Itinerary

1. Day 1: Arrive at Addis Ababa & Drive Awash National Park

   • Arrive at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, meet with the Ethiopian tour guide and drive 225 km east of Addis Ababa to the Awash National Park via the town of Adama (Nazareth). 

   • The first stop would be at one of the five crater lakes of Bishoftu (Debre Zeit). 

   • Continue driving on the new Express Road to Awash National Park with few stops at viewpoints to enjoy the great scenery of the Ethiopian parks of the Great East African Rift Valley. You will also visit the extinct volcano called Fentale. 

   • Reach Awash National Park, stop at a viewpoint to see the Awash River Valley and the beautiful waterfall (best from June – November) before checking in at the lodge.

   Overnight stay at Awash Falls lodge.

2. Day 2: Awash National Park- Harar

   • Have an early breakfast, then head for a game drive in Awash National Park to spot kudus, gazelles, beisa oryx, and warthogs. Awash National Park is also one of the best bird-watching spots in Ethiopia.  

   • Get a chance to spot few crocodiles in the Awash River.

   • Drive 300 km to Harar, crossing the Chercher Mountains, which are extensions of the Simien Mountains.

   • Stop at the village of the Hararghe Oromo people for lunch on the way.

   • After arriving at Harar, drive to one of the gates of the city in the evening to visit the ‘Hyena Man’, who feeds wild hyenas with his own hand and mouth.

   Overnight stay at Ras Hotel.

3. Day 3: Sightseeing in Harar

   • Enjoy a full day sightseeing tour of Harar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back to the 16th Century AD, which once served as the country's medieval Muslim capital. 

   • Visit the different walls and gates of Harar, which marks and identifies the city’s peculiarity.

   • Check out the local market, which is attended by the tribal people of Amhara, Oromo, and Adere (Harari).
   • Travel to the House of Arthur Rimbaud, a famous French poet who lived in Harar in the late 19th Century AD.

   Overnight stay at Ras Hotel.

4. Day 4: Departure

   • Wake up early in the morning to visit a small scale coffee processing industry. Harar is also best known for its locally brewed, tasty coffee. 

   • Attend a typical Ethiopian coffee ceremony to try some local varieties, one of the best in the country. 

   • Explore some of the oldest mosques and shrines of Harar. 

   • Drive 50 km from Harar to Dire Dawa.

   • Halt at the town of Aweday to visit the largest Chat market in Ethiopia on the way. Chat is an important perennial crop, and its leaves are chewed for a stimulating effect. 

   • Visit the colourful spice market and the old train station, which was founded by the French in the 1900s in Dire Dawa.

   • Arrive at Addis Ababa to catch a flight back home.