Dire Dawa

Worth seeing in and around Dire Dawa

3 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.

1. 01
   Dire Dawa Stadium

   Dire Dawa Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. It is currently used mostly for football matches, on club level by Dire Dawa City of the Ethiopian Premier League.

   2.2 km · stadium in Ethiopia · Wikipedia
2. 02
   Dire Dawa University

   Dire Dawa University is a public university located in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. It opened for the 2006–07 academic year with 754 students, as one of 13 new universities started by the Ministry of Higher Education, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

   3.6 km · public university in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia · Wikipedia
3. 03
   Porc-Epic Cave

   Porc-Epic Cave is an archaeological site located in Dire Dawa, Oromia, Ethiopia. Dated back to the Middle Stone Age, the site contains extensive evidence of microlithic tools, bone, and faunal remains.

   3.9 km · historic site · Wikipedia

Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What Wikivoyage says to see

There isn't a whole lot to see in Dire Dawa. The French-built train station can give you a 19th-century feeling. At night and early in the morning, the Dechatu River Basin has a heart-warming sunset and sunrise scene.

1. 01
   Palace of Haile Selassie

   A small palace built for former Emperor Haile Selassie.

From Wikivoyage: Dire Dawa, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Things to do

Most of the residents of the city chew the narcotic leaves known as "Chat" (aka qat, khat, catha edulis). In the afternoon, in many places, Dire Dawans sit in circle and consume khat, with several cups of coffee. During this time there could be a heated discussion. Avoid political topics, especially with the Ethiopian Somalis or Somali refugees.

From Wikivoyage: Dire Dawa, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Where to eat

Paradiso restaurant found on the road to Harar near the edge of town is regarded as the best Italian in town. It is most famous for lasagna and the roasted goat meat with rice. The traditional Ethiopian dishes are also of high quality. Peacock Hotel has some nice ice cream and pool tables.

1. 01
   Al Hashim Tafach

   Renown throughout the region for its baclava and other baked goods.

From Wikivoyage: Dire Dawa, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Getting to Dire Dawa

Airports

Aba Tenna Dejazmach Yilma (DIR), 3 km · Gerad Wilwal (JIJ), 118 km · Egal (HGA), 243 km

Stations

Aba Tenna Dejazmach Yilma International Airport, 3 km

• Jijiga → Dire Dawa

  106 km · quickest by road, 3h 49m · Br530–700
  GuideToday
• Addis Ababa → Dire Dawa

  348 km · quickest by air, 3h 57m · Br5,700–8,830
  GuideToday
• Hawassa → Dire Dawa

  468 km · quickest by air, 4h 7m · Br6,570–10,190
  GuideToday
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Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

No local-transport research exists yet for Dire Dawa

Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Dire Dawa. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

If you know how people move in Dire Dawa – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.