Awassa is an African treasure where every visitor amenity is developed with high-quality luxury and traditional indigenous style. An asphalt road, modernized apartment buildings, and bustling shops suggest an advanced municipality, but donkeys crossing taxi lines and markets selling cattle remind visitors of their South African surroundings. Beyond cattle, the regional market sells everything from charcoal to shoes, and your Awassa tour guide would suggest a visit to shop like the locals do.  
Located on the shores of Lake Awassa, scenic views and breathtaking surroundings come hand-in-hand with a trip to this Ethiopian city, and hippo sightings are not uncommon. See them up close and personal via rented motorboat or rowboat; glide past the submerged houses lost in the lake’s tragic flood years ago or stop in at the hut-like snack stands for a waterfront treat. Once you see the city from its’ water, bike or hike the mountainous terrain for an inland look at this clean and inviting Ethiopian town.