Why this ride
A 222 km round trip from Qalansīyah - roughly 3 h 47 in the saddle. On the way it passes Socotra Archipelago, Socotra c, Socotra e and back through Socotra c. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Socotra B and Socotra e
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 222 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 47
- 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
This part of the ride is 32 km of Socotra B → Socotra Archipelago.
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 c.
3. Socotra c
The dragon's blood tree looks like an umbrella turned inside out, with a dense crown of branches spreading from a thick trunk, and it grows almost nowhere else on earth but the island of Socotra, in the Arabian Sea between Yemen and Somalia. Its red resin was traded in antiquity as a dye and medicine. Socotra has been isolated for millions of years, and about a third of its plant species are found nowhere else, including bottle trees with swollen trunks, desert roses and frankincense trees. UNESCO lists the archipelago for its extraordinary biodiversity.
Read the complete Socotra c write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 57 km into the recorded legs you reach Socotra c. 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 c.
5. back through Socotra c
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Socotra c write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Socotra c sits at 154 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 188 km into the recorded legs. 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
Socotra B closes the day.
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 c
Socotra Archipelago → Socotra c is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra c to Socotra e
Socotra c → Socotra e is 48 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra e to back through Socotra c
Socotra e → back through Socotra c is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Socotra c to back through Socotra Archipelago
back through Socotra c → back through Socotra Archipelago is 23 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 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Socotra d and Socotra B · 165 km
- Socotra b and Socotra g · 195 km
- Socotra f and Sabunya · 330 km · 216 km
- Socotra d and Socotra B (307 km) · 353 km