On our way back to Awash, we made a short stop in Aweday, often referred to as the “khat capital of the world”. Here is located the world’s largest vibrant and bustling market for this cash crop, with trade 24 hours a day and trucks leaving for destinations such as...
Feeding wild hyenas in Harar is a unique cultural practice that has persisted for centuries. The practice is said to have started in the 19th century during a famine to stop hyenas from preying on livestock by providing an alternative food source. Today, it is a tourist attraction (🎟️500...
Today, we spend the whole day in Harar, a fortified historic city in eastern Ethiopia, in the Ch’erch’er Mountains, at an elevation of 1,800 metres. It is known as the “fourth holy city” of Islam and has been considered a major commercial centre in the Horn of...
The road from Chiro to Harar offers a mixed landscape with some beautiful scenery, but it is also marked by rough, chaotic traffic in the smaller towns along the way. The tarmac was good, with a few short, damaged sections, so driving through the Ethiopian Highlands was not so bad, with...
We started early morning in Addis Ababa, took a highway (70 ETB), and continued on a pretty good tarmac road up to Awash National Park, where we made a half-day excursion with a local ranger (600 ETB), then continued through mountainous scenery to Chiro. It is a town and former...
Awash National Park is located in central Ethiopia, situated in the Great Rift Valley between the Oromia and Afar regions, approximately 225 km from Addis Ababa. Geographically, it is characterised by a semi-arid climate, grasslands, savannas, and shrubs, with altitudes ranging from 712...
We drove to the Hargeisa livestock market, a major livestock trading hub located on the southeastern outskirts of the city. We found a local “strong and tough” woman, who was ready to guide us through and arrange some photos (10 USD) for us; otherwise, the locals would eat us...
Today we did a rough off-road drive in a hired Toyota (200 USD) around the Gacan Libaax mountain range at 1,720 meters above sea level. The name “Gacan Libaax” translates to “The lion’s paw”. It is known for its unique juniper forests and ancient rock art...
Later, we slowly drove on perfect tarmac through the Sheikh Mountains, a part of the Golis Mountains that form the rugged northern edge of the Somali plateau and run parallel to the Gulf of Aden. The mountains have a significant range in elevation, with the highest peak in Somaliland...
In the morning, we finally went to explore Berbera. First, we drove to the historic port, which is now part of the new port complex. It’s not possible to get there, but we got a permit via friends to drive through the port. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to get out of our car...