Getting to Harar in Eastern Ethiopia
You need to get to Harar to do the hyena feeding which happens around 7pm at night and its a long bus ride so be ready for it!
From the capital city, minibuses run from Addis Ababa directly to Harar, but also to Dire Dawa with a connection to Harar. To organise the mini-bus your best bet is actually just talk to locals in the streets and in your hostel and they'll sort you out. It really is that simple. I booked my mini-bus around 1pm in Addis Ababa and got on my minibus at 8.30pm. The minibus journeys can be long, gruelling and dangerous so be prepared for that. It will be worth it when you rock into Harar. My mini-bus took 15 hours in the end (a story for another post) and cost 300 Birr (which is about 16-17 $US Dollars).
Harar offers amazing views and hyenas come out at night.
Walk to the hyena feeding in Harar - it's the quickest way.
How much does it cost?
Its costs about 100 birr each - 5 US dollars.
What happens at hyena feeding?
At dusk hyenas come out and backpackers want to head and feed them!!
What happens at hyena feeding in Harar?
We headed down the street to feed hyenas.
Within minutes he is whistling out and calling hyenas to appear from nowhere. And they do. They are quick off the mark. One hyena comes and stands a mere 4-5 metres from us. The hyena knows the score. It's going to get fed raw meat by the humans that are here!
You'll be buzzing and you won't feel scared. I was loving it and couldn't wait to get face to face with one of these beasts!
Then the hyena man bites a piece of wood and holds it in his mouth. Meat is put on the other end of it. Again the hyena rocks up, snatches it with its jaw and walks back.
There are 3 main things you will do in terms of positions when feeding hyenas in Harar, and here are the three:
1. Feeding the hyenas mouth to mouth.
2. Hand to Mouth - Hold a piece of wood in your hand. Put meat on the other end. The hyena comes up, takes it, eats it and walks back.
3. Get ready for the hyena to jump on your back! Crazy!
It's a crazy experience if a tad scary!
How dangerous is hyena feeding in Harar?
It's not too dangerous! Hyenas have a bigger bite and jaw than lions and cheetahs, incredibly. But they are not hunters or predators - their peronsality is to be more shy and timid. For this reason, they devour any dead meat they see, and they scavenge the streets for any food they can find. They go for the easy stuff - dead animals, rubbish bins and meat that just happens to be lying there. So this means you shouldn't really have any fear.
Is it possible to take photos?
Of course it's fine! It's easy to spot a tourist here. Also - if you're scared you don't need to do it - you can just go there and watch it from a distance - no problem. If you do this, it's honourable to give an amount of money (at your discretion) to the "hyena man", as he's working for you and putting on a show.
Overall this is an amazing experience and I totally recommend hyena feeding in Harar.
You need to get to Harar to do the hyena feeding which happens around 7pm at night and its a long bus ride so be ready for it!
From the capital city, minibuses run from Addis Ababa directly to Harar, but also to Dire Dawa with a connection to Harar. To organise the mini-bus your best bet is actually just talk to locals in the streets and in your hostel and they'll sort you out. It really is that simple. I booked my mini-bus around 1pm in Addis Ababa and got on my minibus at 8.30pm. The minibus journeys can be long, gruelling and dangerous so be prepared for that. It will be worth it when you rock into Harar. My mini-bus took 15 hours in the end (a story for another post) and cost 300 Birr (which is about 16-17 $US Dollars).
Harar offers amazing views and hyenas come out at night.
Walk to the hyena feeding in Harar - it's the quickest way.
How much does it cost?
Its costs about 100 birr each - 5 US dollars.
What happens at hyena feeding?
At dusk hyenas come out and backpackers want to head and feed them!!
What happens at hyena feeding in Harar?
We headed down the street to feed hyenas.
Within minutes he is whistling out and calling hyenas to appear from nowhere. And they do. They are quick off the mark. One hyena comes and stands a mere 4-5 metres from us. The hyena knows the score. It's going to get fed raw meat by the humans that are here!
You'll be buzzing and you won't feel scared. I was loving it and couldn't wait to get face to face with one of these beasts!
Then the hyena man bites a piece of wood and holds it in his mouth. Meat is put on the other end of it. Again the hyena rocks up, snatches it with its jaw and walks back.
There are 3 main things you will do in terms of positions when feeding hyenas in Harar, and here are the three:
1. Feeding the hyenas mouth to mouth.
2. Hand to Mouth - Hold a piece of wood in your hand. Put meat on the other end. The hyena comes up, takes it, eats it and walks back.
3. Get ready for the hyena to jump on your back! Crazy!
It's a crazy experience if a tad scary!
How dangerous is hyena feeding in Harar?
It's not too dangerous! Hyenas have a bigger bite and jaw than lions and cheetahs, incredibly. But they are not hunters or predators - their peronsality is to be more shy and timid. For this reason, they devour any dead meat they see, and they scavenge the streets for any food they can find. They go for the easy stuff - dead animals, rubbish bins and meat that just happens to be lying there. So this means you shouldn't really have any fear.
Is it possible to take photos?
Of course it's fine! It's easy to spot a tourist here. Also - if you're scared you don't need to do it - you can just go there and watch it from a distance - no problem. If you do this, it's honourable to give an amount of money (at your discretion) to the "hyena man", as he's working for you and putting on a show.
Overall this is an amazing experience and I totally recommend hyena feeding in Harar.
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