Sample journey · ሐረር እና ባሌ
Walls and Wolves
- Length
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Highest point
- 4,000 m
- Season
- October to March
- Group
- Private · 2 to 6 guests
- Price
- On request, per person
01 · The journey
The walled city of Harar after dark, then wolves on the Sanetti Plateau at first light. Two places that could not be more different, joined by short flights.
This is a starting shape, not a fixed tour: every trip is private and we change the order, the pace and the stays to suit you. Two flights, short drives.
02 · Day by day
9 days, 4 flights
- Day 12,355 m
Addis Ababa
Arrive at Bole. A quiet afternoon, then dinner with your guide to go through the plan and the calendar for your dates.
- Day 21,885 m
Fly to Dire Dawa, drive to Harar
Morning flight east, then about an hour by road up to Harar. Walk the Jugol walls at golden hour; after dark, the hyena feeding outside the walls.
- Day 31,885 m
Harar
The five gates, the Shoa Gate market, the Rimbaud house and a Harari home with its basket-covered walls. Coffee the Harari way, with a pinch of salt or butter if you like.
- Day 42,355 m
Harar to Dire Dawa, fly to Addis
A last morning in the old town, the drive down to Dire Dawa and its French-era railway station, then the evening flight back to Addis.
- Day 53,070 m
Fly to Robe, drive to Dinsho
Fly south to Bale Robe. Walk the Gaysay grassland near the park headquarters: mountain nyala and Menelik's bushbuck are common here.
- Day 64,000 m
The Sanetti Plateau
Leave before dawn. The first two hours of light are the best time to see Ethiopian wolves hunting giant mole-rats among the giant lobelias.
- Day 72,500–3,000 m
Harenna forest
Drop over the southern escarpment into the Harenna cloud forest, where wild coffee grows under the canopy. Back up to sleep.
- Day 83,070 m
Bale, slowly
A spare day for the weather. Walk to a waterfall, revisit the plateau, or rest: you are sleeping high.
- Day 92,355 m
Fly to Addis, depart
Morning flight to Addis to connect with evening international departures.
03 · The route
On the map
Dotted lines are flights; solid lines are drives. Every stop is outside the zones where the UK Foreign Office advises against travel, and the site's build refuses any journey that isn't.
04 · Dates
Choose your own dates, or plan around a feast
Best season: October to March. These are the next feasts and fasts in the Ethiopian calendar.
| Feast | Gregorian | Ethiopian | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genna (Christmas) ገና | 7 January 2027 | Tahsas 29, 2019 | Ethiopian Christmas, 7 January. An all-night liturgy, then the fast is broken. |
| Timkat (Epiphany) ጥምቀት | 19 January 2027 | Tir 11, 2019 | Tir 11. The tabots are carried to water on the eve (Ketera); blessings and processions the next morning. |
| Abiy Tsom (Lent) ዐቢይ ጾም | 8 March 2027 – 1 May 2027 | Yekatit 29, 2019 | The 55-day Lenten fast before Fasika. Most Orthodox Ethiopians eat vegan food until afternoon; menus follow. |
| Eid al-Fitr ዒድ አል ፈጥር | 9 March 2027 (approx.) | Yekatit 30, 2019 | The end of Ramadan, a major day in Harar and Dire Dawa. Tabular date shown: the real day follows the moon. |
| Fasika (Easter) ፋሲካ | 2 May 2027 | Miyazya 24, 2019 | Orthodox Easter ends the 55-day Lenten fast. Expect closures on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. |
| Enkutatash (New Year) እንቁጣጣሽ | 12 September 2027 | Meskerem 1, 2020 | New Year, Meskerem 1. Families gather, girls sing door to door with adey daisies. |
| Meskel መስቀል | 28 September 2027 | Meskerem 17, 2020 | The Finding of the True Cross, Meskerem 17. The demera bonfire is lit in Meskel Square, Addis, on the eve. |
Before you write
Before you book
Can we change the route?
Yes. Add nights, drop a stop, or join two journeys. We only add places that are outside the advised-against zones on the day we quote.
What happens if the advice changes before we go?
We re-check the FCDO and US advice before we confirm and again before you travel. If a place on your route moves into an advised-against zone, we change the route or postpone, and our booking terms say how deposits are handled. Ask for them before you book.
Where do we stay?
In the best rooms each place offers, which outside Addis is often simple. Our stays page explains the standard honestly.
Next journey
Where Coffee Began