Dire Dawa travel guide

Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Dire Dawa

Introduction

Dire Dawa is a chartered city in eastern Ethiopia, set near the Oromia Region and the Oromo border. It is one of only two chartered cities in the country, giving it a distinct administrative standing within Ethiopia.

The city's position on the map is tied to a more recent political history: along with present-day Sitti Zone, it once formed part of the Dire Dawa autonomous region of the Somali Region, as set out in the 1987 Ethiopian Constitution. In 1993 the federal government split that arrangement, and Dire Dawa became a separately administered chartered city.

Before you go

Dire Dawa is one of Ethiopia's two chartered cities, founded in 1902 after the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway reached the area; the railway could not climb to Harar's higher elevation, so the city grew nearby instead. Its name means "Place of Remedy". It sits on the Dechatu River at the foot of a ring of cliffs, and it is a major hub for many of Ethiopia's ethnic groups, especially the Afar, Oromo and Somali.

The city is generally safe, but keep an eye on your belongings: backpacks, cameras and other shiny tourist items can attract pickpockets and con artists. Because of Somali immigration and the tension it may have created with locals, the city is heavily policed. Avoid political discussions, especially about Somalia.

Getting there

Dire Dawa is served by Aba Tenna D. Yilma International Airport, with Ethiopian Airlines flying several times a day alongside Air Djibouti and a few smaller Middle Eastern carriers. An airline from the unrecognized break-away Republic of Somaliland also flies here.

By road, Dire Dawa is connected to Addis Ababa and the historical city of Harar, though flying or taking the train from Addis is the better way in. Three bus companies link Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa: the government local bus service is the cheapest, least comfortable and slowest, taking 12-15 hours; the Sky bus is a luxury Chinese coach with toilets and a movie system, taking around ten hours; and the Salem bus is a reasonable middle option, quicker than the local service but still a bus rather than a coach. Government bus tickets are bought at the main bus station, Sky bus tickets from a discrete office in the Cornell area, and Salem bus tickets at the Samrat Hotel opposite the Ras. Minibuses to Harar leave whenever they are full from the main bus station and take about an hour, rarely waiting more than fifteen minutes to depart.

A railway line inaugurated between Djibouti and Addis Abeba in 2018 cut the journey from days to a few hours, with one passenger train every second day in each direction. From Addis Ababa the trip takes 11 hours and runs as a night train with sleeper cabins available. Bring enough food and water, as the train restaurant can run out of everything midway and there are no shops or restaurants at the station. The railway station sits almost 10 km outside the city centre, in the town of Melka Jebdu, from where you can take a bajaj into Dire Dawa.

Getting around

Getting around Dire Dawa is cash-based and built around shared transport. Blue and white minibuses are abundant and are the cheapest way to cover daily distances, connecting neighbourhoods, commercial districts and transport stations; hail them from the street. On busy routes they leave when full and the wait is short, while quiet routes can mean a longer wait. Fares are low and paid in cash, so carry small notes. Routes can be confusing at first, so confirm your destination before boarding and ask locals which minibus to take. Kefira Minibus Station handles short-distance travel within the city, while Megala Transport Station serves the Megala area and surrounding neighbourhoods with minibuses and shared taxis.

Small blue bajaj (auto rickshaws) are everywhere and are the most flexible option for short hops. Board one along a trunk road with other passengers and you pay a local fare; ask for a specific place or board an empty one and you are chartering it, with the fare negotiated upfront. City taxis are available through the day and suit direct trips such as reaching your hotel, airport transfers, late-evening travel and health centres; agree the fare before the ride. Many taxi drivers have little sense of time, so build slack into any plan that depends on one arriving at a fixed hour. For longer journeys, a railway line runs between Djibouti and Addis Ababa with one passenger train every second day in each direction, though Dire Dawa railway station sits well outside the city centre and needs onward transport. Intercity buses connect to Addis Ababa and Harar, with Sabian Bus Station the main hub for regional travel; departures are mostly early, and night travel by road is not recommended. Walking works well within a single neighbourhood, but the city is spread out and divided by the Dechatu River, so expect to combine walking with minibuses or bajaj. Aba Tenna D. Yilma International Airport lies within the chartered city, reachable by taxi or bajaj.

Where to stay

Basic accommodations are in abundance in Dire Dawa, so you will have no trouble finding somewhere simple to sleep. For something mid-range, Hotel Blossom and Samrat Hotel are established options, while Ras Hotel sits close to downtown but is considered quite pricey for what it offers. Yegezu Lejoch Hotel is widely regarded as probably the finest hotel in the city, with balconies, free WiFi and room service, and extremely reasonable prices for what you get.

Food & drink

For a sit-down meal, Paradiso restaurant, on the road to Harar near the edge of town, is regarded as the best Italian option in Dire Dawa. Its lasagna and roasted goat meat with rice are the dishes it is most famous for, and the traditional Ethiopian dishes are also of high quality. The Peacock Hotel is a spot for ice cream and pool tables. For baked goods, head to Al Hashim Tafach migeb bet, renowned throughout the region for its baclava and other pastries. Arrive early in the morning if you want the baclava, as it sells out quickly.

What to see and do

There isn't a great deal to see in Dire Dawa itself, but a few spots reward a look. The French-built train station evokes a 19th-century atmosphere, and at night and early in the morning the Dechatu River Basin offers a heart-warming sunset and sunrise scene. You can also find a small palace built for former Emperor Haile Selassie; talks of turning it into a museum have so far come to nothing. For a distinctly local experience, note that many residents chew the narcotic leaves known as chat (qat, khat, catha edulis). In the afternoon, people sit in circles consuming khat with several cups of coffee, and conversation can grow heated — avoid political topics, especially with Ethiopian Somalis or Somali refugees. Twice yearly, in July and December, a religious ceremony takes place at the nearby city of Kulubi, reachable by minibus in about an hour. It is a mass gathering with many small stalls selling clothes, sugar cane and the like, and hotel prices in Dire Dawa rise sharply for the three-day period.

When to go

Dire Dawa stays warm throughout the year, so what shapes a visit is rain rather than cold. The year has two wet spells, and the choice between them comes down to how much rain you are willing to plan around.

If you want to avoid the heaviest downpours, the months outside these two spells are your best bet; if you do not mind some wet days, the small rain season is the gentler of the two.

Three days in Dire Dawa

Day one: Arrive at Aba Tenna Yilma International Airport, served by Ethiopian Airlines, Air Djibouti and Middle Eastern carriers, and get your bearings in Dire Dawa itself. The city sits in the Oromia Region, with Oromo and Somali communities shaping its streets, and the Dechatu River runs through it. Ease into things with a meal at the Samrat Hotel, then take in the mix of Ethiopian, Somali and Middle Eastern influences that give the place its character.

Day two: Use Dire Dawa as your base for Harar, reached by road, and for the Djibouti Railway line that links the city to Addis Ababa and onward toward Djibouti. Harar's old walls and its long history as a trading and Islamic centre make it the obvious day out, and the railway is a reminder of how Dire Dawa grew as a stop between Addis and the coast. Back in town, the evening belongs to the city's Somali and Oromo cooking.

Day three: Look at Dire Dawa's wider setting before you leave. It sits within the Somali Region's Sitti Zone as well as the Oromia Region, and the Ethiopian Constitution's federal arrangement means the city's administration reflects that overlap. The surrounding lowlands run toward Afar and Somalia, and the trade and travel routes through Somaliland and the Republic of Djibouti have long passed this way. Finish with a last meal at the Samrat Hotel or a stop at a local place, then head back to Aba Tenna Yilma International Airport.

About this place