Why this ride
294 km from Hadibu to Hadibu, about 6 h 24 of riding. It goes by way of Socotra d, Socotra e, Socotra f and Socotra g.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Socotra c and Socotra g
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 294 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 24
- 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 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
Socotra c is where the day begins. Next is Socotra d.
2. 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 comes up about 22 km into the recorded legs. Next is Socotra e.
3. 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
about 52 km into the recorded legs you reach Socotra e. Next is Socotra f.
4. 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
Socotra f, 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 126 km, about halfway. Next is back through Socotra f.
6. 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 comes up about 178 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Socotra e.
7. back through Socotra e
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
about 233 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Socotra e. Next is back through Socotra d.
8. 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
back through Socotra d, late in the day. Next is Socotra c.
9. 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
The route ends here after 294 km.
Leg by leg
Socotra c to Socotra d
Socotra c → Socotra d is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra d to Socotra e
Socotra d → Socotra e is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra e to Socotra f
Socotra e → Socotra f is 67 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra f to Socotra g
Socotra f → Socotra g is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra g to back through Socotra f
Socotra g → back through Socotra f is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Socotra f to back through Socotra e
back through Socotra f → back through Socotra e is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Socotra e to back through Socotra d
back through Socotra e → back through Socotra d is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Socotra d to Socotra c
back through Socotra d → Socotra c is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Socotra e and Socotra c · 101 km
- Socotra c and Socotra e · 113 km