Updated October 2026. Prices change and are not listed here.
Hawassa is a green, easy-going lakeside city in the Rift Valley, about 275 km south of Addis Ababa. It is the capital of the Sidama Region, a university town and a popular weekend escape for people from the capital, with a long lakeshore, a lively morning fish market and some of the best birdwatching close to any Ethiopian city. It also makes a comfortable stop on the way to the south.
Lake Hawassa
The lake lies at about 1,700 metres, and its shore is lined with fig trees, reeds and resort gardens. Hippos live in the lake, fishermen work from small boats, and the birdlife is rich: marabou storks, pelicans, kingfishers, fish eagles and many more.
- Amora Gedel (“the place of the marabous”): a lakeside park and the site of the early-morning fish market, where fishermen bring in their catch and sell it fresh, raw or fried on the spot. Arrive soon after sunrise.
- Boat trips: local boats take you out to look for hippos and birds. Agree the price and check life jackets before you go.
- The lakeshore walk: a path runs along the water past cafés and gardens, where you may see black-and-white colobus monkeys in the trees.
In and around the city
- Tabor Hill: climb for a view over the city and the lake at sunset.
- Sidama coffee: the hills around Hawassa produce one of Ethiopia’s best-known coffees. A coffee ceremony in a local café is the way to taste it.
- Wondo Genet: about 30 km away, a forested hillside with hot springs and walking trails.
- Fichee-Chambalaalla: the Sidama New Year festival, held in spring on a date set each year by Sidama elders, is on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. If you are in the region at the time, ask locally where the celebrations take place.
On the way from Addis Ababa
The road south passes a chain of Rift Valley lakes, so the journey can be part of the trip:
- Bishoftu and its crater lakes, an hour from the capital.
- Lake Langano, with lodges and swimming.
- Abijatta-Shalla National Park, with flamingos on Lake Abijatta.
An expressway now covers much of the route, making the drive quicker than before. Hawassa also has an airport with flights from Addis Ababa.
Going further south
Hawassa is a natural first or second night on the way to Arba Minch and the Dorze villages, the coffee country of Gedeo and Yirgacheffe, and the Omo Valley.
When to go
Hawassa is warm and pleasant most of the year. The main rains fall from about June to September, with shorter rains in spring. Weekends and holidays are busy with visitors from Addis Ababa, so book hotels ahead. See when to visit.
Tips
- Use insect repellent in the evenings near the lake, and ask a travel clinic about malaria for the lowlands further south; see health and medical care.
- Do not swim in the lake unless a resort says its beach is safe.
- Keep food out of reach of the monkeys and marabous at Amora Gedel.
