Clearer directions to Doho Lodge

It’s now my second week in Ethiopia (more on that eventually), and last weekend, we did a road trip to Doho Lodge. The lodge was absolutely fabulous, as you will see from reviews elsewhere. Incredible hot springs (some of the best I’ve ever been to), really nice lodging, and limited–but absolutely delicious–food options (including a few non-Ethiopian and child-friendly options like pasta, rice, and sandwiches).

There’s only one thing to be wary of: mosquitoes – take lots of repellent and make sure that your rooms are closed in the evenings, and that the bed nets are down. If sleeping outside (highly recommended for the amazing firefly displays), check that the nets are properly installed and that there aren’t any holes in the nets!

Anyway, when I was researching the lodge, I found that it was very difficult to understand the directions to the lodge from the website, and didn’t see any other guidance from other blogs about Doho Lodge. Although the route is well signposted, Google Maps doesn’t have the latest information about gravel and asphalt roads in that area, so I thought I’d put up clearer instructions in case others search for it and want to find out how easy it is to get there.

From Addis, you take the A1 all the way down to Awash (or Awash Saba) town, and continue on the A1 (you take a left turn after Awash town to stay on A1, towards Djibouti, when you get to this T-junction) past Awash Arba town, for about 8 kilometers until you get to this point on the map (9°11’28.8″N 40°09’00.7″E). Here, there is a sign to turn left to Doho Lodge, and it’s also marked in Google Maps as “Doho Lodge Main Road“. Take the left turn, and continue down the very good asphalt road (not shown in Google maps at all – as either a gravel or an asphalt road) for seven kilometers, until this point in the map (9°10’14.8″N 40°04’56.7″E). Here, just after a small local community security checkpoint, there’s a signpost for Doho Lodge to the left. This is the start of a 7 kilometer gravel road (of very good quality – easily passable with a regular 2wd vehicle) until you get to the lodge.

Here are some pictures from Google Maps: