Travel Tips

Land

Ethiopia covers an area more than the size of France and Spain combined, and nearly twice the size of Texas. About 65 percent of the land is arable, with 15 per cent presently cultivated.

Climate and Clothing

• Because of elevation, temperature rarely exceed 25 degree c. (77 Fahrenheit) in most of the country, although in some of the lower lying areas (Awash, Omo and Mago parks) it can get considerably hotter.
• Pack light clothes for the daytime and jacket or sweater for the evenings, and a good pair of walking shoes even if you are not going trekking-path ways around historic sites is usually uneven and stony.
• Trekkers in the Simian and Bale Mountains will need warm clothes, waterproofs and 3-4 seasons’ sleeping bags.
• A cultural note: Ethiopians are generally modest dressers and visitors should be sensitive about going underdressed into places of worship. Shoes must always be removed before entering churches and mosques-for getting around sites like Lalibela with its many churches airline socks are very useful.

Topography

Ethiopia has an elevated central plateau varying in height between 2,000 and 3,000 meters. In the north and center of the country there are some 25 mountains whose peaks rise over 4,000 meters. The most famous Ethiopian river is the Blue Nile (or Abbay), which runs a distance of 1,450 kilometers from the source in Lake Tana, to joint the White Nile at Khartoum.

Economy

About 90 percent of the populations earn their living from the land, mainly as subsistence farmers. Agriculture is the backbone of the national economy and the principal exports from this sector are coffee, oil seeds, pulses, flowers, vegetables, sugar and foodstuffs for animals. There is also a thriving livestock sector, exporting cattle on the hoof, hides and skins.

Language

Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic state with a great variety of languages spoken in the country, of which there are 83 with 200 dialects. Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, other local languages, English (major foreign language taught in schools)

Electric Supply

Ethiopia uses 220 volts 50 cycles AC.

Time

Ethiopia is in the GMT + 3 hours time zone. Ethiopia follows the Julian calendar.

People

The population is estimated at 67 million, over 50 percent of whom are under 20 years old. The average number of inhabitants per square kilometer is 49.

Banking Hours

Banking hours are usually from 8:00-4:00 pm from Monday to Friday and from 8:00am - 11:00am on Saturdays. Closing times may be an hour longer in some private banks. Most banks work through lunchtime; however foreign exchange services are closed during lunch hours (12:00 noon-1:00pm).

Communications

Telephone, fax and Internet access is available in Addis Abba in most hotels, at the Ethiopian Telecommunications Authority main office and at private Internet service centers situated around the city.

Currency

The local currency is the Ethiopian Birr (ETB), made up of 100 cents. Birr notes are available in denominations of 5, 10, 50 and 100. Visitors may import an unlimited amount of foreign currency but this must be declared on arrival to the customs authorities on the appropriate blue-coloured form. Foreign currency may only be exchanged at authorized banks and hotels, and a receipt must be obtained. The currency declaration form must be retained, as this will be required by customs on departure. Visitors may change back any surplus Ethiopian Birr, to cash at the airport before departure. In addition to any Ethiopian Birr, along with the currency exchange form you must bring with you all receipts for exchange transactions.

Customs

Duty-free imports are permitted for up to:

Visitors may exports souvenirs, although some articles (such as animal skin and antiques) require an export permit.

Health and Medical

• All visitors should be in possession of valid yellow fever vaccination certificate. Immunization for Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid and Polio is recommended.
• Malaria: in many sites malaria is not a problem because of the elevation - this is true of Axum, Gondar and Lalibela for example, but it can occur in Bahir Dar at the end of the rainy season and after unseasonable rains. Chloroquine resistant strains have been identified in some areas so you should consult your doctor about the prescription. Alternatively, you can keep mosquitoes and other insects at bay with repellent creams and sprays. (Climatic changes and phenomena such as el-Nino has meant the appearance of Malaria at unseasonable times, and its spread to areas previously malaria free)
• Visitors should take a simple first aid pack, which would include: different size plasters, antiseptic cream, anti-histamine cream and/or tablets for insect bites, sun barrier cream (while temperatures are moderate the sun is strong) and anti diarrhea tablets such as Imodium for emergencies (they will not cure the problem but will control the symptoms). Generally, visitors should take out standard holiday health insurance in their home countries.

Food and Drinks

With people from so many different ethnic groups, the food and drinks of Ethiopia are varied. A typical dish is Wot, a hot spicy stew of meat or vegetables, seasoned with a blend of Berbere. It is often made with Doro (Chicken), and normally served with injera, the traditional spongy pancake made from a fermented teff flour batter. In most good restaurants, or in the local coffee house, you will find delicious dishes that reflect the customs and the ingredients of the region. In Addis Ababa, as in most of the larger cities, visitors will also find a wide range of restaurants that reflect the influences of other cuisines. All large hotels have international restaurants, but elsewhere in the city you can sample Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern, Italian, French, Greek and other cuisines. Ethiopia produces its own wines. Dukam and Gouder are fine reds, Axumite is sweeter and Crystals is a dry white wine. Ethiopia?s famous honey wine, or Tej, is found all over the country as is Tela, a local beer and Katikala, a distilled liquor.

Visa and Immigration Requirements

Visa applications may be obtained at Ethiopia's diplomatic missions overseas. However, nationals of 33 countries are now allowed to receive their tourist visas on arrival in Ethiopia at the regular charge. The list includes Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greek, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, citizens of United Kingdom and United States. Fro China including passports issued in Hong Kong (SAR China) and MACAO (SAR China), Visa is available on arrival.

Accommodation

• Addis Ababa has two 5 star hotels: The Hilton Addis 5*, the Sheraton Addis 5* plus luxury collections, and a growing number of tourist standard hotels.
• Standards vary outside the capital (the hotels in the north are generally better than those in the south), but there are a number of ecologies built recently even in the Omo and Mago areas where camping was unavoidable it is generally possible to get relatively clean rooms with en suite toilet and shower.
Travel by air, road and rail
• Ethiopian Airlines operates an extensive (43 airports and an additional 21 landing strips) and generally efficient and reliable domestic air service, but cancellations and delays do occur.
• Traveling by road allows visitors to experience Ethiopia’s wonderful scenery, but road conditions are generally poor, and mountainous topography in the north will cut speed.
• The hour flight to Lalibela for example takes nearly two days by road.
• Railway enthusiasts who wish to travel by train from Addis Ababa to Dire Dawa or on to Djibouti should be prepared for delays and run down carriages.
• Ethiopia has recently secured substantial grants for the renovation of its road and rail network, but improvement will take time.

Bole International Airport

The New Bole International Airport is situated 8 kilometer from the center of the city (a 15 minute drive under normal conditions). Paid parking, luggage carts and uniformed porters are available at the airport terminal.

Photography

• Generally only 100 ASA is available, slide film usually not.
• As a matter of courtesy, permission should be sought before photographing individuals and in many parts of the country, particularly among the Afar and among the ethnic groups living by the Omo River, people will demand a fee.
• In some sites (Blue Nile falls for example) there is a charge for video photography.

Foreign Exchange

Service is available at the arrivals lounge

Security

At the airport is tight and travelers need to produce their air ticket and passport to enter the terminal building. All other visitors are required to pay a fee of two Ethiopian Birr at the booths located in the parking lot and need to show identification cards at the guard post.