This summer i am planing to do the historic northern route with young teenagers who have never been to Africa. At this point i plan to fly between Addis, Bahar Dar, Gondar, Axum, Lalibella. i had not planned to travel by road because i did not want to turn my kids off to Africa with long crowded bus rides. I have lived in rougher parts of africa for years. A 12 hour bumpy crowded ride would turn then off. A 4 hour ride on a sealed road would be fine. I would rather they enjoyed the people and places. I am wondering if portions of the Addis to Axum portion might be better by bus? I realize the road North of the simeans is winding. Maybe there is good bus service to Bahar Dar now?The guidebooks (more than 3 years old) i read all say -road will be rebuilt soon. Have the roads been improved in the last 3 years?
On a somewhat related question is it feasible to take a bus to Harar on a sealed road in less than a day?
thanks
Addis to Bahar Dar is about 10-12h. I've done it in bits, not the whole journey and not by bus either. The road is good north of the Abay and is still the old bumpy (but sealed) road from Addis to the Abay. You certainly can drive from Addis to Harar in a day on a good sealed road and you can get minibuses that do it. Buses would probably take longer though. Your main problem in the summer though is the weather - it can be cold and miserable in the highlands July-August - hope you're lucky and hit a good spell.
Adding to Mrs Trellis' coments, consider doing the Addis to Lalibela stretch in a 4x4. It isa sealed road to Dessie but rough after that. However the landscape is fantastic with small rural villages and Lalibela sits almost in the clouds.
IMO the kids would love the adventure! You could fly back.
Ethiopia, Its easy to fly around but you miss so much if you do.
If anything, teenagers are in much better condition to handle long bus rides than older folks! You need to toughen these kids up if a 4 hour ride on a sealed road is all they are up for. ;-)
Scenery in Ethiopia is fantastic, and traveling by road is part of the experience.
Considering that it is a two day trip, flying from Lalibela back to Addis makes sense. If you have the time, do the rest by road. You can always split it up if you want to. Staying in smaller villages is the best way to enjoy the local people.
New Bradt Ethiopia guide should be available soon.
Have fun,
BB
You could fry to bahir dar, then drive from there to gondar, that is no more than 3 hour ride, and the road is sealed and in good condition, and the scenery is really great. I flew to most places in the north, but then did this bit by a mini van, and it was great. THis would give you some impression of the country side.
When flying in the North I always had a window seat and got some amazing views of the country side. I have some great photos of the country side from the plane, as the visibility was excellent at the time of my travels.
There is a new bus company called Sky bus, they apparently have comfprtable buses and they do also Harar, so possibly you could do Harar by road, as it is quite decent from what I heard and it is less than one day ride. I think I heard people say that it is about 8 hours tops, but I did not do it myself, so you should check skybus website at www.skybusethiopia.com
they don't do the trips everyday though, so you would need to plan the schedule around their date.
I also agree that driving/travelling by road is another way of experiencing things. I went to South Omo by car, and it was great, I remember that every minute of the trip there was something beautiful to see outside the window, so I had a hard time deciding when I should have a nap on a 12 hour ride.
I can't deny that there are some good views from the air as well. I also agree with LizaD that Bahir Dar to Gonder is too short to justify the expense of going by plane.
One thing that needs to be said is that most roads are pretty good now. It may be long, but it is no longer the bumpy, bone-jarring ride that it once was. Secondly, Ethiopian buses are rarely overcrowded. One person to a seat is the norm. It is not like some places where they truly pack you in.
A regular discussion here is which sections by road are "must sees" not which ones to skip! I have flown between many of these places, but did not feel complete until I went back and did them by road.
Have fun,
BB
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