotra d, about halfway. Next is Socotra f.
4. Socotra f
Socotra looks like a place assembled from another planet's spare parts. The island lies in the Arabian Sea, closer to the Horn of Africa than to mainland Yemen, and it has been isolated for so long that a large share of its plants exist nowhere else on earth. The most famous is the dragon's blood tree, a strange umbrella-shaped tree whose red resin has been traded since antiquity, and you will also find bottle trees with swollen trunks, frankincense trees and cucumber trees. The archipelago was listed by UNESCO in 2008.
Read the complete Socotra f write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Socotra f sits at 186 km, about halfway. Next is back through Socotra d.
5. back through Socotra d
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Socotra d write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Socotra d comes up about 202 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Socotra b.
6. back through Socotra b
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
about 244 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Socotra b. Next is back through Socotra a.
7. 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, late in the day. Next is Sabunya.
Leg by leg
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 Socotra d
Socotra b → Socotra d is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra d to Socotra f
Socotra d → Socotra f is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra f to back through Socotra d
Socotra f → back through Socotra d is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Socotra d to back through Socotra b
back through Socotra d → back through Socotra b is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Socotra b to back through Socotra a
back through Socotra b → back through Socotra a is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Socotra h and Socotra a · 270 km
- Socotra d and Sabunya · 130 km
- Socotra a and Socotra c · 158 km