Why this ride
On the way it passes Socotra B, Socotra a, Samha and back through Socotra a. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Socotra b and Samha
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 266 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 26
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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 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 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 41 km in. Next is Socotra a.
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
82 km in you reach Socotra a. Next is Sabunya.
4. 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 sits at 164 km, about halfway. Next is back through Sabunya.
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
246 km in you reach back through Socotra a. 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
back through Socotra B, late in the day. Next is Socotra b.
7. 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
The route ends here after 328 km.
Leg by leg
Socotra b to Socotra B
Socotra b → Socotra B is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra B to Socotra a
Socotra B → Socotra a is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra a to Samha
Socotra a → Samha is 103 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Samha to back through Socotra a
Samha → back through Socotra a is 103 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Socotra a to back through Socotra B
back through Socotra a → 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 b
back through Socotra B → Socotra b is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Sabunya and Socotra B · 51 km
- Sabunya and Socotra d · 119 km