Harar, the Fortified Historic Town

Hyena feeding

Standing on the eastern wall of the Great Rift Valley, Harar’s location gives beautiful views of the surrounding country, with the vast Danakil desert to the north, the fertile Harar Mountains to the west, and the cattle-rich Ogaden Plains to the south. Here we discover a uniquely different Ethiopia in this sacred Muslim city of mosques, minarets, and markets. It is a center of Muslim learning, a city that once struck its own local currency and a place that still has its own unique language; long regarded by the outside world as a city of mystery and romance.

Day 1: Drive to Harar via Awash National Park

Early in the morning drive to the walled city of Harar. Today is a long drive – approximately 9 to 10 hours including stops. you will pass through many villages and beautiful landscapes, unique and different from other areas of Ethiopia. Along the way, we stop for a couple of hours in Awash National Park, one of the most beautiful natural reserves in Ethiopia. The Awash River runs through a spectacular gorge and the park itself is home to 392 species of birds and many mammals including oryx, gazelle, and various other antelopes. The Awash River is the longest in Ethiopia; it does not run into the sea, but feeds into the Danakil Depression close to Asayta and terminates in a series of lakes. After visiting the park we continue on to Harar.

Meal: breakfast /lunch /Dinner

Overnight Hotel or traditional house

Day 2: Harar

Founded in the early 12th century, the great walls surrounding Harar were built in the 1600s to keep out powerful neighboring hostile groups. Harar remained an important center of Muslim learning and trade throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Once an important center of Islamic scholarship, the city was for many years closed to Christians and early explorers were forced to enter in disguise and at their own peril. We start our exploration with a guided tour of Harar to see the mosques and interesting old architecture of the town, including the old city wall and the house of the French poet Rimbaud. Harar is home to one of the stranger sights that you’re likely to see in your journey through Ethiopia. Every night, a local man goes to the outskirts of the ci’Zpnd and calls the hyenas from the surrounding area. This practice apparently dates from the 1950s but was based on an older tradition that was first started to discourage the hyenas from stealing local livestock. As the hyena’s approach, the hyena man holds out pieces of meat to them, either in his hands or sometimes between his teeth, which the hyenas then take from him. This is a practice that is handed down from generation to generation and only one person fills the role at any one time. This evening you may wish to go and witness this bizarre ritual.

Meal: breakfast /lunch /Dinner

Overnight Hotel or traditional house

Day 3: Fly to Addis Ababa

We enjoy a free morning to do our own exploration around the labyrinth of alleys that make up Harar. In the afternoon we are transferred to the airport where we catch our flight back to Addis Ababa. the tour ends upon arrival in Addis Ababa. If you are flying out of Addis Ababa this evening, please check with us so we can ensure that you will have time to make your connecting flight.

Meal: breakfast /lunch /Dinner