Why this ride
342 km from Qalansīyah to Qalansīyah, about 6 h 25 of riding. It goes by way of Socotra Archipelago, Socotra g, Socotra A and Socotra d. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Socotra B and Socotra d
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 342 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 25
- 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 B → Socotra Archipelago
The ride follows Socotra B → Socotra Archipelago for 32 km.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 32 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. 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 is where the day begins. Next is Socotra Archipelago.
2. 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 comes up about 32 km into the recorded legs. Next is Socotra g.
3. 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
about 80 km into the recorded legs you reach Socotra g. Next is Socotra A.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is Socotra d.
5. 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 sits at 154 km, about halfway. Next is back through Socotra A.
6. 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 comes up about 212 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Socotra g.
7. 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
about 260 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Socotra g. Next is back through Socotra Archipelago.
8. 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, late in the day. Next is Socotra B.
9. 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 342 km.
Leg by leg
Socotra B to Socotra Archipelago
Socotra B → Socotra Archipelago is 32 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 Socotra A
Socotra g → Socotra A is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra A to Socotra d
Socotra A → Socotra d is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra d to back through Socotra A
Socotra d → back through Socotra A is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Socotra A to back through Socotra g
back through Socotra A → back through Socotra g is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Socotra g to back through Socotra Archipelago
back through 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 Socotra B
back through Socotra Archipelago → Socotra B is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Socotra g and Socotra d · 334 km
- Socotra h and Socotra e (249 km) · 315 km
- Socotra Archipelago and Socotra h · 369 km