Eastern Ethiopia
With its superb architecture and dramatic setting, the clifftop village of Koremi, 19km southeast of Harar above the Erer Valley, is a definite must-see…
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Eastern Ethiopia
Most of eastern Ethiopia is a stark landscape of dust-stained acacia scrub and forgettable towns. But scattered around this cloak of the commonplace are gems of genuine adventure. Undoubtedly, the east’s pièce de résistance is the walled city of Harar. There’s still a patina of myth about this ancient town, handed down from the days when its markets served as the Horn’s commercial hub and attracted powerful merchants and Islamic scholars. The colonial-rural melange that is the modern city of Dire Dawa delights in its own odd way, while nature lovers can get their kicks at Babille Elephant Sanctuary and Awash National Park, where the volcanic landscape takes top billing over the wildlife. The truly intrepid can follow the seemingly endless ribbon of asphalt north to the desolate southern Danakil Desert, territory that remains virtually unexplored since colonial adventurer Wilfred Thesiger first regaled tales of the Afar.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
-
Eastern Ethiopia
If you’re travelling east of Harar on a Monday or Thursday, don’t miss the super-atmospheric livestock market in the village of Babille – it's one of…
-
Eastern Ethiopia
Easily accessible from Addis Ababa, 756-sq-km Awash National Park is one of Ethiopia’s most visited parks. However, if you’re here for the thrill of…
-
Eastern Ethiopia
The little-explored territory and salt lakes scattered around Asaita are something of a holy grail for serious adventurers. This area remains one of the…
-
Eastern Ethiopia
Despite considerable tree cutting, livestock grazing and land encroachment, Babille is better protected than many of Ethiopia’s national parks, and the…
-
Eastern Ethiopia
Lying just north of the town centre, Lake Hora is the wildest of Bishoftu's lakes and features some outstanding birdlife along its lushly vegetated slopes…
-
Eastern Ethiopia
At Filwoha Hot Springs, in the far north of the park, around 30km from the highway, you can swim in the turquoise-blue pools, but they’re not as…
-
Eastern Ethiopia
Twice a year, tens of thousands of pilgrims converge on the little town of Kulubi and its hilltop cathedral, Kulubi Gabriel, built by Ras Mekonen to thank…