Motorcycle Tours Ethiopia

An exhilarating way to experience and explore a new destination is on the back of a motorcycle. Motorcycle tours in Ethiopia are especially exciting, as you ride through forests, with stops at waterfalls, lakes and wetlands. One thing to keep in mind: The road conditions are changeable. They can get rough; sometimes you’ll find yourself driving on clear paved roads and other times, struggling along on dirt and gravel. You will be able to drive on sand and do some racing in open fields.

Most motorcycle tours start in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. It’s not just about going out into the sprawling countryside, though, as most tours include cultural elements (Read: a night out in the city, eating excellent food with your hands and listening to Ethiopian jazz.). Tours are generally only available in dry season (September–June), as torrential downpours tend to put a damper on motorcycle excursions.

Most tours will ride to Menagesha National Forest, as it is only 40 kilometers from Addis Ababa and features beautiful sights, with altitudes starting at 2,300 meters, right up to 3,000 meters. The ride through the forest gives you the opportunity to do some off-roading, too.

Some places you can’t miss when touring overland on a motorcycle include Omo National Park and Gambela National Park. Gambela has a crazy amount of wildlife, some of the most diverse of all the national parks in Ethiopia. In the middle of flood plains, Gambela is rich in grasslands, marshes and savannahs — the perfect storm of oblivious grazing animals and hungry big cats.