Ethiopia & East Africa · office in Gondar · Open daily · 8:00 - 18:00 (East Africa Time)
Southern & Eastern Ethiopia
The ancient walled city of the east — 368 alleyways, hyenas at the gates, and a UNESCO-listed old town like nowhere else in Africa.
Harar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a holy city of 82 mosques and a famed historic walled old town. Its maze of 368 alleyways hides markets, coffee houses and craft workshops barely changed for centuries.
The city has long been a centre of Islamic scholarship and trade, linking the highlands to the coasts of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.
At dusk, the famous 'hyena men' feed wild hyenas from their hands at the city gates — an extraordinary and unique tradition.
A 16th-century walled labyrinth of mosques, markets and harari houses.
The famous nightly tradition of feeding wild hyenas at the city gates.
The restored 19th-century merchant house of the French poet, now a museum.
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.
Lose yourself in the walled Jugol old town, a UNESCO World Heritage maze of 368 alleys.
Watch a hyena feeding meet the famous hyena men at the city walls after dark.
Wander markets, coffee stalls and the traditional harari merchant houses.
Experience an Ethiopia most travellers — and most itineraries — never reach.
The walled old town of the east
A journey to the living old town of Harar — UNESCO alleyways, markets, coffee and the famous hyena men at dusk.
The complete Ethiopia
The definitive overland journey — northern castles and churches, the Simien trek, Danakil's volcanoes, Tigray's cliffs and Harar's alleys in one grand loop.
The walled city of saints, coffee and hyenas
Three days in Ethiopia's eastern frontier — the walled old city of Harar, its hyena-feeding tradition and the cool trading town of Dire Dawa.
Lakes, wolves and the river peoples
The definitive south — Rift lakes, the Bale highlands, the Omo valley and Harar woven into a single ten-day grand tour.
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 more
Ethiopia is a world birding destination — highland endemics and the majestic lammergeier in the Simien and Bale, and rift valley lakes alive with herons and flamingos.
Learn moreBy road from Addis Ababa (about a day) or by flight to Dire Dawa with a short drive onward. It also links well into eastern and rift valley routes.
Yes — it is led by a local 'hyena man' who manages the interaction; it is a completely guided experience and safe for observers.
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.
