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Voykit pocket guide · Ethiopia
Hawassa
ሀዋሳ
Give Hawassa 2 nights: one for the lake, fish market and hippo boats, one for the Monday market or a Wondo Genet run. Skip it if you only want the Omo Valley.
Hawassa sits on the eastern shore of Lake Awasa, 5 hours by road south of Addis Ababa, and works as the Rift Valley's easiest stop: a cobbled lakefront, a fish market, boat trips to hippo groups and a large stock of cheap and mid-range hotels. Two nights covers it; most travellers pass through on the way to Arba Minch, Konso or the Omo Valley.
- Country
- Ethiopia
- Local name
- ሀዋሳ
- Best months
- Oct–Mar (dry, clear lake views)
- Avoid
- Jun–Sep (main rains), and the wet shoulder weeks around Apr–May
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- ETB
- Money
- Currency is the Ethiopian birr (ETB); the rate was floated in July 2024 and has moved a lot since — check the current rate before you land.
- Daily spend
- Budget ETB 1,500–3,000 excl. bed · Mid ETB 3,000–6,000 excl. bed · High ETB 6,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Ethio Telecom and Safaricom Ethiopia both sell SIMs at Bole arrivals and shops with passport registration; a few GB costs a few dollars.
- Emergency
- Police 991 · Ambulance 907 · Fire 939
- Plugs
- Types C, E, F, L · 220 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin European plugs fit most sockets; power cuts happen — carry a power bank.
- Tipping
- Local restaurant: Round up.; Tourist restaurant: 5–10% if no service charge.; Guide day: US$10–20 per group.; Driver day: US$5–10 per group.; Park scout: US$5 a day.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Bottled water everywhere; many lodges refill bottles.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels and restaurants; squat toilets or none at all on the road. Carry paper and hand gel.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Ethiopian coffee | ETB 5–12 |
| Large hamburger at a town café | ETB 50 |
| Pizza at an Italian restaurant | ETB 100 |
| Fresh-caught fish at the market cafés | ETB 30 |
| Half-litre draught St George beer | ETB 10 |
| Motorbike rickshaw ride in town | a few birr |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- AWA · Hawassa Airport
- check current commercial service; most travellers arrive by road from Addis Ababa
- ADD · Addis Ababa Bole International
- hub for every international arrival; then 5 h by road
Typical fares
- Addis Ababa → Hawassa, Sky Bus
- about 5 h, leaves Meskel Square early afternoon, not Mondays
- Addis Ababa → Hawassa, Selam bus
- about 5 h 30 min, leaves 06:30 dailyabout 5 h 30 min, leaves 6:30 AM daily
- Hawassa → Shashemene
- under 1 h by bus
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The town is small and walking is the best way around; Piazza Road runs from the lake shore east through the centre. Blue motorbike rickshaws cover everywhere for a few birr — agree the fare before you get in. Boats to the hippo groups leave from the lake shore at the west end of Piazza Road.
See and do
Known for
- Lake Awasa and its hippos
- Fish market and lakefront park
- Monday market
- Rift Valley stop between Addis Ababa and Arba Minch
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Shashemene | Bus from Hawassa bus station, under an hour | About 1 h each way |
| Wondo Genet | Bus or taxi via Shashemene, then local transport | 1.5–2 h each way |
| Ziway | Road north along the Rift Valley lakes | About 2 h each way |
| Arba Minch | Bus via Wolaita Sodo, or your own vehicle | 5–7 h |
Sleep
- Piazza Road and town centre
- Main street from the lake eastwards; banks, cheap and mid-range hotels, restaurants, walkable to the shore.
- Lakefront north (Haile Resort side)
- Resort strip just north of town on the lake; quiet, pool, taxis or a rickshaw into the centre.
- Lakefront south (Lewi's side)
- Resorts and Italian restaurants southwest of the centre, close to the fish market and the lakeside path.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | ሰላምselam |
| Thank you | አመሰግናለሁameseginalehu |
| How much is it? | ስንት ነው?sint new |
| Too expensive | በጣም ውድ ነውbetam wid new |
| Where is the toilet? | ሽንት ቤት የት ነው?shint bet yet new |
| I don't want a guide | ጋይድ አልፈልግምguide alfelgim |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake with a shoulder bump among men; bow slightly to elders; avoid: Rushing past greetings
- Eating: Right hand only, from your side of the injera; avoid: Left-hand eating or licking fingers loudly
- Churches: Shoes off, head covered (women), quiet voice; avoid: Entering during services without being invited
- Coffee: Stay for three rounds if you can; avoid: Refusing flatly
- Photos: Ask, and agree a fee in the Omo; avoid: Photographing soldiers, police or checkpoints
- Talk: Ask about coffee, running, food and faith; avoid: Ethnic politics and the wars
Scams and watch-outs
- Children in large groups on the lake circuit can grab at cyclists and throw things: ride in daylight and keep moving.
- Guides at the fish market ask high prices and can be pushy; a small entry fee applies if you go in without one.
- Monkeys at lakeside cafés take food and sugar bowls off tables.
- Village minibuses are faster but less safe than the named coach companies.
- Roads carry livestock and pedestrians after dark; avoid arriving late by road if you can.
Hawassa is calm by Ethiopian city standards; the real issues are pushy guides at the fish market, children on the lake circuit, and road travel after dark. Keep valuables out of sight and agree rickshaw and boat prices first.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Hawassa yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Lake Awasa and its hippos
- Fish market and lakefront park
- Monday market
- Rift Valley stop between Addis Ababa and Arba Minch
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Ethiopian Tourism — official site: www.ethiopia.travel/
- OpenStreetMap — Hawassa: www.openstreetmap.org/relation/3721306
- Wikivoyage: Hawassa, revision 5240537 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5240537
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Hawassaሀዋሳ
ወደዚህ አድራሻ እባክዎ
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Hawassa; most are in Addis Ababa. Check your embassy's current hours before you travel.
Prices in birr; the birr floats, so re-check before you budget.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/hawassa). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.