East Ethiopia Tours Awash & Harar – 4 Days

Day 1: Addis Ababa to Awash National Park

In the morning, you will depart Addis Ababa for Awash National Park, stopping for lunch on the way. In the afternoon, there will be the chance to explore the birds and wildlife of the park. Around 80 species of mammals have been recorded in the park and you are likely to see Hamadryas and Anubis baboons, Beisa oryx, Soemmerring;s gazelle and Salt’s dik-dik. If you are lucky, you may also spot lesser and greater kudu, Defassa waterbuck, warthog, vervet and guereza monkeys and spotted hyenas. The park is also home to over 460 bird species including the endemic Ethiopian cliff swallow and yellow-throated serin.

Day 2: Awash National Park to Harar

It starts with and early morning game drive through Awash National park, as this is the best time of day to see many of the park’s mammal species. Afterwards, you will continue the journey eastwards to Harar through a landscape of dry, scarcely-populated acacia scrub, and then the cooler, more scenic Chercher Mountains. Arriving at Harar, you’ll take a walk through the narrow winding streets of the old town, admire the ancient city walls which have hardly changed since their construction in the 1560s, and visit the lively and colourful Islamic market.

Day 3: Harar

A fully day of sightseeing in Harar. You’ll visit museums including the Abdela Sherif Harari City Museum and the Arthur Rimbaud Museum. The Abdela Sherif Museum is housed in the former palace of Ras Mekennen (Emperor Haile Selassie’s father) and is reputedly where the young emperor spent much of his childhood. The museum houses more than 300 ancient manuscripts relating to the city, as well as a collection of 18th and 19th century Harari coins, traditional costumes, household items, weapons and musical instruments. Highlights of the Arthur Rimbaud Museum include an exhibition about the poet’s life and a collection of photos taken in Harar around 1900 from which you can see how the city and its inhabitants have changed over the last 100 or so years.

Day 4: Harar – Addis Ababa

Completing the trip, you will travel back from Harar to Addis Ababa – a journey that will take most of the day.