Al Suhub Rest House: Parking, Road Access & Best Time to Go
A 5.6 km road climbs from Khorfakkan’s waterfront to a round, glass-walled building roughly 600 metres up the Hajar Mountains. Walking in costs nothing. The only charge is parking, which runs AED 10 an hour on weekdays and AED 20 an hour on weekends and public holidays.
The building is also called the Cloud Lounge and the Al Suhub Rest Area. All three names point to the same place. The Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, opened it on 15 July 2021, and more than 50,000 people visited over the Eid Al Adha holiday that followed.
This guide covers the parking rule that saves money, how the road and the hiking trail work, and the weather that shuts the road.
Al Suhub Rest House key details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Location | Jabal Al Hawami, Khorfakkan, Sharjah (plus code 986F+8G3) |
| Other names | Cloud Lounge, Al Suhub Rest Area |
| Height | About 600 m above sea level |
| Access road | 5.6 km, branching off S104 (Rugaylat Road) |
| Building | Circular, 30 m across, two floors, 2,788 sq m |
| Entry | Free |
| Parking | AED 10 an hour on weekdays, AED 20 on weekends and public holidays |
| Parking capacity | About 89 spaces |
| Outdoor areas | Open 24 hours, every day |
| Restaurant | Fen Café & Restaurant, run by the Sharjah Art Foundation |
Parking costs & the AED 50 receipt rule
Parking is AED 10 an hour on weekdays, and Friday and Saturday carry the AED 20 weekend rate, as do public holidays.
| Time parked | Weekday | Weekend or public holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 hour | AED 10 | AED 20 |
| 2 hours | AED 20 | AED 40 |
| 2 hours with an AED 50+ restaurant receipt | Free | Free |
The waiver works like this:
- Spend AED 50 or more at Fen Café & Restaurant.
- Ask for the receipt to be stamped.
- Show the stamped receipt at the exit. The waiver covers the first two hours.
Without a receipt, you pay when you leave. On a weekend, two hours of parking costs AED 40, so a meal of AED 50 or more that you were going to buy anyway is the cheaper way to spend the visit.
Sunrise visitors pay full parking. The restaurant has not opened by then, so there is nothing to stamp. With only about 89 spaces, the car park fills on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Opening hours & the best time to go
The road, terraces and viewpoints are open 24 hours a day, every day. Fen Café & Restaurant is not a 24-hour venue, so a pre-dawn or late-night visit means views without food.
- Sunset: the most popular slot. The sun goes down around 17:30 in winter and around 19:00 in summer.
- Sunrise: the quietest slot.
- After dark: the lights of Khorfakkan and the port spread out below the terraces.
- Weekday afternoons: the cheapest parking and the easiest time to find a space.
How to get there
Al Suhub Rest House is about 2 hours from Dubai, 90 minutes from Sharjah and 90 minutes from Ras Al Khaimah by road.
By car
Drive to Khorfakkan and follow S104 (Rugaylat Road) along the coastline. The turn for the rest house sits between Khorfakkan Beach Park and the waterfall. Enter plus code 986F+8G3 or use the map pin if signal drops on the way up.
The climb is a paved 5.6 km mountain road with hairpin bends, two lanes uphill and one lane downhill. Drivers coming from Sharjah pass the Shees Rest Area on the mountain road before reaching the coast, a useful break before the final climb.
By taxi or bus
No direct bus goes to the summit. Buses reach Khorfakkan town, and a taxi from there takes about 30 minutes. The driver needs only the name Jabal Al Hawami or the plus code.
On foot from Al Rafisah Dam
A 3 km trail runs from Al Rafisah Dam up to the rest house, and it opened with the building in July 2021. Expect 1 to 1.5 hours uphill and about 3 hours for the round trip. Closed shoes and water are the minimum, and an early start avoids the afternoon heat.
What is at the top
- A circular, two-floor building with 360-degree views over Khorfakkan, the Gulf of Oman and the Hajar Mountains
- Fen Café & Restaurant, with indoor and outdoor seating
- A children’s play park beside the car park
- Prayer rooms, restrooms and a multipurpose hall
- A landscaped site of 10,250 sq m planted with 8,700 trees
The terraces are the main draw, and they cost nothing. The restaurant is the paid part, and it is also what turns the parking from an expense into a free two hours.
When the road closes
Heavy rain shuts the access road. The rest house closed on 27 July 2022 in unstable weather and reopened about a week later. Rockslides blocked the road again in January 2023.
The road is a cut through a mountainside, so a wet or stormy forecast is a reason to postpone the drive. The coastal stops below stay open far more reliably.
Nearby stops in Khorfakkan
- Waterfall & amphitheatre: the free 45 m waterfall beside the Khorfakkan Amphitheater sits next to the turn for the climb.
- Beach & island boats: Khorfakkan Beach is the departure point for boats to Sira Khorfakkan, also called Shark Island.
- Al Rafisah Dam: the lake and the start of the hiking trail up to the rest house.
- Heritage village: the 300-year-old fort and old rooms at Najd Al Maqsar.
FAQ
Is Al Suhub Rest House free to enter?
Yes. There is no ticket for the rest house itself, and parking is the only charge.
Is Al Suhub Rest House the same as the Cloud Lounge?
Yes. Cloud Lounge and Al Suhub Rest Area are other names for the same circular building above Khorfakkan.
Can you hike to Al Suhub Rest House?
Yes. A 3 km trail starts at Al Rafisah Dam and takes 1 to 1.5 hours uphill.
Is there a bus to Al Suhub Rest House?
No. Buses stop in Khorfakkan town, and a taxi covers the last 30 minutes up the mountain.
Is Al Suhub Rest House in Sharjah or Fujairah?
Sharjah. Khorfakkan is Sharjah’s town on the Gulf of Oman coast, and the rest house sits on the mountain above it.
Plan your visit
- Pick a weekday if the schedule allows: parking is half the weekend price.
- Plan a meal of AED 50 or more at Fen Café & Restaurant and keep the stamped receipt for the exit.
- Aim for sunset in winter and early evening in summer, and leave before the Friday and Saturday rush.
- Check the weather first. Heavy rain closes the road.
- Pair the drive with the waterfall and the beach at the bottom, since the road passes both.
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