Arrival into Harar in 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!
To get to Harar the mini bus can be a bit of a nightmare! Use local buses and you'll be able to do it no problem.
Harar offers amazing views and hyenas come out at night.
To get to the hyena feeding in Harar, you can just walk. It's a 5-10 minute walk out of the city. I don't have street names or directions - you won't need that at all. You'll find it believe me. You can also get a tuk tuk (local blue and white three wheelers) out there but why pay for one when it's only a short walk. In terms of time, it's every night at dusk. This means it changes depending on the seasons. I went around 6.45pm just before it got dark.
How much does Hyena Feeding in Harar cost?
Its costs about 100 birr each - 5 US dollars.
What exactly do you mean by Hyena Feeding in Harar?
At dusk hyenas come out and backpackers want to head and feed them!!
What happens at hyena feeding in Harar?
We walked down to feed hyenas.
We got there at 6.45pm and paid the hyena man 100 Birr. He shakes your hand and introduces himself, then you sit down by "the tree".
The hyena man goes first so you can see how it's done. He holds a bit of meat on a stick. The hyena comes up, hungry and eager.
There were about 3 hyenas there at this point, taking it in turns to take the meat. By this stage there were 4 of us, a Canadian guy called Phil had turned up, and as he arrived last he sort of became the one to go up first!
Here are the three main parts to hyena feeding:
1. Feed them mouth to mouth.
2. Feeding the hyenas hand into mouth.
3. The hyena will jump on your back, in my case he walked up my back digging his paws in and devouring the food. It's hard to stand still and stay calm when you think about what's actually happening! This for me was the craziest moment. He jumped right on my back onto my Northern Ireland flag I had draped round me. Then he bit the food right by my ear! It was amazing!
The feeding a hyena by hand is the calmest and easiest part. We've all done that before with dogs, kangaroos etc. But the whole experience is just memorable!! I will never forget Harar or the hyena experience!!
Is the hyena feeding in Harar dangerous?
Don't worry - it's not that dangerous! They are not after you and they won't eat you. They only want the meat that you are displaying in front of them. Be calm and careful and don't react or shout at them of course. Just enjoy it and feed them. You'll actually find they're quite adorable despite their massive bite. When one jumps on your back you will never forget that moment.
Is it possible to take photos?
Of course!! That's part of the fun. As you can see from the photos on this post, it's a memory that will last a long time. I made a few videos too, all posted below. You can ask the guides to take your photos or your fellow travel buddies - and you'll meet a few white people in Harar.
I'd say guys and girls, this is pretty much ALL you need to know about the hyena feeding in Harar. Leave me some comments below if you like it and want to ask me anything!
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!
To get to Harar the mini bus can be a bit of a nightmare! Use local buses and you'll be able to do it no problem.
Harar offers amazing views and hyenas come out at night.
To get to the hyena feeding in Harar, you can just walk. It's a 5-10 minute walk out of the city. I don't have street names or directions - you won't need that at all. You'll find it believe me. You can also get a tuk tuk (local blue and white three wheelers) out there but why pay for one when it's only a short walk. In terms of time, it's every night at dusk. This means it changes depending on the seasons. I went around 6.45pm just before it got dark.
How much does Hyena Feeding in Harar cost?
Its costs about 100 birr each - 5 US dollars.
What exactly do you mean by Hyena Feeding in Harar?
At dusk hyenas come out and backpackers want to head and feed them!!
What happens at hyena feeding in Harar?
We walked down to feed hyenas.
We got there at 6.45pm and paid the hyena man 100 Birr. He shakes your hand and introduces himself, then you sit down by "the tree".
The hyena man goes first so you can see how it's done. He holds a bit of meat on a stick. The hyena comes up, hungry and eager.
There were about 3 hyenas there at this point, taking it in turns to take the meat. By this stage there were 4 of us, a Canadian guy called Phil had turned up, and as he arrived last he sort of became the one to go up first!
Here are the three main parts to hyena feeding:
1. Feed them mouth to mouth.
2. Feeding the hyenas hand into mouth.
3. The hyena will jump on your back, in my case he walked up my back digging his paws in and devouring the food. It's hard to stand still and stay calm when you think about what's actually happening! This for me was the craziest moment. He jumped right on my back onto my Northern Ireland flag I had draped round me. Then he bit the food right by my ear! It was amazing!
The feeding a hyena by hand is the calmest and easiest part. We've all done that before with dogs, kangaroos etc. But the whole experience is just memorable!! I will never forget Harar or the hyena experience!!
Is the hyena feeding in Harar dangerous?
Don't worry - it's not that dangerous! They are not after you and they won't eat you. They only want the meat that you are displaying in front of them. Be calm and careful and don't react or shout at them of course. Just enjoy it and feed them. You'll actually find they're quite adorable despite their massive bite. When one jumps on your back you will never forget that moment.
Is it possible to take photos?
Of course!! That's part of the fun. As you can see from the photos on this post, it's a memory that will last a long time. I made a few videos too, all posted below. You can ask the guides to take your photos or your fellow travel buddies - and you'll meet a few white people in Harar.
I'd say guys and girls, this is pretty much ALL you need to know about the hyena feeding in Harar. Leave me some comments below if you like it and want to ask me anything!
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