Must Know Facts About Ethiopia

Imagine a single travel guide that wraps up everything you need to know before exploring Ethiopia. From its geography and climate to culture, languages, and other must know facts about Ethiopia like electricity, transportation, visas, and what to pack. That’s exactly what the “Travel Information” page of Worldsun Ethiopia Tours delivers.

A friendly, all-in-one introduction to a land of dramatic landscapes, deep history, vibrant communities and warm hospitality. With details on Ethiopia’s soaring highlands and low-lying depressions, tips on local customs, weather patterns, travel logistics and more, it’s a handy primer that makes the country’s diversity and richness feel immediately accessible whether you’re planning your first visit or simply curious about this fascinating destination.

Geography

Ethiopia is located at the eastern tip of the African Continent. Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan and Kenya are the neighboring countries.  With land area of 1,1298,00 Sq. Km., Ethiopia is as large as France and Spain combined or five times the size of Britain or about twice the size of Texas. 

Ethiopia has variety of topographical features from the peaks of the Simien Mountains in north Gondar to the Danakil Depression in the Rift Valley Afar Region, vast central plateau, tropical forests, savanna deserts, lakes and rivers. Addis Ababa with a population about 5 million people is the capital city of the country.

Climate

There are two major seasons: the dry season prevails from October through May; the wet season from June to September.  January and February are hotter and much driver. The landscape is likely to be more aired than in November, which can still be quite lush after the rains.  In the highlands (most of the historic route) the daytime is temperature is moderate not exceeding, 300 C even at the hottest time of the year and nights are generally moderate to cold in all months of the year. 

The Southern rift valley is classified as moderate to hot, but the eastern lowlands and is the farthest southern part of the country hot and dry.  The western lowlands are hot and humid are the most tropical area of Ethiopia.

PEOPLE

With an estimate of 20 million population size, Ethiopia is a land of enormous ethnic diversity, with people of Semitic, Cushitic, Nilotic and Omotic stock.  In terms of religion Orthodox Christians make up about 40%, Muslims 35% and 25% being animists and others.  What unites Ethiopian’s many people is primary their shared independent existence.  Ethiopia’s ancient customs and traditions remain intact and is obvious to visitors from the moment of arrival in Addis Ababa, among which courtesy and hospitality are prized qualities throughout the country.

Language

A variety of language is spoken in the multi – ethnic state of Ethiopia.  The main three Languages are Amharigna, Tigrigna and Oromigna. The officcial language is Amharic. English and French are also widely spoken.

Economy

Agriculture is the backbone of the National economy where about 85% of the population earns their living mainly as subsistence farmers.  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 and hides and skins.

Time Zone

Ethiopia is the GMT +3 hours’ time zone.  The day is calculated in a manner similar to many equatorial countries, where day and nights have the same length.  Counting starts when the sun rises, at 1:00 o’clock when it is 7:00 AM for Europeans and stops when the sunsets at 12:00 o’clock when it is 6:00 PM for Europeans.

Calendar

Ethiopia follows the Julian calendar, which consists of 12 months of 30 days each and a thirteen month of five or six days (in leap year). The Ethiopian Calendar is either eight years (January -August) or seven years (September – December) behind the Gregorian calendar.  When the rest of the world celebrated the millennium, it was 1992 in Ethiopia.  The Ethiopian fiscal year begins on 8 July, the Ethiopian New year is on 11 September and Christmas is on 7 January.

Electric Supply

Ethiopia uses 220 volts, 50 cycles AC.

Hotels and Restaurants

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

When you visit the cultural sites in the south or explore Ethiopia’s extraordinary wilderness, we’ll camp at selected campsites. We supply high-standard, comfortable camping gear. We provide the tent, sleeping mattress, tables, chairs, camping light, everything you need for the stay.

Vaccination

You must carry an international certificate of vaccination for yellow fever, and you may need to present it to obtain your visa. You should also be vaccinated against typhoid, polio, meningitis and hepatitis. If you have visited or transited a cholera-infected area within six days before arriving in Ethiopia, we require you to obtain a cholera vaccination.

Currency

Ethiopia uses the Birr as its currency. The government fixes the Birr–US dollar exchange rate every two weeks through a foreign-currency auction. Although there’s no absolute cap on how much foreign currency you can bring into Ethiopia, travelers must declare any cash on arrival and exchange it at banks or authorized foreign-exchange dealers. On departure, you must surrender the customs declaration form you filled in upon arrival.

Banking

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

Souvenirs

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. A well-stocked shop will also be able to offer Harari silver and basketwork, and wooden carvings from the south and southwest.

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.  Only buy items that appear to be antiques from authorized shops, ask for a stamped receipt, and if you’re unsure check with the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa to confirm whether the item may be exported.

Travel To and Out of Ethiopia

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. When you travel to Ethiopia should know another advantage of flying Ethiopian Airlines (EAL): on the domestic circuit, the airline gives priority to passengers who flew EAL on 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.

Rail

The 778-kilometre railway that once connected Addis Ababa and Djibouti fell into disrepair over decades of under-investment and poor maintenance. Because of that deterioration, trains stopped serving much of the route effectively cutting Ethiopia’s rail access to the sea.

A 778 kilometer long railway that links Addis Ababa with Djibouti has deteriorated over the last couple of decades due to lack of investment and while Ethiopia has recently secured renovation grants; rail enthusiasts should be prepared for delays.

Travel to Neighboring Countries 

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.

Travel safety

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.