Harar Tour – 4 Days, 3 Nights
Itinerary
Day 1 – Awash National Park
Drive from Addis Ababa to Awash National Park for lunch passing through the young volcanic landscape of this scrubby desert fringe. Explore this dry savannah park for its birdlife and wildlife in the afternoon and gaze into the Awash River gorge. Avoid the lazy crocodiles and cheeky monkeys at the Awash River Falls.
Distance Addis Ababa to Awash National Park: 220 km.
Driving time: 3 Hours.
Day 2 – To Harrar
Start early and drive from Awash Arba town to the ancient walled city of Harrar in time for lunch. Take a stroll into the centre of the old city and get a taste of what we will see tomorrow. Enjoy a break and a rest before seeing the extraordinary sight of wild hyenas being hand-fed scraps of raw meat by one of Harrar’s famous hyena men.
Distance Awash to Harrar: 300 km. Driving time: 4 Hours.
Day 3 – Historic walled city of Harrar
Spend the day on foot inside the old walled city known as Jugol. The 16thcentury walls have 6 gates and 368 narrow alleyways inside a square kilometre. Reflect on the genius of Peacemaker alley, see inside a traditional Harrari house, get a glimpse into Harrar’s fascinating history and culture at the museum, explore the Christian and Muslim markets, smell Ethiopia’s finest coffee bean variety being roasted and taste a sample and much more in this UNESCO World Heritage Site city.
If there is the time we can take a 1-hour drive out of town to see the interesting geological formations and rock stacks in the Valley of Marvels.
Day 4 – Return to Addis Ababa
Drive from Harrar to Dire Dawa. Have coffee in Dire Dawa, maybe visit the railway museum and fly back to Addis Ababa after lunch.
Distance Harrar to Dire Dawa: 50 km. Driving time: 1.5 Hours