Chilling out in {or around} Ethiopia | Ethiopia - Lonely Planet Forum

ONLINE

Mon, 07 Nov 2016 22:52:05 +0000

Hello,

We're an Irish couple travelling to Ethiopia for most of January / February. It's a trip we've been dreaming about for a long time and is also a kind of delayed honeymoon adventure.

We are mainly planning on doing the historical northern circuit....trekking around Lalibela, the Simiens, maybe even Danikil....but hoping also to see some of the South and West. Six weeks in total all going well. We have a medium budget.

I realise that Ethiopia is not the easiest place to travel and that's not why people come here - but we are thinking it might be nice to relax somewhere for a week or so at the end of the trip before heading back to the Irish winter. Swimming in the sea would be a bonus.

One option we looked at was Djibouti....But I am unsure. It sounds like yes it is more relaxing than Ethiopia and there are nice beaches, etc - but also that there are lots of ex-pats and military personnel who tend to take over these places?

We are also looking at whether it makes sense to stop off somewhere else {maybe even in West Africa} on the way home from Addis - but flights are expensive, and outside of Morocco it seems like it would be an additional 2 flights to get back to Ireland.

Just wondering if people had top tips for places to chill out in Ethiopia {Bahir Dar sounds ok, but not top of my list} or other recommendations for countries nearby?

Thanks in advance for your time and help {PS - I realise how unbelievably lucky we are to not just be making a trip to Ethiopia but also actually in a position to consider going somewhere else on top}

ONLINE

Tue, 08 Nov 2016 10:42:34 +0000

Hi... Wish a great delayed Honeymoon :)

You can plan Bahir Dar or you may think of being near to Addis to various lakes in Bishouftu, Hawassa and on the way to Hawassa.. You can enjoy the birds viewing also there..

For sea and beach, You may consider Zanzibar.. direct flight of Ethiopian airlines from Addis and back... great beaches and resorts there..

All teh best !!

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ONLINE

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 04:30:37 +0000

I spent about five weeks in Ethiopia in July/August including a five-day side-trip to Djibouti. While Djibouti is an interesting place to visit, I would not characterize it as "a nice to relax somewhere for a week or so". It is extremely expensive, much more difficult to get around on your own as compared to Ethiopia, and the beaches I visited on Moucha Island were mediocre at best. While you could consider a side-trip to Kenya, within Ethiopia I'd recommend places like Bishoftu or Axum (both of which I greatly enjoyed), although I'm sure there are many other options as well.

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Thu, 10 Nov 2016 10:05:56 +0000

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply, guys.

Gkip I was kind of getting that sense about Djibouti - thanks for clarifying.

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ONLINE

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 09:25:59 +0000

I'm agree with the advice of gkip regarding Kenya or why not Zanzibar.
There is no real place to relax at the end of the trip even if the lakes South of Addis can be an option.
Otherwise check inside the Bradt guidebook (7th edition) and use it when you will be there. It's the "Bible" for the independent traveller.

Michel

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ONLINE

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 09:54:30 +0000

Mossyb,

Glad you have chosen Ethiopia, the most underrated country for tourism (from my travels). That said, here are my suggestions:

For a week of chilling out, I strongly recommend the resort city of Hawassa which has several lakes and star designated resorts. You can explore the local life there, the neighboring lakes and even venture out to the coffee plantation farms in Yirgalem and Yirgacheffe. Alternatively, you can plan about 4 days in Hawassa and 3 days in Debre Zeyt, which is on the same path from Addis and is endowed with 5 crater lakes and several top class resorts.

Happy to help you plan your trip.<snip>

Best of luck with your travels.

Edited by Carinae, to remove commercial linformation as per community guidelines.

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Wed, 15 Nov 2017 01:00:33 +0000

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