Why this ride
From Qalansīyah it runs 345 km to Qalansīyah; allow about 5 h 59 of riding. It goes by way of Socotra b, Socotra d, Socotra Archipelago and Socotra g. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Socotra a and Socotra g
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 345 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 59
- 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.
Scenic road chapters
Socotra d → Socotra Archipelago
The ride follows Socotra d → Socotra Archipelago for 39 km.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 39 km
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
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 comes up about 37 km into the recorded legs. 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
about 84 km into the recorded legs you reach Socotra d. Next is Socotra Archipelago.
4. Socotra Archipelago
Let us be honest from the first line: you will not ride your own motorcycle here, and you should think carefully before going at all. Socotra is an island in the Arabian Sea, part of Yemen, about three hundred and fifty kilometres off the coast of the Arabian Peninsula and closer to the Horn of Africa. Isolated for millions of years, it developed a flora and fauna found nowhere else on earth, and roughly a third of its plants are endemic. The most famous is the dragon's blood tree, shaped like an inverted umbrella, whose red resin has been traded since ancient times as a dye and medicine. The archipelago was listed by UNESCO in 2008 for its extraordinary biodiversity.
Read the complete Socotra Archipelago write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Socotra Archipelago, about halfway. Next is Socotra g.
5. 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 sits at 163 km, about halfway. Next is back through Socotra Archipelago.
6. back through Socotra Archipelago
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Socotra Archipelago write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Socotra Archipelago comes up about 220 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Socotra d.
7. 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
about 264 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Socotra d. Next is back through Socotra b.
8. 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.
9. 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
The route ends here after 345 km.
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 Archipelago
Socotra d → Socotra Archipelago is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra Archipelago to Socotra g
Socotra Archipelago → Socotra g is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra g to back through Socotra Archipelago
Socotra g → back through Socotra Archipelago is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Socotra Archipelago to back through Socotra d
back through Socotra Archipelago → back through Socotra d is 44 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 Socotra a
back through Socotra b → Socotra a is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Socotra a and Socotra e (230 km) · 234 km
- Socotra a and Socotra f · 281 km
- Socotra Archipelago and Socotra B · 74 km