Why this ride
A 79 km round trip from Qalansīyah - roughly 1 h 20 in the saddle. The stops in between: Socotra B and back through Socotra B.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Socotra a and Socotra b starting at Qalansīyah
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 79 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 20
- 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 is where the day begins. Next is Socotra B.
2. Socotra B
Towards the western end of Socotra, the land narrows and lowers, and the north coast curves into bays of sand so white they hurt your eyes in the midday sun.
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 comes up about 22 km into the recorded legs. Next is Socotra b.
3. 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 back through Socotra B.
4. 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
back through Socotra B, late in the day. Next is Socotra a.
5. 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 at Socotra a. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Socotra a to Socotra B
Socotra a → Socotra B is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra B to Socotra b
Socotra B → Socotra b is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra b to back through Socotra B
Socotra b → back through Socotra B is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Socotra B to Socotra a
back through Socotra B → Socotra a is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Socotra Archipelago and Sabunya · 109 km
- Sabunya and Socotra Archipelago · 111 km