Why this ride
A 297 km round trip from Hadibu - roughly 7 h 00 in the saddle. The stops in between: Socotra Archipelago, Socotra g, Socotra h and Darsa. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Socotra d and Darsa
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 297 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 00
- 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.
Scenic road chapters
Socotra d → Socotra Archipelago
The ride follows Socotra d → Socotra Archipelago for 43 km.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 43 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. 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 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 48 km in. 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
96 km in you reach Socotra g. Next is Socotra h.
4. Socotra h
Socotra looks like the set of a science fiction film. On this island in the Arabian Sea, about three hundred and fifty kilometres off the coast of Yemen, the dragon's blood tree spreads its branches like an umbrella turned inside out, desert roses swell from the rocks with fat, bottle-shaped trunks, and frankincense trees cling to the cliffs. Around a third of the plant species here exist nowhere else on Earth, the result of millions of years of isolation, and the archipelago became a World Heritage site in 2008.
Read the complete Socotra h write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Socotra h, about halfway. Next is Darsa.
5. Darsa
Darsa is a speck of rock in the Indian Ocean, one of the small islands of the Socotra archipelago, which lies about two hundred and forty kilometres off the Horn of Africa and belongs politically to Yemen. It is the sort of place that makes sense only on a map: a low, dry island west of the main island of Socotra, with few or no permanent inhabitants, visited by fishermen and by seabirds. Together with its neighbour Samha and the big island, it forms one of the most remarkable natural treasures in the world, which UNESCO listed in 2008.
Read the complete Darsa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Darsa sits at 192 km, about halfway. Next is back through Socotra h.
6. back through Socotra h
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Socotra h write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Socotra h comes up 240 km in. 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
288 km in 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 d.
9. 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
The route ends here after 297 km.
Leg by leg
Socotra d to Socotra Archipelago
Socotra d → Socotra Archipelago is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra Archipelago to Socotra g
Socotra Archipelago → Socotra g is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra g to Socotra h
Socotra g → Socotra h is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra h to Darsa
Socotra h → Darsa is 51 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Darsa to back through Socotra h
Darsa → back through Socotra h is 51 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Socotra h to back through Socotra g
back through Socotra h → back through Socotra g is 63 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 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Socotra Archipelago to Socotra d
back through Socotra Archipelago → Socotra d is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Socotra B and Socotra f · 220 km
- Socotra c and Socotra h · 234 km
- Socotra g and Socotra A · 190 km · 190 km
- Socotra f and Socotra B · 230 km