Ethiopia
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Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
Border crossing at Moyale: if you are coming from Kenya, be sure to have a valid visa. Ethiopian visas are still not issued at the Moyale immigration post.
Raf Aerts and Eva November, Belgium (Jan 05)
The Ethiopian embassy in Kampala now issue visas valid for 60 days from date of entry. The visa is ready at 4.30 pm the following day no matter whether you apply in the morning or afternoon.
Hanne Finholt, Norway (Mar 03)
Travel Tips
The rock churches of Lalibela are obviously a highlight of any visit to Ethiopia. It is a pity about the intrusive rain protection covers that have been constructed but one hopes that these will ultimately be replaced by something better. Cost of entry is 100 birr and we paid a young lad 50 birr per day as guide. It is better to have a guide since it is not altogether clear how to get around and he keeps the hoards at bay, which would otherwise pester you to death.
Jock & Janice Moilliet, UK (Apr 03)
Due to an electricity shortage in Addis Ababa there are nowadays blackouts. Basically one day per week per district. This means that indoor business/work becomes quite difficult. Keep this in mind if you want to shop, eg. in the Mercato. In the dark you won't be able to see the merchandise properly and the pickpockets can skin you.
Kari Eloranta, Finland (Jan 03)
Some tribal people in Jinka don't want to be photographed or they will ask for money if you do photograph them. However, if you approach them the right way by shaking hands, smiling and talking to them, even though they don't understand they usually don't mind being photographed. Anyway, a camera or photo always disturbs a relationship between people, especially in delicate situations like this one. Instead of this I sat in a peaceful corner and took photos from a distance. People saw me but didn't mind because I spent the whole day with them in a market place, and wasn't one of the 'white people' who arrive with a 4WD for a one hour loop with the idea of taking as many shots as possible.
Maja Sajovic, Slovenia (Dec 02)
Moving About
Even allowing for the setting-in of middle age it is hard to exaggerate how tiring travel by bus can be in Ethiopia. They are usually elderly vehicles with very basic seats, no head support and few creature comforts. There would seem to be only a few roads with an all-weather surface and these are to the south of Addis. To the north they are all poor quality dirt allowing an average speed of approximately 20kph. Furthermore because the Ethiopians seem to be terrified of fresh air the buses are usually hermitically sealed and very crowded which does not help seeing the countryside. That said there are some advantages in that standing and smoking are forbidden and travel this way is very intimate and friendly.
The buses tend to leave when full at 6am and pre-booking is not widespeard so it pays to get to the bus station no later than 5.30am. However we repeatedly found that farangis had preferential treatment. If you show up at the gates before they are opened you are let in and given first choice of the seats on the bus. This therefore avoided the mad rush when the gates were opened.
Internal flights are very efficient and comfortable by Fokker 60-seaters. They are not expensive but it pays to pre-book and it is essential to confirm the flight the day before.
When using minibuses in Addis Ababa we paid 1 birr to go any distance. They are very convenient and cheap. They would appear to travel in roughly straight lines. So you go to the beginning of the road you want to follow and flag one down (not at traffic lights). The one exception was going out to the Entoto Hills when we needed to use three stages to get out of the city.
Jock & Janice Moilliet, UK (Apr 03)
When departing from Addis Ababa by bus there is usually no seat order. The sooner you get on a bus the better the seats you get. The best seats are considered to be at the front of the bus.
When departing from Harar or Gonder, you have to buy yourself a ticket the day before or early that morning because you get a serial number with the ticket. On the day of your departure they will put your luggage on the roof, then all the passengers have to line up in the order of the serial numbers written on their tickets and enter the bus one by one so they can choose their preferred seats.
Departing from Bahar Dar was the most stressful experience ever. As the bus door opened, people went crazy, hustling, kicking and pushing. They did everything to get their preferred seat. There are also guys who fight for the best seats just to sell them to tourists. This experience happened on a short distance line from Bahar Dar to Gonder.
Maja Sajovic, Slovenia (Dec 02)
Domestic flights: Confirm, reconfirm and confirm once again! Domestic flights are operated by small planes - at present mostly Fokker 50-seaters - and are often booked full, especially during high season. Overbooking is common. It is wise to call the local Ethiopian Airlines office one or two days before departure. If you are using the services of a local travel agency, they usually can arrange that.
Due to frequent overbooking, independent travelers can be at a disadvantage, as large groups seem to have priority. That's what happened to us in Bahar Dar. Our destination was Gonder and the plane was to proceed to Lalibela next; unfortunately, there were only few passengers flying to Gonder and two groups to Lalibela, so the entire schedule was modified ad hoc and we had to wait five hours for the next flight!
On most domestic flights, seat numbers are not indicated on the boarding pass, so push hard (that's what locals do!). In some cases, your boarding pass can even be completely blank, the flight being indicated by the pass color.
At small domestic airports facilities are often limited. Flight schedules can be simply hand-written on blackboards. There are no loudspeakers and all announcements are given by airport staff, so they may pass unnoticed. Ask everyone who is official-looking; they usually are very polite and willing to help. If there is a TV set in the lounge and someone turns it off, this is usually an indication of an important announcement to be given.
If you particularly dislike small planes, which are more sensitive to turbulence, remember that early morning flights are usually smoother. Small planes fly at low altitudes and when it becomes hot, turbulence is stronger. If you have a choice, don't hesitate to get up at 5 am or so.
Anna & Tomasz Galka, Poland (Feb 02)
Scams & Warnings
Lalibella: Local scam (although it probably exists elsewhere) is for kids to come up and say there's a book they really need for school, or alternatively (from adults) a request to buy a book for the local school. Once bought they then return it to the shop for a partial refund and the shop sells it again to the next tourist. If you say you'd love to buy some books for the school and send them, just give me the name of the teacher and the address of the school, the interest in books suddenly diminishes dramatically.
Tony Wheeler, Australia (April 05)
When you come back to Tis Isat people will invite you to have a rest in a house close to the ticket-counter. They tell you that the bus to Bahar Dar will turn there - but it is not true. The bus actually turns 500m west where you originally arrived - so you will miss it. Then they will try to help you find a seat on a truck for Birr100. We bargained hard and in the end we paid Birr50 per seat (the bus fare is Birr4.5). The official guides are involved in this scam.
Wolfgang Stoephasius, Germany (April 05)
Overcharging prices: this was quite common in too many restaurants where we ate (I was in an organised tour, with 16 people + the guide + 4 drivers). We always went Dutch when the bill came up, but although everybody was honest, there was always money missing. The trick was found one day, when we had lunch. The bill had 24 beers, although only 14 had been drunk. After that, all the empty bottles were kept until it was time to pay. Besides, too often if a certain amount of money had been agreed to be paid (like for food or for a picture), the sellers would ask for more.
Edu Romero, Spain (Sep 03)
It is a rough 6km walk from the main road to the shore of the Lake Shala lookout and I wouldn't advise anybody doing that on their own as we did. We were approached by a not very friendly spear-throwing local (a potential robbery but we were saved by some workers in a truck who gave us a lift to the shore). When we got to the lake we had a lot of problems with a scout who was threatening and very unfriendly. We decided to turn back to the main road as we had already had the above mentioned bad experience and had a long discussion about whether we should pay the entrance or not. We ended up paying the scout Birr 20 to escort us back to the main road.
Deedee Schmidt-Pedersen, Denmark (Jan 03)
It's worth spending a day or two in Debre Zeyit. The Green Crater Lake is a must but it's not easy to find a gari to take you there. There are two roads leading to the crater. One of these runs close to a military air force camp. You need to be aware of this and not take any photos nearby. I took that road on my way back from the crater site and while taking a photograph of a boy on a mule I didn't notice that there was a military fence 100m behind the boy. A soldier on duty came, grabbed my camera and films and took them away. After a few minutes of arguing, my Ethiopian friend left the place to search for help. The soldier became very angry because my friend wasn't paying attention so the soldier grabbed his gun and almost started shooting. My friend came back in fear and we sat there in front of the military base for another 2 hours. I definitely didn't want to leave without my camera. So, after 2 hours the soldier invited us to sit with him in the shade and gave us water to drink. Suddenly his heart seemed to soften. He brought out my camera and films and put them in my hand with no words at all and just waved with his head-GO!
Maja Sajovic, Slovenia (Dec 02)
Around the minibus station in the piazza, pickpockets abound. They either shake your hand vigorously and don't let go while someone checks your pockets or they bump into you and turn around to grab you, saying 'excuse me' while someone else checks your pockets. They are professionals and they do follow you watching you pay for things and studying where you put your money. Definitely take a guide or don't take too much cash to the merkato.
Women travelling alone on buses should take precaution. Its advised to sit next to a woman rather than a man to avoid miscommunication. The men are quite assertive and a simple conversation to pass the time while on an 8 hour ride may be construed as flirtations. It is a cultural difference that Western women should be prepared to encounter when offering a banana or a candy out of generosity and only later to have the man following you when you reach your destination.
Angie Eng, USA (Apr 02)
Gems, Highlights & Attractions
You can do a very nice walk, starting from the village of Washa near Wondo Genet. Just beside the hills, there's a gravel road used only by local people. The road tracks you through banana and sugar-corn plantations. You will come across small villages with very nice people. The hills offer a great variety of birds. After a one and a half hour walk you will come to three hot spring lakes with beautiful surroundings. They are worth every minute of the walk.
Maja Sajovic, Slovenia (Dec 02)
In our opinion, Timkat in Lalibela is excellent. There are many churches, and processions from all of them merge into one great parade, colourful and cheerful. Of course, as in other similar places in Ethiopia, you have to book accommodation well in advance, as hotels are full: six months is not too early!
Anna & Tomasz Galka, Poland (Feb 02)
Yarns, Fables & Anecdotes
As a solo female traveller, I found Ethiopia to be a very easy and friendly country, refreshingly free of amorous male advances that make countries like Egypt and Turkey such a chore. However, as friendliness goes, Axumites gleefully take it to new heights. One day I was kidnapped by a nice young woman, taken home and force fed (EAT, Madam, EAT !!). Another day, after visiting some of the sights, I walked up to a hotel, and while I was enjoying a Mirinda with a view, the restaurant staff had taken it upon themselves to put on the traditional coffee ceremony, JUST FOR ME, without asking. I stepped inside and found, to my mortification, that they had set it up right in the middle of the dining room floor (quite lovely actually, with green branches and hibiscus flowers scattered all around). The dining room was, consequently, quite smoky when lunchtime groups began to arrive, but everyone took it with good grace.
When all was finished, the staff declined payment (except for the soda I consumed) and wished me a happy memory of Ethiopia.
Hisako Tajima, USA (Dec 01)
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