Harar: When is the best time to visit?

The best time to visit is October – February.

Harar: How many days should you plan?

We recommend 1 to 3 days (optimal 2 days).

AI generated

Harar

Ethiopia · Harari · 1885 m

Short description of Harar

Behind a sixteenth century wall that is essentially the last intact medieval city wall in Africa, Harar packs something like eighty mosques and a hundred shrines into a single square kilometre of lanes, which is why it has long been counted a holy city of Islam. Harari houses open into brightly painted rooms hung with rows of woven basketwork. Rimbaud traded coffee and guns here for years, and a merchant mansion in the lanes carries his name. After dark a man sits outside the wall and feeds the spotted hyenas by hand, which they have accepted for generations.

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Recommended length of stay

Minimum1 day

Optimal2 days

Maximum3 days

Travel seasons at a glance

Best time to visit: October – February

All highlights and sights

The walled old town of Jugol
The hyena feeding outside the wall
Feres Magala, the old horse market square
The Rimbaud house and its cultural centre
The Shoa gate and the spice market inside it
The grand market of Gidir Magala
A Harari cultural house with its painted interior
The Jami mosque
The rooftop view over the Jugol lanes
The five historic gates and the wall walk
The Sherif city museum and its manuscripts
The tomb of Emir Nur
The Harar brewery and its stout
Coffee and khat culture in the Aw Abadir quarter
The Babile elephant sanctuary and the valley of marvels(Day trip)
The pilgrimage church at Kulubi Gabriel (July and December)(Day trip)

Ways to get there and away

Airports nearby:: DIR Aba Tenna Dejazmach Yilma International Airport (Dire Dawa) · 45 km northwest(recommended)
JIJ Gerad Wilwal International Airport (Jijiga) · 87 km east
HGA Egal International Airport (Hargeisa) · 217 km east
Nearest railway station:: Dire Dawa (Dire Dawa) · 42 km northwest