Attractions in Eastern Ethiopia

CULTURE

Hyena Men

In Harar city, there are men who earn a living by giving out meat, offal and bones to hyenas and create open-air spectacle. Every evening a group of 8 to 15 of hyenas come down to a piece of common ground where the hyena man sits, crossed-legged with a basket of offal at his feet. Once the hyenas are present, he places a short stick in his mouth and wraps a piece of offal around the other end. He calls the individual hyenas by name, to which they seemingly respond. One hyena will warily come closer and closer to the man and then lunge forward, snatching the meat from the end of the stick. Considering hyenas have one of the strongest bites in the animal kingdom, it is a wonder the hyena man remains so calm, but he trusts them completely. However, it is a dying art - there are only 2 hyena men left practicing this amazing feat.

HISTORY

Harar and Dire Dawa

Hara is the spiritual center of Ethiopia’s large Islamic community. Estabilished in the early 16th Century, the walled town of Harar has been an important commercial centre for centuries, linking Ethiopia with the rest of the Horn of Africa and outwards to the Arab and Indian worlds along ancient trade routes. It is considered to be the fourth holiest Islamic city, containing about 100 mosques, some of which date between the 10th and 15th Century.

The whitewashed walled part of the city is a labyrinth of alleyways and streets. The French poet, Arthur Rimbaud lived here in the late 19th Century and his former home is now a museum. One can also see the spot where the British explorer Sir Richard Burton lived and the house where Emperor Haile Selassie lived and brought up as a child. Harar is also notable for its Indian-influenced architecture and an amazingly colourful markets gives this ancient city an exotic feel and is an experience not to be missed. The best and high quality coffee in the world grows in the surrounding fertile lands of Harar. Since the 1960’s, one of the most extraordinary spectacles in the world occurs every evening on the outskirts of Harar.

Dire Dawa, founded in 1902 with the Addis Ababa - Djibouti Railway line is now the second largest town in the country. Dire Dawa is recently famous for its cave paintings which dates back for 7000 years and contributing a lot to the local tourism industry.

Outside Harar one can visit the colourful village of Babile and the Valley of the Marvels, an area of extraordinary rock formations.

NATURE

Awash River and Awash National Park

Awash National Park has a wide variety of bird life and every life in the surrounding is closely tied with the most utilized river of Ethiopia, Awash. Awash national park is located along the Ethiopia-Djboute railway line. The Awash National Park is one of the premier birding centres in Ethiopia, with 450 different species and there are also mammals and monkeys to be seen. Being regarded as one of Ethiopia’s premier birding destination, with a check list of more than 450, the National Park is home for some of the endemic birds of Ethiopia; yellow-throat serin, Ethiopian cliff swallow and sombre rock chat. And among the very common ones; Abyssinian roller, sandgrouse, larks, hornbills, waxbills, bee-eaters, bustards, eagles, hawks, falcons etc. The Awash National Park is also home for some wildlife; Beisa oryx, Soemmering’s gazelle, dik-dik, jackal, and baboons are among the commonly seen ones. One can also visit the Awash waterfall and the hot springs in the vicinity.

Hot Springs at Sodere

Soderea is a recreational center located at about 135 km to the south-east of Addis Ababa. Soderea is famous for its hot spring water, Olympic-size swimming pool and a hotel. As is the case in much of Ethiopia, travelers are treated with marvelous rural scene interspersed with beautiful mountain ranges and vegetations. The biggest inland river of Ethiopia, Awash, flows by the resort.