A guide to Ethiopia
Known as the ‘Roof of Africa’ due to its elevation, Ethiopia offers some diverse sights – from churches carved out of stone
Read more
Mon - Fri 9:00am - 6:00pm
Sat 10:00am - 4:30pm
MONTH BY MONTH
Choose a month to travel and discover the best places to visit at that time of year...
READ OUR COMPASS BLOG
Compass is an online travel magazine, designed to inspire and inform...
THE COX & KINGS DIFFERENCES
Discover some of the unique benefits of choosing to travel with Cox & Kings...
- The East
- Overview
- Accommodation
The East holidays
Harar’s ancient walled city, home to 99 mosques, stands on the eastern side of the Rift Valley. Known as a forbidden city (closed to visitors) until 1887, it is known as the fourth most holy in Islam after Mecca and the oldest Muslim city in Africa. It has changed little from when Sir Richard Burton, a British officer in the Indian army, first visited it in the 19th century. With its winding alleys and vibrant markets, it offers glimpses of a lifestyle unchanged in centuries.
If Harar is the ancient trading crossroads of eastern Ethiopia, then Dire Dawa is its modern equivalent. Founded in 1902, it was established along the railway connecting Addis Ababa to Djibouti, the only access Ethiopia has to a seaport, and now numbers 265,000 people. This relaxed town is set in some of Ethiopia’s richest farmland, meaning the market place is filled with the camel herding Oromos, Somalis and Afars. Flanked by coffee crops where Ethiopia’s finest coffee is cultivated, it is a useful base from which to explore Harar and the journey up the escarpment provides sweeping views of farmland and the peaceful lakes of Adele and Alemaya
Explore The East
Click on your destination of interest
Destinations in The East
Harar
This ancient walled city stands on the eastern side of the great rift valley. Known as a 'forbidden city' (closed to visitors) until 1887 this centre with its 99 mosques is known as the fourth most holy city in Islam after Mecca. The city has changed little from when it was first visited by Sir Richard Burton in the 19th century, a British officer in the Indian Army. With its winding alleys, vibrant markets and peculiarities such as 'the hyena man' this is a bewitching slice of both Ethiopia's past and present.
The latest from Compass - our online travel magazine
Ethiopia…in the picture
Cox & Kings client Nigel Purse shares photos of his trip to Ethiopia and the Timkat Festival celebrations.
Read more
Celebrate …Ethiopia
In the dramatic rocky setting of northern Ethiopia, Melissa Twigg discovers festival fever.
Read more
Top festivals… in 2019
See the world’s best festivals in 2019 including Mexico's Day of the Dead and India's Kumbh Mela.
Read more"[What was inspirational was ] the sheer range of experiences from the vibrant city of Cape Town to the vistas of the wineries around Franschhoek and Stellendosch and the drive through the mountains to Sanbona in the Little Karroo. Seeing white rhino and elephants at sunset and then the amazing fynbos at Grootbos near Walker Bay. Every day brought something new and fresh.
Mrs Lindsey Riley"
"Difficult to choose between the tracking and finding of desert elephants in Damaraland, and the safari drive in Erindi, where we saw a host of different animals and witnessed a kill (two cheetahs on a springbok). Both expeditions were enhanced by the jeep drivers who showed enthusiasm, persistence and knowledge.
Ms Sarah Dearman"
"I would like to thank the travel advisor, Jonathan Fitzsimmonds for his patience, help and advice during the booking process. We were rather late in trying to arrange everything and I think we presented him with quite a challenge! He rose to it brilliantly. Almost every aspect of the holiday went like clockwork and we had a wonderful time. I think we were quite lucky to get an experienced driver too. His depth of knowledge of the wildlife, and in particular the birds, was invaluable. All in all, a fantastic holiday and we hope to return to Uganda in the not too distant future.
Mrs Lorraine Gardner"
"We had a great holiday. So thanks for your help and advice in putting that together.
Mr. Hazelden"
"The acommodation and game drive arrangements were first class and the ranger went out of his way to get us in the best positions to view the wildlife and his knowledge was amazing. At Isandwhana and Rorkes Drift the resident historian brought the battles to life to the extent that you almost felt you were there.
Mr Harvey Harrison"
"Thank you for your efforts in organising a superb holiday for us in the Western Cape. The arrangements were excellent, the hotels were of an impressive standard, and the trip overall was hugely successful.
Mr and Mrs Mick"
"An excellent itinerary. Transfers were seemless.
Mr and Mrs. Johnson"
"Seeing two leopards up the same tree with a kill was a magical moment!
Mrs Deborah Godfrey"
"The knowledge of our safari ranger and tracker was amazing. To see the animals at such close range, yet in a natural surrounding was unbelievable. We saw a lioness stalk and kill her prey which was sad yet incredible, after all it is what happens for their survival. The elephant drinking out of our plunge pool outside our lodge was the icing on the cake. The food and menus at the Great Fish River Lodge was excellent. I cannot fault the accommodation, food, or the staff they were fabulous.
Mrs Margaret Lambelle"
"Seeing so many animals in their natural surroundings and our guides ability to spot wildlife and his knowledge of the animals and plants we saw. The private journey was well worth the extra cost because our guide got to know what we wanted to see and did his best to find the things that were most interesting to us.
Mrs Christine Crouch"
"Although the rock churches of Lalibela were particularly impressive, it was the overall balance of sights that impressed us: the stelae of Axum and the castles of Gondar plus the magnificence of the Simien Mountains and Lake Tana.
Mr Roger Darlington"
"Our holiday was wonderful! The whole safari flowed smoothly from one exciting adventure to another. It was brilliant! We would like to thank Cox & Kings for delivering the perfect experience.We really feel we had excellent value for money. I will always recommend Cox & Kings, we are now your biggest fans.
Barbara Yowerth"
"Our whole trip went very smoothly , everything was perfect in Zanzibar. Well done and many thanks!!
Mr Zolotas"
"We had a marvellous time! Our driver Rarjed was brilliant at finding the animals and positioning the car just so. Seeing our first lion on the first day was so exciting. The view of the Masai Mara from Serena Mara lodge was an awe inspiring experience. Watching two male giraffes fighting was an unforgettable sight. As you can see it is impossible to pick the most inspirational moment, the whole trip was a dream come true."
Request a brochure
Order your copy of the brochure to see the world come to life in print.
© Cox & Kings 2021