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Ethiopia% POP 102 MILLION / 251

Includes  Why Go? ...... 579 is truly a world apart. Here there are over two mil- Gonder ...... 587 lenniums’ worth of ancient treasures scattered about, from Simien Mountains the hidden tombs of the legendary Queen of Sheba to cas- National Park...... 589 tles that would make Camelot jealous and the breathtaking Aksum...... 589 rock-carved churches of Lalibela, the New Jerusalem. Not to be outdone by human craftspeople, Mother Na- Rock-Hewn Churches of Tigray...... 591 ture also let her creative juices flow here. East ’s great Rift Valley has left some of its most memorable signatures Lalibela...... 593 in Ethiopia: milky-brown lakes scar the south and deep ...... 595 canyons and steep peaks wrinkle the land…well, just about Understand everywhere. Ethiopia...... 597 Though you can hit the highlights in a couple of weeks, Survival Guide...... 599 it takes three or four for proper exploration. But no matter how long you stay, you’ll probably wish for just a few more days.

Best Places to Eat ¨¨Four Sisters (p588) ¨¨Yod Abyssinia (p583) When to Go Addis Ababa ¨¨Kategna (p582) °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm ¨¨Itegue Taitu Hotel (p583) 30/86 6/150 ¨¨ Hirut Restaurant (p596) 20/68 4/100 ¨¨Fresh Touch Restaurant (p596) 10/50 2/50 0/32

-10/14 0 Best Places to J FDM A M J J A S O N Sleep Good for The The ¨¨Addissinia Hotel (p582) Jan–Mar Oct–Dec Apr–Sep wildlife watching country is green, rainy season in ¨¨Sheraton Hotel (p582) and Ethiopia’s trekking is great southern Ethiopia ¨¨Grand Gato (p596) most colourful and there are with scorching hot festivals, including fewer visitors. temperatures in ¨¨Hotel Maribela (p595) Timkat and Leddet. the lowlands. 579 Ethiopia Addis Ababa ------per

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National Museum Museum Ethnological ’Red Terror’ Martyrs Terror’ ’Red 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat & Sun) 9am-5pm Sat 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, ብሔራዊ ሙዚየም ብሔራዊ ብሄራዊ ሙዚየም የቀይ ሽብር ተጠቂዎች ማስታወሻ ሙዚየም ማስታወሻ ተጠቂዎች ሽብር የቀይ ADDIS ABABA ADDIS POP 4.5 MILLION 4.5 POP within ’s former palace, and Selassie’s within Haile surrounded by the beautiful gardens and campus,main university’s the of fountains Ethnological Museum. is the enthralling onethis a museum fan, not if you’re Even easily one of is worth time – it’s a bit of your museums in Africa, showing thethe finest cultural and social of Ethiopia’s full sweep history floors. across two on show at the National Museum is ranked Museum the National on show at among the most important in sub-Saharan of its exhibits areAfrica, but sadly many and Far poorly labelled, lit and displayed. the palaeontologicalis highlight the away exhibition in the basement, the home of o ( St; University, ba I bore them all in one night, theyI bore them all in one night, slew them These spo the words were in a single night.’ ken by the mother of four teenage children by the mother of four teenage ken by the Derg,all killed on the same day as but powerful opened the small she officially in Museum Memorial Martyrs Terror’ ‘Red museumthe rooms of couple a Over 2010. Selassie reveals the fall of Emperor Haile and the horrors of life under Mengistu’s Derg regime. o ( h ( Sq; Meskal o Memorial Museum Most sights are scattered throughout thethroughout scattered are sights Most though there is a centre and Piazza, city and other of major museums concentration and Siddist Kilo Arat of sights in the vicinity Kilo, which sit east of Piazza and north of centre. the city ple Ethiopian food, and has some wonderfulple Ethiopian stay. museums and places to 1 pia altogether. And apart else, from anything pia altogether. bestAddis is the place in the country to sam Addis – Africa’s fourth-largest its and city – Africa’s Addis – is a traffic-choked, capital diplomatic that no discernible beauty of city sprawling foreign visitors trymany as quickly to transit by skipping out on note: take as possible. But the contradictions you of this complex city of failing to understandrun the risk Ethio VI St;