Shaharah Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Villagers won’t allow any tourist vehicles to travel up to Shaharah, so visitors are obliged to charter a local 4WD (often elderly, battered and not totally safe) for YR8000 (return) per vehicle. The departure point is at the village of Al-Qabi, which lies around 10km (around 1½ hours) below Shaharah. The incline is very steep and the road shocking. Be prepared for a rough journey.

At the time of writing independent travellers were not permitted to travel to Shahara, but the situation changes frequently. When allowed, you should ask any taxi or bus on the San’a–Sa’da road to drop you off at the Huth taxi stand (118km from San’a), from which you may be able to find pick-up trucks going to Al-Qabi or even Shaharah. All tourist cars will be given a police escort for at least some sections of the journey.