Backpacking in Ethiopia: Staying at the Central Hotel in Harar

My memories of Harar will be one of extreme madness. Everything was just crazy. At dusk there was the hyena feeding, a night out on the town, touring the top sights of the fourth holiest city in Islam and also the crazy death mini-bus ride to get here and back. There doesn’t seem to be too much in the way of accommodation when you arrive. I found the Central Hotel which was near the entrance to the walled part of the city. It doesn’t have a website or email address – you just kind of get there and then find a place to stay. This place was cheap, dirty and dingy! It’s one of the worst hotels I’ve stayed in but I wasn’t really looking for comfort to be honest. So instead of doing a usual top 5 etc., here are just some of the features and opinions from the Central Hotel!

1. Decent Location
About a 1 minute walk from the Old City Walls and on a busy roundabout where you can easily get a tuk tuk, location wise in the city it’s hard to fault.

If you’re getting an onward bus, you can also arrange for the driver to pick you up outside, but make sure you confirm everything in detail – life in Ethiopia is relatively slow yet chaotic.

2. No WiFi
Turn off your laptops and have an afternoon nap instead! Put plenty of insect repellent on the bed though!

3. Bar in Hotel
Yes, so there’s a mini bar here in the hotel and this was the first place I tried Ethiopian red wine, which is pretty damn good!

4. Local Pub Next Door
I popped into the friendly local pub next door for a beer on happy hour. Cheap and lots of cool locals to talk to.

So that’s it really – I got a few bites in the bed but I guess it happens to most of us in Ethiopia anyway, so no big deal. If you are on a budget, then this is cheap, but don’t expect it to be clean or have hot water – you’re a real backpacker remember, not a moaner

Here are some videos from my stay in the Central Hotel in Harar, Ethiopia: