Harar Trips & Tours

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Harar

A medieval walled city with colourful alleyways, bustling markets and a fascination with wild hyena

A timeless city of crumbling shrines, mosques in their hundreds and maze-like alleyways that twist and turn to nowhere yet everywhere, Harar is more reminiscent of a town in northern Africa than anywhere in Ethiopia. Founded by Arabian immigrants in the 10th century, the city was the gateway for the spread of Islam into Africa and the iconic, fortified walls were in fact a defence against the neighbouring Christian empire. Today, it’s colourful, fascinating and a little bit eccentric, not least due to the ritual feeding of hyenas. A feared predator to most, the Hararis consider the hyenas to be good omens and around the city, there are several feeding stations to get up close and personal with the wild creatures. Incredible.

Our Experts

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Get advice and suggestions to make this your perfect trip.

or call us on: +1 (646) 542 0667

Joanna Rigby-Jones

Ethiopia Travel Specialist

Kevin Zimmermann

Ethiopia Travel Specialist

Kristin Jessup

Ethiopia Travel Specialist

Things to do

What to do in Harar

Step through ancient gates into a world of winding alleyways, where hidden mosques peek out from behind weathered walls and the call to prayer mingles with the chatter of market traders. Wind your way through the UNESCO-listed old town, where every worn doorway and crumbling shrine has a story to tell. As dusk falls, witness one of the world's most unusual spectacles - the feeding of wild hyenas, a centuries-old ritual where these normally feared predators are welcomed as blessed guests of the city. Explore the vibrant markets where traders deal in everything from fragrant spices to traditional textiles, and peek into the quiet courtyards of traditional Harari homes, their interiors gleaming with collected treasures. Why not round off your day sipping traditional coffee in a centuries-old house, where the beans are roasted right before your eyes?

Open Map

Markets

When to go

Best time to visit Harar

Excellent

Good

Mixed

january

Dry Season — one of the best times to visit

Reviews

Based on 7 Feefo Reviews for Ethiopia

Don McGuirt

My Kenya and Ethiopia trip

April 2026

16 nights in Kenya and Ethiopia

So far Kevin has done an excellent job on everything. Communicates well and seems to be on top of all the details

Markus Ribi

March 2020

12 nights in Ethiopia

Hervorragende Planung und Organisation der Reise, es hat immer alles geklappt.

Guest

Timbuktu-Top Shelf

March 2020

12 nights in Ethiopia

A top shelf experience! Did a guided 2 week trip through Ethiopia. Frequent changes in location across the entire nation. Follow through, organization and reliable local connections are the keys to making this kind of trip work. They came through with flying colors! Excellent planning to start the process with people familiar with the locales and the planning needed to pull it off. After arrival, always having guides and driver who were both punctual and knowledgeable. And frankly a reasonably priced trip when compared to a larger escorted trip on the same tier (Road Scholar etc) with more individuality in day to day choices. Thank you Kristin and all the staff at Timbuktu.

Jeannine Malwitz

Great trip to Ethiopia

February 2020

17 nights in Ethiopia

Excellent. Jonty was the greatest

Stacey

January 2020

11 nights in Ethiopia

Great service, great trip, everything was easy!

Markus Ribi

August 2019

11 nights in Ethiopia

Ganz toller Service, wenn die Reise so reibungslos verläuft wie die Planung dann wird das ein riesen Erlebnis

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