Why this ride
On the way it passes Socotra g, Socotra f, Socotra e and back through Socotra f. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Socotra A and Socotra e
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 278 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 30
- 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
Socotra looks as if evolution has been running its own experiment. The island, a long way east of the Horn of Africa and well south of Arabia, has been separated from the mainland for millions of years, and as a result a large share of its plants, perhaps a third, and many of its reptiles and snails, are found nowhere else. The Socotra Archipelago was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2008, and the images that come to mind are of the dragon's blood tree, with its umbrella-shaped crown of stiff branches, and the swollen bottle trees clinging to the rock.
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 g.
2. Socotra g
Socotra's south coast feels like the far side of a very strange moon. Here the island drops from the granite spine of the Haggier mountains onto a broad gravel plain that runs down to a hot, wind-scoured shore, with dunes piled against the cliffs and nothing taller than a goat for miles.
Read the complete Socotra g write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Socotra g comes up about 49 km into the recorded legs. Next is Socotra f.
3. 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
about 78 km into the recorded legs you reach Socotra f. Next is Socotra e.
4. Socotra e
Eastern Socotra is where the island feels most like itself and least like anywhere else. The point lies about twenty-seven kilometres east of Hadibu, the island's main town, in the stretch between the coast and the inland limestone plateaus. Socotra sits in the Arabian Sea, closer to Somalia than to Yemen, and it has been isolated for so long that a large share of its plants and reptiles exist nowhere else on Earth. UNESCO recognised it as a natural World Heritage Site in 2008.
Read the complete Socotra e write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Socotra e, about halfway. Next is back through Socotra f.
5. back through Socotra f
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Socotra f sits at 149 km, about halfway. Next is back through Socotra g.
6. back through Socotra g
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Socotra g write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Socotra g comes up about 229 km into the recorded legs. Next is Socotra A.
7. 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
Socotra A closes the day.
Leg by leg
Socotra A to Socotra g
Socotra A → Socotra g is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra g to Socotra f
Socotra g → Socotra f is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra f to Socotra e
Socotra f → Socotra e is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra e to back through Socotra f
Socotra e → back through Socotra f is 67 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Socotra f to back through Socotra g
back through Socotra f → back through Socotra g is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Socotra g to Socotra A
back through Socotra g → Socotra A is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Socotra f and Socotra Archipelago · 158 km
- Socotra e and Socotra h · 226 km