Khor Fakkan road trip from Sharjah: the route, the beach and where to stop

How to drive from Sharjah to Khor Fakkan

Take the Sharjah–Khorfakkan Road, numbered S142, which Visit Sharjah describes as reached from Emirates Road (E611) at the Khorfakkan exit. From our office the mapping route runs out along Al Dhaid Road (E88) and joins it from there.

The road was built to link Khor Fakkan directly with Sharjah city. When its first phase opened in April 2018, the Sharjah Government Media Bureau gave its length as 89 km and described the Al Sidra tunnel as the longest mountain tunnel in the Middle East. Visit Sharjah puts the journey on the new road at 45 minutes; starting from the middle of Sharjah city, allow closer to an hour and a half.

The Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority sometimes closes a tunnel for maintenance and announces it in advance, as it did for the Al Rugh Tunnel in January 2026. Check its news before you leave.

Khor Fakkan Beach

Khorfakkan Beach is the town’s main draw: a long sandy bay under the Hajar mountains, developed by Shurooq with sports courts, an open-air amphitheatre, restaurants and cafés along the promenade. Activities such as kayaking are booked through Shurooq’s portal.

The official pages do not describe parking at the beach. Paid public parking does operate in Khor Fakkan under the same rules as Sharjah city: 8:00 am to midnight, free on Fridays and official holidays in yellow-sign zones. If you pay by SMS, add KH before the number of hours. The Sharjah parking guide has the details.

Things to do in and around Khor Fakkan

The best stops are spread along the road and around the bay, so plan them in driving order. Each name links to its official page, which is where to check opening times and any tickets.

On the way

• Shees Rest Area: a roadside stop after the Al Raugh tunnel with food kiosks, cafés, a play area, a mosque, a petrol station and 210 parking spaces.
• Shees Park: a mountain park with a waterfall, shaded seating, a play area and a terraced walk to a viewing platform.
• Al Rafisah Dam: a lake behind a 1980s dam, with boats to hire, a lakeside restaurant, play areas, a walkway and a car park. It sits on the road before the town.
• Najd Al Maqsar Village: a restored hillside village below an old fort, with a trail to the dam.

In Khor Fakkan

• Khorfakkan Amphitheatre and Waterfall: a Roman-style amphitheatre facing the bay, with a 45 m man-made waterfall cut into the rock beside it and lit at night.
• Al Suhub Rest House: a rest house 600 m above sea level with views over the town, reached by its own road with viewing points.
• Resistance Monument: a hilltop memorial run by the Sharjah Museums Authority, which lists visitor parking.
• Hisn Khorfakkan: a museum of east coast history in a rebuilt fort, also with visitor parking.
• Al Rabi Tower: a watchtower reached by a marked hiking trail. Visit Sharjah warns that the few spaces at the trailhead fill quickly, with more parking lower down the hill.

Driving tips for the mountain road

Follow the speed shown on the signs. We found no official page that publishes the limit for this road, so we do not quote one; it is posted along the route and through the tunnels.

• Stay on paved roads. Off-road driving is not allowed in Darb Rent cars. Please stay on paved roads; desert sand, dunes and unpaved tracks are off-limits.
• Stay out of wadis in the rain. Entering a flowing wadi carries a fine of AED 2,000, 23 black points and a 60-day impound. Gathering near wadis, floods and dams in rainy weather is a AED 1,000 fine.
• Speeding fines start at AED 300 and rise quickly; see Sharjah traffic fines.
• Fuel: fill up before the mountains or at the Shees Rest Area.
• Mileage: the round trip from our office is roughly 228 km, inside the 250 km a day included with our cars. Detours to the dam, Shees and Al Suhub add to it.
• Start early at weekends. Visit Sharjah notes that the Al Rabi trail is busy then and its parking fills up.

Which car to rent for the trip

Any car will do, because the route is paved highway all the way to the beach and to each stop listed here. Choose by how many people and how much beach gear you are carrying.

• Two people travelling light: an economy car keeps fuel costs down.
• A family with a cool box, chairs and a pushchair: an SUV from our Sharjah fleet gives you the boot space and a higher seat for the mountain views.
• Not sure? See all cars for rent in Sharjah and ask the team on WhatsApp.

For a shorter desert day out, see the Mleiha day trip. For ideas closer to the office, see things to do in Sharjah.