Duration: | 3 Day(s) - 2 Night(s) |
Tour Category: | Heritage Tours |
Day 01: Drive to Harar
Early morning drove 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 some 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.
Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Transportation: Land cruiser 4WD
Accommodation: Ras Hotel or Similar
CONSULTANT NOTE
You will drive approximately 525 km
Game drives vary the time duration
Day 02: Visit 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 city 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 hyenas 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.
Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Transportation: Land cruiser 4WD
Accommodation: Ras Hotel or Similar
CONSULTANT NOTE
You will drive approximately 380 km
Game drives vary the time duration
Day 03: 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.
Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Transportation: Domestic Flight and Land cruiser 4WD
Accommodation: -
CONSULTANT NOTE
You will drive approximately 80 km
Game drives vary the time duration