Ethiopia & East Africa · office in Gondar · Open daily · 8:00 - 18:00 (East Africa Time)
Southern & Eastern Ethiopia
Elegant, laid-back Dire Dawa — a railway-era city of French-inspired arcades, coffee houses and the gateway to Harar.
Dire Dawa grew around the Franco-Ethiopian railway at the turn of the 20th century, and its European street grid and arcaded shopfronts still give it a distinct, peaceful character.
It is a trading town with a cool altitude, busy markets, and the best macchiato-and-pastry culture in eastern Ethiopia.
For travellers it is the practical gateway to walled Harar, 50 km away, and a pleasant base for a slow morning among cafés.
French-built arcades that today house tailors, jewellers and coffee shops.
A dry-river bed that becomes a weekend market of livestock and produce.
Green ridges around the city offer sunset views east toward Harar.
Most travellers arrive through Addis Ababa's Bole International Airport, then fly or drive north. We arrange every flight, transfer and road leg as part of your itinerary.
Read the transport guideDomestic flights link the capital with Gondar, Lalibela, Axum and Bahir Dar across the northern circuit.
We arrange airport and hotel transfers as part of every itinerary.
The northern circuit can be driven between sites by private 4x4, which we arrange for you.
Wander the arcaded boulevards and railway-era architecture of the old quarter.
Join locals for Ethiopia's best-known eastern coffee culture.
Use it as the air gateway to Harar and the eastern circuit.
Shop the markets along the banks of the Dechatu River.
Falls, wildlife and the railway city
The Rift's eastern park in a compact two days — Awash's waterfalls and baboons, then the colonial avenues and cafés of Dire Dawa.
The astonishing history of Ethiopia — the rock churches of Lalibela, castles of Gondar, stelae of Axum, monasteries of Lake Tana and the walled city of Harar.
Learn moreYes — it is a friendly, functional trading city. We arrange all transfers and visits with local guides.
Most travellers combine this destination with another — the northern circuit, the Danakil, the Omo Valley or beyond. See which places fit your route.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the crown of the Ethiopian highlands — the 'Roof of Africa' — where sheer escarpments fall thousands of metres.
The 'Camelot of Africa' — an imperial city of castles, churches and a rich royal history in Ethiopia's northwest highlands.
Home to the extraordinary rock-hewn churches of Lalibela — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Africa's great pilgrimage destinations.
Send us an inquiry and we'll help you build the perfect itinerary — tours, timing and logistics included.
