Why this ride
The stops in between: Socotra h, Socotra c and back through Socotra h. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Socotra g and Socotra c
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 295 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 12
- 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 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 is where the day begins. Next is Socotra h.
2. 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 comes up 69 km in. 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
138 km in you reach Socotra c. Next is back through Socotra h.
4. 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, late in the day. Next is Socotra g.
5. 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
Back at Socotra g. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
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 Socotra c
Socotra h → Socotra c is 75 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Socotra c to back through Socotra h
Socotra c → back through Socotra h is 75 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Socotra h to Socotra g
back through Socotra h → Socotra g is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Socotra h and Socotra e · 238 km
- Socotra h and Socotra b · 226 km