Getting to Harar in Eastern Ethiopia
To do the hyena feeding you'll need to be in Harar, and as the feeding occurs at dusk (7pm ish - changes depending on the seasons), you'll need to spend at least a night in the town of Harar. You have to be keen if you want to get there - it's a long, scary and gruelling bus journey in a crampt and overcrowded mini-bus trust me!
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.
Admire the views of Harar at night before the hyenas come.
Walk to the hyena feeding in Harar - it's the quickest way.
How much does Hyena Feeding in Harar cost?
For me, and the other three guys that did it, it was 100 Birr each. That's somewhere between $5 and $6 US Dollars. That's totally worth it, believe me. In fact I'd say it's a bargain as this is a special travel memory.
What exactly do you mean by Hyena Feeding in Harar?
When the sun sinks, these hyenas roam the streets and backpackers in the town can head out to feed them!
What is 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 hyenas are used to it as part of a daily routine now! It's quite cool in fact! It bites it, devours it and walks back a few metres.
Then the hyena man bites a piece of wood and holds it in his mouth. Meat is put on the other end of it. Again the hyena rocks up, snatches it with its jaw and walks back.
Here are the three main parts to hyena feeding:
1. Feeding the hyenas mouth to mouth.
2. Hand into mouth.
3. On Your Back - Crouch down and the trainer holds a bit of meat above your head near your ear. The only way for a hyena to reach it, is for it to jump on your back and bite it there and then. So be ready - these are heavy beasts!!
Of the three, the mouth to mouth bit is probably the scariest. For a split second I stared into the hyenas eyes, which was a scary moment. While the hyena jumping on your back is just crazy!
Is it dangerous to do hyena feeding in Harar?
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 it's fine! It's easy to spot a tourist here. Also - if you're scared you don't need to do it - you can just go there and watch it from a distance - no problem. If you do this, it's honourable to give an amount of money (at your discretion) to the "hyena man", as he's working for you and putting on a show.
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!
To do the hyena feeding you'll need to be in Harar, and as the feeding occurs at dusk (7pm ish - changes depending on the seasons), you'll need to spend at least a night in the town of Harar. You have to be keen if you want to get there - it's a long, scary and gruelling bus journey in a crampt and overcrowded mini-bus trust me!
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.
Admire the views of Harar at night before the hyenas come.
Walk to the hyena feeding in Harar - it's the quickest way.
How much does Hyena Feeding in Harar cost?
For me, and the other three guys that did it, it was 100 Birr each. That's somewhere between $5 and $6 US Dollars. That's totally worth it, believe me. In fact I'd say it's a bargain as this is a special travel memory.
What exactly do you mean by Hyena Feeding in Harar?
When the sun sinks, these hyenas roam the streets and backpackers in the town can head out to feed them!
What is 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 hyenas are used to it as part of a daily routine now! It's quite cool in fact! It bites it, devours it and walks back a few metres.
Then the hyena man bites a piece of wood and holds it in his mouth. Meat is put on the other end of it. Again the hyena rocks up, snatches it with its jaw and walks back.
Here are the three main parts to hyena feeding:
1. Feeding the hyenas mouth to mouth.
2. Hand into mouth.
3. On Your Back - Crouch down and the trainer holds a bit of meat above your head near your ear. The only way for a hyena to reach it, is for it to jump on your back and bite it there and then. So be ready - these are heavy beasts!!
Of the three, the mouth to mouth bit is probably the scariest. For a split second I stared into the hyenas eyes, which was a scary moment. While the hyena jumping on your back is just crazy!
Is it dangerous to do hyena feeding in Harar?
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 it's fine! It's easy to spot a tourist here. Also - if you're scared you don't need to do it - you can just go there and watch it from a distance - no problem. If you do this, it's honourable to give an amount of money (at your discretion) to the "hyena man", as he's working for you and putting on a show.
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!
About the Author:
For lots more amazing backpacking articles like Hyena feeding ethiopia head to Jonny Blair's wonderful backpacking blog for ideas on backpacking in ethiopia
No comments:
Post a Comment