I went hyena feeding in the old city of Harar in Ethiopia – quite an amazing experience – here’s an overview of it.

Hyena Feeding in Harar, Ethiopia

How to get to Harar 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.

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 it cost?

Its costs about 100 birr each – 5 US dollars.

What happens at hyena feeding?

When the sun sinks, these hyenas roam the streets and backpackers in the town can head out to feed them!

An overview of what happens at the Hyena Feeding in Harar

We headed down the street to feed hyenas.

Within minutes he is whistling out and calling hyenas to appear from nowhere. And they do. They are quick off the mark. One hyena comes and stands a mere 4-5 metres from us. The hyena knows the score. It’s going to get fed raw meat by the humans that are here!

You’ll be buzzing and you won’t feel scared. I was loving it and couldn’t wait to get face to face with one of these beasts!

We made videos and took photos of him and it was great fun to watch. After Feder had his go, I was third up and so excited.

There are 3 main things you will do in terms of positions when feeding hyenas in Harar, and here are the three:

1. Mouth to Mouth – Hold a piece of wood in your mouth, gripping it with your teeth. Put meat on the other end. The hyena comes up, takes it, eats it and walks back.

2. Hand to Mouth – Hold a piece of wood in your hand. Put meat on the other end. The hyena comes up, takes it, eats it and walks back.

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!

It’s a crazy experience if a tad scary!

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.

Are photos allowed?

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!