Hawassa

Short description of Hawassa

Hawassa became the capital of its own region after the Sidama voted for statehood, and it is the greenest and most relaxed large town in the country, laid along the eastern shore of a freshwater lake with a promenade the whole city walks in the evening. The morning belongs to Amora Gedel, where the boats land tilapia between six and eight and marabou storks and pelicans work the same jetty for scraps. Colobus monkeys live in the fig trees of the park beside it. Coffee grows on the hills all around, and this is where the south begins.

AI edited

Recommended length of stay

Travel seasons at a glance

Best time to visit: October – February

• Jan
• Feb
• Mar
• Apr
• May
• Jun
• Jul
• Aug
• Sep
• Oct
• Nov
• Dec

All highlights and sights

1. The dawn fish market at Amora Gedel
2. The lakeside promenade
3. Colobus monkeys and pelicans in Amora Gedel park
4. A boat trip out to the hippo pools
5. The view from Mount Tabor
6. The hot springs at Wondo Genet(Day trip)
7. The Rastafari settlement at Shashamane(Day trip)
8. Sidama coffee farms and a coffee ceremony(Day trip)
9. The Gedeo terraces and agroforest around Dilla(Day trip)
10. The Fiche Chambalala new year of the Sidama (approx. March)
11. Birding at the mouth of the Tikur Wuha
12. The Gudumale open market

Ways to get there and away

Airports nearby:

• AWA Hawassa International Airport (Hawassa) · 9.9 km northwest(recommended)
• AMH Arba Minch Airport (Arba Minch) · 150 km southwest
• JIM Jimma Airport (Jimma) · 195 km west

Map view

Distances

More travel destinations in Ethiopia

• Addis Ababa
• Aksum
• Lalibela
• Jinka
• Bahir Dar
• Gondar
• Simien Mountains
• Danakil Depression
• Harar
• Bale Mountains
• Arba Minch
• Bishoftu