Why this ride
The stops in between: Socotra Archipelago, Socotra c, Socotra A and back through Socotra c.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Socotra h and Socotra A
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 254 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 40
- 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 h → Socotra Archipelago
The ride follows Socotra h → Socotra Archipelago for 49 km.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 49 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. 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 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 35 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
69 km in you reach Socotra c. 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 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 138 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 173 km in. Next is Socotra h.
7. 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
Socotra h closes the day.
Leg by leg
Socotra h to Socotra Archipelago
Socotra h → Socotra Archipelago is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra Archipelago to Socotra c
Socotra Archipelago → Socotra c is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra c to Socotra A
Socotra c → Socotra A is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra A to back through Socotra c
Socotra A → back through Socotra c is 27 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 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Socotra Archipelago to Socotra h
back through Socotra Archipelago → Socotra h is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Socotra B and Darsa · 361 km
- Socotra h and Socotra B (319 km) · 435 km
- Socotra f and Sabunya · 230 km
- Socotra Archipelago and Socotra h · 369 km