How far is Adama (Nazret) from Addis Ababa, and what is there to do?

Adama, still widely known by its old name Nazret, is about 90 km south-east of central Addis Ababa by road. The Addis–Adama toll expressway takes you almost all the way, and the drive takes about 1 hour 15 minutes in light traffic. Adama itself is a big, warm working city in the Rift Valley, and the Sodere hot springs are about 25 km further on.

Before you plan a visit, know that the travel advice is different for the road and for the places at the end of it. We explain that below. Ethiopia Driver, a family-run private driver service in Addis Ababa, uses this expressway every time we drive to Bishoftu or south to Hawassa, so we know the road well.

How far is Adama from Addis Ababa?

By road, about 90 km from Meskel Square in central Addis to the centre of Adama. Route planners give about 90 km for the expressway route; some references say up to about 100 km, depending on where you start and finish. Starting from Bole airport, on the south-east side of the city, saves a few kilometres.

How long does the drive take?

About 1 hour 15 minutes in light traffic. The expressway part is quick; most of the uncertainty is getting out of Addis to the start of the toll road at the city's southern edge. At weekday rush hours, city traffic can add a lot, so allow extra time if you have a meeting or a train to catch.

Buses for the south and east leave from a terminal at Kaliti on the southern side of Addis, not from the city centre, and express buses run non-stop on the toll road. The railway to Djibouti does stop at Adama, but its passenger trains start from Furi-Lebu station on the edge of Addis and run overnight, so they don't suit a visit. Our guide to long-distance buses in Ethiopia explains what bus travel is like.

What is the Addis–Adama expressway like?

It opened in September 2014: a divided toll road with three lanes in each direction. Toll plazas include Bishoftu-North, Bishoftu-South, Modjo, Adama-West and Adama-Main, and tolls are paid at the plazas. Ask whether tolls are included when you compare any quotes; ours include fuel, tolls and parking.

The expressway is also the start of the main road south. At Modjo the road to the Rift Valley lakes and Hawassa branches off, the route we take on every Hawassa trip.

What is Adama like?

Adama is one of Ethiopia's largest cities and a busy transport hub on the road and railway that link Addis Ababa with Djibouti's ports, so expect plenty of lorries on the main road. It was renamed Nazret, after Nazareth, in the 1940s and officially went back to Adama in 2000; many Ethiopians still use both names. For a few years in the early 2000s it was the capital of the Oromia region, and it is home to Adama Science and Technology University.

The big difference from Addis is the climate. Adama sits at roughly 1,600–1,700 m, several hundred metres lower than the capital, and it is warmer and drier: daytime highs are mostly around 25–30 °C through the year. Pack light clothes and a hat.

It is a working city rather than a sightseeing one. Visitors come for business, family or a weekend of warm weather, and the local roasted meat (tibs) has a good name. The main reason most travellers ask about Adama, though, is Sodere.

What is Sodere, and is the resort open?

Sodere is a small spa town on the Awash River, about 25 km south of Adama. Just outside it is a hot springs resort first developed by the government and running since at least the 1960s, known for warm spring water, swimming pools and shady grounds where vervet monkeys and warthogs wander. It has long been a weekend escape for people from Addis Ababa.

The resort has had difficult years: a flood from the Awash closed it for three months before it reopened in January 2019. We could not find an official or news source showing how it is running in late 2026, so check that it is open before you plan a day around it.

Can you travel to Adama and Sodere right now?

In plain words: driving along the expressway on the way to Bishoftu or Hawassa is outside the UK warnings, but a stay in Adama, a side trip to Sodere or the road east towards Awash is not covered by those exemptions. Official advice is also to travel outside Addis only in daylight.

If you need to be in Adama, for work or family, talk to us first. Before every trip outside Addis we do our own security check with reports from our drivers across the country, and we often know about a change before it reaches the news. We tell you honestly how the road looks that day, plan the route and the time to leave with you, and say so if we think the trip should wait.

Where can you go instead for a day out?

For a warm day by the water, Bishoftu is the easy choice. It is about halfway to Adama on the same expressway, has a ring of crater lakes with lakeside hotels, and is named as an exception in official advice. See what there is to do in Bishoftu and how long the drive to Bishoftu takes.

If you have more time, the road south from Modjo runs to the Rift Valley lakes and Hawassa, a trip we drive regularly. Our day trips from Addis Ababa guide lists what is open right now.