Experience the best of Dire Dawa

Dire Dawa was founded in the early twentieth century as a railway town on the line that links Addis Ababa with Djibouti. Its people are a mix of Christians and Muslims, and its market streets are busy with traders, shops and small workshops. The city lies in a hot, dry landscape at the edge of the eastern highlands.

Harar, a walled city of narrow lanes, old houses and mosques, is a UNESCO site about 40 kilometres to the south-east, and it is reached by road in about an hour. The city reflects the traditions of the Harari people, who have lived there for centuries.

Ethiopian meals here are built on injera, a spongy sourdough flatbread, served with spiced stews. Coffee from the eastern highlands around Harar is well known, and the coffee ceremony, with beans roasted in a small pan and served in tiny cups, is part of daily life. Days are hot for most of the year, and the rains come in short, unreliable bursts.