Ethiopia or Abyssinia or Habesha, is a country found in African continent to the eastern part called the horn of Africa, between 3° -15° latitude and 33°-45° longitude laying between the equator and the tropic of cancer. It is a country that human being is started for this regard called the cradle of mankind, origin of coffee, 13th months of sunshine with its own calendar following the Julian calendar (. 7 years,8 months and 6 hours back from Gregorian calendar).

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It is the only country in Africa which is not colonized by foreign power. Ethiopia is the 9th largest country in the world with 1.12 million km² area, a mountainous country with 22 picks more than 4000m above sea level where as the highest point is 4620 masl and the lowest point is 116 mbsl in the Danakil depression. About 10 rivers more than 7000km including Blue Nile River.

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The country is rich in history (3000 years), nature, culture( there are more than 85 ethnic groups in the country with their culture, language, customs and tradition), events and festivals( meskel, timket,genna, mewl’id, arafa, bull jumping, erecha, shaday….) Ethiopia is also the place where people with different religion live together harmoniously. Christianity was declared to be the state religious in the 4thcentury and Islam introduced to the country in the 7th c. now Ethiopia is the second country in the world by number of Muslims as minority religious next to India.

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The official language in the country is Amharic while Tigrigna, oromifa and guragegna are spoken widely. Addis Ababa has hotels and restaurants that cater for all pockets.

 

The following are some of tourist standard hotels to list:
* First class hotels: Sheraton Addis and Hilton Addis
* Four stars: Gion, Global, Imperial, Central Venue, Hotel De Leoplle, etc.
* Three stars: Ethiopia, Lalibela, Axum, Jerusalem, Queen of Shebs, Debre Damo, Semen, Gedera, Crown, Central Shewa, Holiday, Extreme, National Hotel, etc
* Two stars: Finfine Hotel, Awraris Hotel, and others like Taitu, Baro, etc are available.
 

Regarding restaurants in Addis Ababa there are Greek, Chinese, Armenian, Indian, Arabic, French and Italian restaurants. Most tourists also enjoy Ethiopian restaurants for the spicy Ethiopian dishes. Outside Addis Ababa, in other towns, manly in the historic route tourist Standard hotels and restaurants are available. The hotels to be used for our clients are tourist standard, with a very good quality of services. But this can only be practical upon availability as prior bookings have to be made.

Camping – To visit the cultural sites in the south and to discover the extra ordinary wilderness, camping will be made on selected camping sites. Our camping materials are of high standard and comfortable for camping. Camping materials like tent, sleeping mattress, tables, chairs, camping light, etc. will be supplied.

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VACCINATION

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An international certificate of vaccination against yellow fever is required and you may need to produce this of obtain your visa. We also advise that in addition to the statutory requirements you ensure you are vaccinated against typhoid, Polio, Meningitis and hepatitis.
Vaccination against cholera is also required for any person who has visited or transited a cholera-infected area within six days prior to arrival to Ethiopia.

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CURRENCY

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The currency is the Birr, the rate of which is fixed against the US dollar every two weeks following a foreign currency auction. Mostly the rate has fluctuated between 21 and 21.50 Birr to US$1.00. There is no limit to amount of foreign currency that can be brought into Ethiopia, but visitors must declare all currency in their possession on arrival, and change foreign currency in banks or authorized foreign exchange dealers. On leaving the country, visitors will be asked to surrender to customs officials the currency declaration filled in on arrival.

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BANKING

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At Bole Airport, and in all major cities and many towns, there will be branches of national banks.

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SOUVENIRS

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Most of the arts and artifacts in Addis Ababa (and certainly along the historic route – Axum, Lalibela, Gondar and Bahir Dar) reflect the Orthodox Christian tradition: silver crosses, icons, paintings on animal skin, and woven garments – items with a Christian motif. 

 

Other things visitors might like to bring back are filigree work in silver and gold, woven carpets, amber and of course coffee – the very name comes from Kaffa in southwestern Ethiopia. If you are looking for larger mementoes, you can by Ethiopia stools, chairs and other furniture from private shops and from the state sector Ethiopian Tourist Trading Corporation, next to the airport.  Like many countries, Ethiopia is facing a problem with the theft and illegal purchase of national treasures.  Visitors should only buy what appears to be antiques from authorized shops, ask for a stamped receipt, and if in doubt, check with the National Museum in Addis Ababa whether the item may be exported or not.

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CUSTOMS

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Duty-free imports are permitted for up to:

•  200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or ½ lb of tobacco.

• 2 liter of alcoholic beverage.

• Half - liter or two bottles of perfume.

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TRAVEL TO AND IN ETHIOPIA

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Air: Addis Ababa is a major hub for international airlines. Ethiopian Airlines, the national airline of Ethiopia, provides excellent links with East, West and South Africa, Europe and the Middle East, with connections to America and the Far East. The national airline also offers domestic services to the major towns in Ethiopia, as well as most regional centers.
The international flight constitutes on average around 30% of the cost of a holiday, and so that Ethiopia can maximize the benefits from the development of its tourist industry, AAT likes to encourage its clients to fly the national carrier, Ethiopian Airlines (EAL), which recently celebrated its 60th birthday, generally provides excellent service and has an excellent safety record.    Travelers to Ethiopia should also be aware of another reason for flying EAL- on the domestic circuit; priority is given to those who use EAL for their international flight.

The cheapest and quickest way to get around Ethiopia’s historic sites in the north is by air.  Most of Ethiopia’s major towns and sites of tourist interest are accessible by air, and fares are still cheap by international standards.
Other airlines serving Ethiopia include: Kenyan Airways, Air Djibouti, Egyptian, Alitalia, KLM, Air Turkish, Sudanese Airways, Lufthansa, Saudi, Aeroflot, Yemeni Airways, British Airways, Emirates and Djibouti Airways.
All international services arrive at Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa.

Road: The best way to experience the variety of scenery the Ethiopia has to offer is travel by road.  But road conditions in Ethiopia are poor and given the nature of the terrain a road journey to Axum for example takes three days, while the flight from Addis Ababa takes two hours.  The scenery by road is of course incomparable, but many travelers lack the time.  The toll exact by poor roads (and the 100% customs duty) makes vehicle hire relatively expensive, when compared to some other countries.  There are cheap, but generally uncomfortable, public and private buses running between most towns.

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Many tourists like to combine visits to Ethiopia with Kenya, Sudan or Djibouti. For visitors who are interested we can arrange and provide Extension program on request. Separate visas are required for all countries.  There are reasonable road links between these countries and flights between Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Khartoum and Djibouti.

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Miscellaneous

Telephone, Tele fax, Internet, and postal facilities are available in cities and most towns.  The International dialing code for Ethiopia is 00251.Most towns have mobile telephone service.

Ethiopia drives in the right; a valid international license is required to derive.

Taxis are available in town for either contracts or Normal fares.

Filming a foreigner wishing to shoot documentary or feature films in Ethiopia shall obtain a permit from the Ministry of Information and Culture.

Guide Books Lonely Plane, the Bradt Guide to Ethiopia and the Spectrum Guide to Ethiopia are available in a revised edition.

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Travel safety

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We are a responsible tour operator and for us the safety of our clients and staff is of paramount importance.  We would not run any holiday that we did not consider reasonably safe.  Should the foreign and commonwealth Office advice against travel for any reason, we will contact anyone who is booked to travel to discuss alternatives.