Awasa travel guide

Awasa, Ethiopia

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Awasa

Introduction

Hawassa, historically known as Adare, sits on the shores of Lake Hawassa in the Great Rift Valley and serves as the capital of the Sidama Region. Its name comes from a Sidama word meaning "wide body of water", a fitting description for a city whose life centres on the lake beside it.

The city lies on the Trans-African Highway 4 Cairo-Cape Town, roughly 273 km south of Addis Ababa via Bishoftu, 130 km east of Sodo and 75 km north of Dilla, at an elevation of about 1,708 metres above sea level.

Before you go

Hawassa sits on the eastern shore of Lake Awasa and has grown into a resort town, with two luxurious resorts right on the lake alongside plenty of cheap and mid-range hotels. Since 2013 many of the streets and the lakeside walking path have been paved with cobblestone, and the town now has a growing number of good cafes, small bars, and restaurants serving both Ethiopian and European food. It is also home to the renowned Hawassa University.

Getting there

Hawassa is about a five-hour road journey from Addis Ababa, and most travellers make the trip by bus. Sky Bus runs daily except Mondays from Meskel Square in Addis Ababa, using relatively modern Neoplan coaches; tickets sell out for the day, so buy yours a day or two ahead at the Sky Bus office at Taitu Hotel or on Meskel Square. The bus often departs late, so expect to reach Hawassa later than scheduled. Selam bus is another daily option, leaving from an office across the road from the large bus station at Meskel Square, with tickets best bought in advance; its last stop in Hawassa is near the intersection just on the town side of the bus station, roughly 500 m north east of the Sidamo monument. For the return leg, many coaches leave Hawassa for Addis Ababa from outside the bus station in the morning, and you can normally get a seat without booking ahead. If you want to be certain, there is a Sky Bus ticket office in the Alliance marketing centre near the Sidamo monument, on the main street heading toward the lake. Village buses also run all day between Hawassa and the surrounding towns, including Addis Ababa; they tend to be faster and leave whenever they have enough passengers, but they are less safe.

Getting around

Awasa is a compact city, and walking is the best way to get around. The town center is Piazza Road, which runs from the shore of Lake Awasa eastwards and concentrates many hotels, restaurants, and a Dashen Bank branch with a Visa and MasterCard ATM. If you base yourself along or near Piazza Road, most of what you need day to day is within easy walking distance.

Where to stay

Hawassa has hotels across a wide range of standards, from very basic rooms to the luxurious Haile Resort and Lewi's Resort, both of which sit by the lake just outside town and offer swimming pools. Note that Lewi's Resort is not to be confused with the several Lewi's hotels in town, so check carefully when booking. Good traveller hotels with a bed and a shower sit in the middle of the range, while the best hotels cost more. If you arrive on the Sky Bus from Addis Ababa, it stops on Piazza Rd rather than at the bus station, and there are good, cheap and medium-priced hotels close to that stop.

Food & drink

Several of the better hotels double as some of the best places to eat in town. Hi Life Bar+Grill, on the ground floor of the Lake View Hotel by the lake, serves a varied menu of fresh, bold flavours and stays open late. Lewi's Resort, also by the lake, has a good location and good-quality food, though the monkeys are bold enough to steal your food or the sugar bowl that comes with your coffee. Further north along the lake, Haile Resort offers very good food in a clean, modern hotel restaurant, with service that can be a little slow.

Away from the hotels, Tropical Burger sits in a quiet fenced garden under palm trees near the western end of Piazza Rd, popular with locals as well as visitors, and serves fresh juice and local coffee alongside its food. For Italian cooking, Venetia in the southwest of town, close to the lake and Lewi's Resort, is run by an Italian and his Ethiopian family and turns out excellent pizza, while nearby Dolce Vita offers good-quality Italian fare. Where Piazza Rd meets the lake, small bars set chairs out on the street with music, and some serve fried fish fresh from the lake — a fine spot to sit outside in the evening and watch the sunset over Lake Awasa. Bera Beer, a smart microbrewery in town, is a popular drinking place; skip the food there.

What to see and do

Lake Awasa is the centrepiece of the city, and the hippos are its main draw. Walk down Piazza Road to the lakeshore, where boats wait to carry visitors out to one of the hippo groups. The trips are popular with locals and foreign tourists alike; on a good day you will see plenty of hippos, though if they are resting you may only spot their ears above the water. Boats can carry several people, so you can share the cost. If you have time to spare, simply sit quietly by the lake — sometimes the hippos come close to shore in search of food.

On the south-west edge of town, by the lake, the fish market is small but lively, with guides eager to show you around at a steep asking price. You are not obliged to hire one, though if you decline you may be charged an entry fee. When the haggling wears you down, the outdoor cafes beside the market serve fresh-caught fish cooked on the spot. Right next to the market is a small park that rewards an hour or two of strolling. For a longer outing, cycle the route around the lake: the far shore opposite Awassa is extraordinarily beautiful, with a small path running through villages along the water, dotted with cacti and wild olive trees. Take care around groups of children when no adults are present, as they may grab at you or throw things.

When to go

Plan your visit around Hawassa's short dry season, which runs from November to February. These months bring clearer skies and warmer conditions overall, though the mornings can be bitterly cold, with temperatures occasionally approaching freezing. If you want the brightest days for exploring the city and the lake, this is the window to aim for. The rest of the year falls within a long wet season that stretches from March to October. This rain is lengthy rather than intense, but the extra cloud cover makes the period noticeably cooler than the dry season despite the higher sun angle, so days feel milder and greyer. Pack for damp, overcast weather if you travel during these months, and expect the dry season's sharp morning chill to be absent.

Three days in Awasa

Day one: Arrive in Hawassa, the capital of the Sidama Region, on the Trans African Highway that runs from Cairo to Cape Town. Buses from Addis Ababa, Bishoftu, Sodo and Dilla bring you into the city, and Sky Bus and Neoplan services connect it to the capital; buses leave Addis Ababa from Meskel Square and the Taitu Hotel. Settle in, then walk the lakeshore of Lake Hawassa, known locally as Lake Awasa, and take in the birdlife and the fishermen's boats. In the evening, eat Ethiopian food at a hotel restaurant or one of the international places in town, and try the local Sidama coffee.

Day two: Explore the city itself. Hawassa University gives the town a student energy, and the Sidama and Ethiopian character of the place shows in its markets and streets. Walk the centre along Piazza Road, where you can find a Dashen Bank and a Visa and MasterCard ATM. Have lunch at a local restaurant, then spend the afternoon around the lake, watching the birds and the light change over the water. For dinner, choose between Ethiopian cooking and the European-style menus offered by the larger hotels.

Day three: Take a day trip into the Sidama Region, or visit Adare and the Alliance Village area, to see the countryside of the Great Rift Valley and the villages around the lake. If you prefer to stay in town, spend the morning at the lake and the afternoon shopping for Sidamo coffee and local crafts. Mondays are a good day for the market. In the evening, return to the lakeshore for a last look at Lake Hawassa before your onward bus to Addis Ababa, Bishoftu, Sodo or Dilla.

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