Abstract—Cognitive radio networks are characterized by their ability to adapt to dynamic spectrum variables and network environment conditions. Reliable communication in cognitive radio networks is essential to achieve the most efficient use of spectrum and flexible communication between the different network components. In this paper, a novel Hybrid Cognitive Adaptive Routing Algorithm (HCARA) is proposed for the routing process in cognitive radio networks. HCARA aims to achieve the highest quality of service while minimizing delay during the transmission and reception of data between secondary nodes in the network. The communication path between the nodes is chosen dynamically in a reliable and efficient manner depending on the channel conditions, traffic load, and network topology, as the proposed protocol is based on multiple routing metrics during the decision-making process, including throughput, packet delivery ratio and delay through the round trip of the data transmission. The proposed HCARA was chosen to address limitations in existing routing protocols specifically the Clustering-Based Routing Protocol (CRP) and Multimetric Routing Protocol with Service Differentiation (MRSED) in terms of throughput and reliability, as evidenced by HCARA's superior performance metrics: an average throughput of 14.64 Mbps, surpassing CRP and MRSED, which recorded 11.86 Mbps and 12.92 Mbps respectively. PDR for HCARA was measured at 98.51%, significantly higher than CRP's 89.24% and MRSED's 94.81%, indicating better reliability in delivering packets to their intended destinations.