Top Hotels in Afar Region Lodges
The 6 best Lodges in Afar Region, Ethiopia
Discover the best Lodges in Afar Region including Awash Falls Lodge, Awash Falls Lodge, Genet hotel, Bilen Lodge, Erta Ale Motel, Doho Lodge & Hot Springs.
1. Awash Falls Lodge
Overall Ratings
4 based on 206 reviews
The Awash Falls Lodge is an eco-friendly Lodge, located in the heart of Awash National Park, 205 km East of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital city, the centre for the African Union and many International offices. It provides various services to guests: rooms, bar & restaurant, tours including game drives, natural hot spring bathing, nature trekking, bird watching, and community culture.
A very calm spot: Awash falls lodge
Reviewed By freazyeMy stay at the Awash Falls Lodge was fantastic. The tour guides and staff workers provided excellent service to me. The rooms are also spotless. The location is breathtaking, calming, and home to a variety of birds, crocodiles, and hyenas. I strongly advise you to travel and visit this unique location in Awash National Park.
2. Awash Falls Lodge
Overall Ratings
4 based on 13 reviews
Awash Falls Lodge is situated by Awash Falls in Awash National Park, the oldest protected area in Ethiopia. In addition to its location at the marvellous site, game driving, hyaenas seeing, bird watching, hot spring swimming, and Afar and Kereyu communities cultural visit are fabulous for guests to stay. The lodge has organised transport facilities with faire price. The opening of an express road from Addis Ababa to Adama followed by the start of the rail way this year has made access to the Park/Lodge easy and short.
The One to come back again and again
Reviewed By Bek22222The one to come back again and again Me and my friends visisted the Awash Falls Lodge for the first time just about this time of the year 5 years back before we departed for university where we had one of the most memorable and amazing time of our lifes as a group. Now, 5 years fast forward, we went to endorse the good times we had last trip. we had a good lunch at our arrival with a decent and kind service. Although we staid for 2 days it was enough to see the wild animals, trek around the River, see hyena cave and take our time to enjoy the Awash River. Rooms where clean and neat.
3. Genet hotel
Overall Ratings
3 based on 35 reviews
Simple, quiet hotel
Reviewed By Alex SWhat can you expect in a place like Awash? Awash itself is a pretty rough town that serves as a truck stop for the trucks going to Djibouti. In that setting the Genet hotel is pretty good. It's quiet, safe and simpel. The bed and the bathroom are just OK and if you are lucky you have wifi in the room. The staff is friendly and the restaurant servers decent food. There are some reports form theft in the restaurant, but we felt comfortable and safe while eating. I think this is the best option in Awash.
4. Bilen Lodge
Overall Ratings
3 based on 5 reviews
What Are We Doing Here?
Reviewed By Alan BIt didn't take long after our arrival at Bilen Lodge to ask "What are we doing here?" The lodge is known as a birding mecca, but during our stay the birding was so slow that it didn't offset the poor quality of the accommodations. The round huts were cramped, dark, and hot. Space to put things was lacking. Everything in the bathroom was covered in dust and grit, and the toilet tank refilled so slowly after flushing that my wife and I had to coordinate our use of the toilet so that we only had to flush once between us. There was no hot water, although the heat of the sun warmed the water tank enough that taking a shower was not unbearable. Use of the mosquito netting was a necessity. Electricity was by generator, and the lights came on late and went off early. We had to have an escort to go birding, and the escorts came from the local tribesmen who all carried automatic rifles and large knives or swords. Our escort was a half-crazy old man who had an AK-47. He made us very nervous. The food wasn't bad, if nothing special. The soup was so tasteless that nobody could figure out what it was. The main course was better. The manager tried to be obliging; the main course was beef, and when informed that I don't eat red meat, he substituted rice. Portions were large. This was the only one of the 10 places we stayed in Ethiopia where the porters who carried our luggage openly asked for a tip, even though our group leader had already arranged for tips.
5. Erta Ale Motel
Overall Ratings
2.5 based on 8 reviews
The Best Hotel in Town
Reviewed By Phil CThere are very few options in this area, so was very grateful for this oasis. You can find the hotel next to the petrol station. Tasty Ethiopian food served at the hotel café and relatively clean rooms with ensuite bathrooms and air conditioning. The staff were both friendly and helpful, but speak very limited English, fortunately I was travelling with locals so did not encounter problems communicating.
6. Doho Lodge & Hot Springs
Overall Ratings
4 based on 58 reviews
Doho Lodge & Hot Springs is an eco-lodge situated at the northern edge of Awash National Park. It provides accommodation with variety of meal and drinks. Rooms are self contained and separated from their neighbours. They are traditionally constructed and give leisure. The Lodge is known for owning one of the world's class hot spring pools. It is also super for bird watchers and game driving or wildlife viewing, mountain and forest trekking, hyena seeing, and fishing.
Ethiopia’s Top Worst Lodge
Reviewed By AlessioBarivieraEthiopia’s Top Worst Lodge I have been traveling cross-country for 6 weeks and while doing so I have stayed at 40+ lodges/hotels/campsites, you name it. Doho Lodge’s price/quality ratio is the the top worst I found. There are two main room types, both overpriced by a factor of 100% over real market value. The ones overlooking the lake and set on a upper level will set you back at $140, those w/out view and at ground level are priced instead at $100. The former type’s value should be set at $70 top, while the latter at $35. There are nice infinity pools onto the lake, but don’t let yourself fooled, these are hot springs, and the outside temperature in daytime is 35°C, so you’ll be wishing for refreshing cold water instead! The same goes for in-room shower that runs hot-water only, leaving you fooled twice, as you will not be able to escape the heat and the sweating. There are no amenities besides the hot-springs, not even a spa. There is no fan nor A/C in either room type, so if you suffer the heat, you will want to think twice before staying at this lodge. I slept with two windows open to increase air circulation in the room to little avail. I sweated until late into the night, cursing this place, and of course taking a shower won’t help you as the water is hot only as I already said. The morning after, other guests were keen to ask me how I slept and to share with me the same awful experience they had. To top this off, and although this isn’t the lodge’s fault, Awash National Park is but a paper park these days. Forget safaris. Most wildlife has long since gone, pushed off by ethnic groups fighting over the land for their cattle. Ethiopia’s ethnic groups don’t have a good environmental record of co-existing well with wildlife. Forget doing any safaris in Awash NP. The “hyena cave” further off the park is actually surrounded by agricolture development. The mountains are a hide-out for ethnic rebels and thus have become a security issue. Your only sightseeing option is the Falls, but this spot too has been ruined since a high-end lodge was built on top of it. Awash NP is a total failure, of the regional and central government. Without serious management, this park is doomed to empty out of animals as it has happened to most other national parks of Ethiopia.
