Envisage a scene from the Arabian Nights – the tallest tale in a fantastical dream.
Amid waves of weird mountains and cloud, a cluster of stone-tower houses guards a crag.

It’s a 5 km hike to Al Hajjarah village from Manakhah
Simply walk up to the town center and swing right thru the market and keep going out along the mountainside road (as seen below).

CAUTION: I was in Yemen in 2005. But in 2022, civil war and a humanitarian crisis grips much of Yemen; and I assume the Haraz Mountains are inaccessible to most travelers. Check first for the latest updates for Yemen.

Staying in Manakhah
Manakhah is an excellent base to explore the Haraz Mountains, with a regional market, reasonable transport links to Sanaa and the Red Sea coast.
There are very few other accommodation choices.

ROOMS: Manakha Tourist Hotel comes with a mattress on the floor with shared bathroom and views of mountains and villages. It’s on route to the market on the main road into Manakhah.
The price also includes decent meals in a family-run atmosphere.

ALSO POSSIBLE: Staying in a guesthouse in Al Hajjarah village.
Hiking the Haraz Mountains in Manakhah & Al Hajjarah


How to Get to Manakhah and Al Hajjarah village
Shared taxis from Sanaa to Manakhah take about 2.5 hours (or get one going to Al-Hudayda – but jump out at the nearby turnoff town of Al-Maghraba).
From Manakhah, getting to Al Hajjarah village is an easy 5 km hike following a scenic, unsealed mountain road.

ANOTHER TRAVEL TIPS: Take plenty of rials & cash dollars – no banks; exchange with market vendors.
And take some warm clothes, too.


Travels in Yemen – 2005