Why this ride
On the way it passes Socotra Archipelago, Socotra b and back through Socotra Archipelago.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Socotra h and Socotra b
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 226 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 10
- 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
This part of the ride is 49 km of Socotra h → Socotra Archipelago.
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 37 km in. Next is Socotra b.
3. Socotra b
Halfway along Socotra's north coast, between Hadibu and the fishing town of Qalansiya, the island shows its gentler face. The coastal plain is narrow here, a strip of pale sand and scrub squeezed between the sea and limestone plateaus that climb steeply inland, and the road runs along it for most of the way west. Both towns lie roughly thirty kilometres away in opposite directions, which makes the place a natural midpoint on the island's main east–west journey.
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
73 km in you reach Socotra b. Next is back through Socotra Archipelago.
4. 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 h.
5. 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 at Socotra h. That is the ride.
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 b
Socotra Archipelago → Socotra b is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Socotra b to back through Socotra Archipelago
Socotra b → back through Socotra Archipelago is 24 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 h and Socotra B (319 km) · 435 km
- Socotra B and Darsa · 361 km
- Socotra h and Socotra A (207 km) · 254 km