Any great travel tips about Ethiopia?

My boyfriend and I are going to Ethiopia in August 2008 and we would very much like to hear from people who have travel experiences in the country. We want to do the historical circuit and that is to say that we are thinking of going to Bahir Dar, Gonder, Simien Mountains National Park, Debark, Aksum, Labibela and of course Addis Ababa.

By the way have you been travelling in Ethiopia in August? We have read that August is probably the wettest month in Ethiopia but what do you think? Is it still all right to do trekking?

Looking forward hearing about Ethiopia :-)

Edited by: Lizzy1977

The rains in Ethiopia fall between June to October
You can go at any time of year but you will definitly get caught in some rains so youll need a raincoat and waterproof boots obviously.
The Ethiopians have a nasty habit of shutting all windows at any cost so bring a small stick to jamb in the window to get a little breeze.
Look in the Ethiopian section here on TT for more info.
Cheers.

Take a deep breath and count to ten. Ethiopia can be a frustrating place to travel because the people are slighty, well different. With that said it can be one of the most interesting, diverse and rewarding places in Africa. I found Gonder to be one of the most interesting and laid back places in the country.

I agree Gondar was very nice. I had seen posts before I left that Gondar had the worst hassle in Ethiopia, but I didn't find this to be the case at all...I found people in Gondar to be hospitable & friendly.

If you have the time, I highly recommend both the TESFA trek and a visit to Harar. Both were the most interesting parts of the trip for me--the trek because of the amazingly warm people and lovely scenery, and Harar for its absolute craziness. I have photos posted of my trip, but the vast majority are from TESFA and Harar.

http://www.nancychuang.com/travel/ethiopia/

Other than that...this entire board is people's Ethiopia experiences and travel tips, just read the posts!

my boyfriend and i are also planning to head to ethiopia in august, probably getting there about mid august. Im really keen to head to the danakil depression and see the volcanos in irta-ale... also lalibela and the simien mountains. If your keen to join up for a tour it would be great.... cheaper in groups!

Superfish, just to let you know the cost for a Danakil trip is about USD2000.
No Kidding.

Simsy or anyone who has been to Danakil...why so expensive? There isn't even tour info in the Bradt book, it sounds like you just show up in the nearby towns and book a guide for 100 birr/day. Is this not really possible? Or is it the permit itself that is so pricey? I did a Google search and did find the price Simsy quotes above...shocking.

gidday Nancy.
I tried like crazy to do this danakil trip.
the best and cheapest place to organize is in Mekele.
The high cost is for a variety of reasons and all adding to the cost;
You HAVE to hire two 4x4 with driver and one guide.
You have to hire a policeman with gun.
You have to pay an excess for tyres which come in for fierce treatment in that environment.
There is a backsheesh thing with the local tribes.
I did everything i could to go but there are very few people wanting to go in the first place and the price even with a group of 4 in two 4x4 is around USD500 or 600 each.
Very high and almost out of the average persons reach.

Wow...now it seems like the number of people posting about actually having done this trip is higher than I would expect. Surprising that the logistics of arranging this tour are not really described in Bradt. Is it in LP's book?

I guess we have to be satisfied with seeing photos, then...

Hi superfishIwish,

Sorry it took me that long to return to you. Since I wrote my first question I have studied the TTT and my boyfriend and I have find out that we probably would like to go to The Southern of Ethiopia too. That is to say that we have to concentrate our tour up north a bit - probably we will not go further north than Simien Mountains National Park. We are going to meet up with a friend in Addis Ababa Aug 21 which makes our schedule more tight but right now we are thinking of going to the Simiens around Aug 10-16. Still things can change but maybe we can stay in touch and inform each other and who knows we might end up doing the Simiens together :-)

Cheers Lisbeth

i just returned from the Danakil Desert this past weekend and hope the following information helps...

we were able to do a 2-day trip for 4,400 birr (divided by our group of 3); this did not include the hike to the volcano, which would add 2 more days AND require (if you're sensible) the 2nd 4x4 vehicle. we took in the amazing geothermals, camel caravans, "red mountain," & the salt excavations.

for the trip, including the volcano, we were quoted 17,000 birr - including everything but food, water, meal stipend for 2 hired men (a policeman & a militia man with gun...you pay for 3, but may be allowed to carry only 2, depending how much space you have in the vehicle), & water for everyone else in the vehicle. we booked in mekele (travel agent rec'd in the LP & the Mekele Tourism Office, though I can't recommend them). the sights make the visit worthwhile, but the organization of the trip is poor & unprofessional -- you will pretty much be on your own, as far as any service or explanations of what you're seeing go -- but transport is covered.

a local guide rode along to lead us to the geothermals, though spoke no English.

we didn't have to pay for extra tires, but it was also disconcerting that our driver refused to carry extra water in case the engine overheated!

we didn't have any "bagshist" issues with the tribes & didn't pay them anything.

logistics of such a trip are not detailed much in the '03 LP.