Best hotels and hostels in Eastern Ethiopia

If you’re looking to rehabilitate your travel-worn body and mind, a surprisingly relaxing retreat is this small lodge just outside the northeast park boundary. Opened in 2014, Doho Lodge feels wonderfully...

This great collection of 14 stylish suites – at what is possibly the first hotel with an ounce of character in Harar – is perfect for well-heeled travellers who are after some sophistication. Spacious rooms with...

This boutique-style venture is the epitome of a relaxing cocoon, with 32 opulent, oversized rooms named after different African countries. All overlook Lake Bishoftu and come with parquet floors, four-poster beds...

This delightfully old-fashioned relic of French railway days (1904) is without frills but it's high on atmosphere, with whitewashed walls, birds in the rambling garden and a pot-plant-filled courtyard. The rooms...

An attractive mesh of traditional and modern, the comfortable rooms with satellite TV surround a communal courtyard and excellent restaurant (mains Birr45 to Birr90). The only real knock is the lack of...

This attractive place right above the falls has rustic yet serviceable wood-and-stone tukuls and a restaurant with awesome views. Aside from the setting, a highlight is the food (mains Birr100 to Birr200), with a...

If you’re looking for a casual place to unwind, then look no further. Refreshingly out of the ordinary, the nine rooms have a semitraditional theme and are set in lush gardens. The stilted rooms below the rim...

The friendliest option by far is this family-run hotel on the cliff above the Awash River, where you might see crocodiles in the day. Rooms are small and basic and shared facilities are rudimentary, but the...

This genuine Adare house percolates tradition and history into a comfy brew of warm welcome amid exotic decorations. Set in the heart of the old town, down a nondescript side street, the four snug bedrooms share...

Tucked in an old-town alleyway, this traditional Adare house oozes atmosphere, with five compact yet attractive rooms and a lovingly decorated sitting room; carpets line the floors and colourful baskets and...

Popular with Addis Ababa’s elite, this is a massive but attractive resort – the only one on Lake Kuriftu. There’s a wide variety of spacious, spick-and-span rooms in several stone-and-timber buildings right on...

Ras Hotel is back with a vengeance. After a top-to-bottom makeover, it now ranks as one of the swankiest options in Dire Dawa. Sure, its exterior look doesn't really scream holidays, but who cares when you can...

This solid, no-frills four-storey option is deservedly popular with tour operators. Rooms in the main building are comfortable, serviceable and fairly priced, and the ambience is relaxed. However, they catch a...

Spread out over three hectares along the sloping shores of Lake Babogaya, this sprawling resort features enormous stone-and-wood bungalows scattered in a sea of spruce greenery. Amenities are solid, with two...

The big drawcards here are the balcony views over the Shoa Gate Market and the hotel’s proximity to the bus station and old town. The rooms themselves are noisy and tired, but will do for a night's kip. Give the...

This Harar institution has had a much-needed facelift, and its rooms are now fresh and comfortable; the corridors, though, are as bare as ever. Room numbers that start with '3' are brighter and have a balcony;...

Once the town’s flashiest digs, Dreamland has lost some of its sheen but provides some of the best Bishoftu views. All rooms have richly polished furniture and private balconies facing the lake. Its positive is...

A good deal for shoestringers, this faded glory is housed in an Italian colonial building opposite the train station. Most rooms have plenty of space to strew your stuff around, and some have balconies...

This large outfit up the hill on the Dire Dawa road is a solid budget choice. The odd cockroach or two aside, the rooms are cleaner, the staff friendlier and the water more reliable than others in this price...

This well-regarded venture provides an excellent level of comfort and service and is a more intimate alternative to a resort. The 45 sun-filled rooms boast pristine bathrooms, well-sprung mattresses, fancy...