Smara is hard to reach. The town is roughly 250 kilometres east-southeast of Laayoune, the regional capital, across mostly empty desert. The road is paved but long, and shared taxis (grands taxis) from Laayoune are the standard public transport option — they leave when full from the southern taxi rank, take about four hours, and cost a modest fixed fare.
There is a small airport (Smara Airport, SMW) with infrequent domestic flights, mostly serving military and government traffic rather than tourists. Most independent visitors arrive by road. Expect multiple police and military checkpoints; carry your passport and a printed itinerary. The political status of Western Sahara means foreigners are sometimes questioned at length, though usually waved through.
There is no realistic onward overland route into Mauritania from Smara; the official border crossing is far to the south near Guerguerat.