ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY ato’ preference. author’s guidebook are given inthe order of the up) are only found inthecapital. US$50). True top-endpicks (US$50and a handfulof midrange options (US$20 to and major touristcentres providing only withAddisAbabato US$20pernight), ily slanted towardsthe budget end(US$1 done mostof thatforyou. the doors istiring work–thankfullywe’ve yourunningfor andsend curl yourtoes easy. Findingaccommodationthat won’t Finding ACCOMMODATION accommodation inEthiopiais CONTENTS Directory Ethiopia 252 © LonelyPlanetPublications oe rvles 270 269 268 268 266 Work 270 Women Travellers Visas &Documents Travellers withDisabilities 265 Tourist Information 263 Toilets 267 262 Time 267 Telephone 267 Solo Travellers Shopping 265 Post 265 Photography &Video 261 262 Money 263 Maps 263 Legal Matters 260 Internet Access 258 257 Insurance 262 257 Holidays 262 Gay &Lesbian Travellers Food 262 Festivals &Events Embassies &Consulates Dangers &Annoyances Customs 258 Courses 257 Climate Charts Business Hours Books 256 254 Activities Accommodation 252 The various listings throughout thisThe various listingsthroughout Ethiopia’s range of options isheav- installations. ‘Established’ campsites have ‘Established’ installations. sites, such asmilitary the obvious off-limit Gonderand Debark. business in Lalibela, Addis Ababa’s touroperators ( p282 ) orfrom ning ashorttrek, tents can behired from Ifyou’remoney onextended stays. justplan- exploration of remote regions andtosave Tents are inEthiopiafortrekking, useful the Camping In theory, youcancamp anywhere, bar

PRACTICALITIES The best-known English-languagedaily Ethiopiausesthemetricsystem for Ethiopia’s supplyis220V,50 electricity channel Ethiopia’sETV1 broadcasts EthiopiabroadcastsinEnglish Radio Reporter, egt ad measures. and weights circular groundingpin. two circularmetalpinsabove alarge South African/Indian-style plugwith (two roundprongs),rated at600Wto prong earth pean continentaltwo-pin, cycles AC. varyfromtheEuro- Sockets system. nel DSTV have SouthAfrica’sOthers multichan- satellite dishesthatreceive BBCorCNN. Many hotels andrestaurants have in Englishfrom10.30pmtomidnight. 11940 and17640MHz). according tothetimeofday(try9630, reception, thoughfrequencies vary be received onradioswithshortwave weekdays. can The BBCWorldService from 1.30pmto2pmand7pm8pm week’s AmharicandEnglishpress. storiesfromthe of themostimportant date The weekly Herald and the newspapers includethe owned Ethiopian Herald newspapers are thegovernment-owned (both Birr15)give usefulsummaries isavailableoutsideAddisAbaba. Monitor Capital the Press Digest Sun, . Other weeklyprivate . Other . Onlythe andtheprivately

Sub-Saharan Informer and Fortune, Ethiopian Days Up- the

son unless stated otherwise. son unlessstated you’d payfornicebudget accommodation. pricesare towhat grounds, though close ket hotels nowallowingcampingontheir drinking water atthesites. beside ariver. totreat It’salwaysessential ties andconsistof littlemore thanaclearing and intheOmoValley, butmostlackfacili- upinsomeof set thenationalparks been www.lonelyplanet.com rates for (many openly)charge higher substantially from manytravellers ascountlesshotels accommodation available totravellers. oruniversityhostels, homestays, orrental camping. Even there inthecapital, are no Hotels who’snot willplayhometoeveryone Hotels that there are rarely single occupancy rates. shower’, they meanashared bathroom. Note hotel managers the roomhasa‘shared say singles, doubles andtwins. Similarlywhen we’ve theWestern interpretation used of with twinbedsa ‘double’.Inourreviews is confusinglycalled a‘single’,androom room priceslisted. extra chargesincorporated these into the ontopofand 15%tax room prices.We’ve chargeowned ones)charge a10%service but lessjustifiable. rooms thanmixed couples isalsopervasive with flatrates. establishments westillapplaudthose said, That the bestrooms,facilitiesandservice. and you’llalwaysbegiven priorityaswell faranji, offence toahotel ownercallingyouarich youmakeWestern ones).Although take All campingfees inthisbookare perper- There are increasing numbers of upmar- Pricing invariablyleadstoresentment In Ethiopia,aroom withadoublebed Some hotels (particularlygovernment- couples moreCharging same-sex for Best ofall,youcanbookonline. Reviews are thoroughandindependent. insider lowdownonthebestplacestostay. www.lonelyplanet.com. You’llfindthetrue, at service check outtheonlinebooking ommendations byLonelyPlanetauthors, For more accommodation reviews andrec- BOOK ACCOMMODATION ONLINE remember pricesare stilldirt-cheap, faranjis (foreigners, especially ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY ••Accommodation DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA of thatera! and manystillhost theorange shagcarpets 1970s and’80sunder thesocialistDerg, ist’ hotels thatwere inthe nationalised good valueformoney. Many are old‘tour- tired andrun-down, andvery rarely offer clean andquiet,themajority are looking cure usually parkingandagarden.Though aswellanadequate restaurant, se- TV, room withprivate bathroomandsatellite ern world.Theytypicallyinclude asimple bare-bones budget optionsintheWest- range hotels here wouldbescrapingbyas to Ethiopianbudget options,most mid- very comparedAlthough comfortable MIDRANGE forBirr50! hot showerandsatellite TV managedration, weeven asmartroomwith anaber-less fleasthisgoaround!Although pecially inthenorth.Wedefinitely pulled optionsisrising,es- clean andcomfortable are still countlessdives, butthenumber of leap. Theretry’s hotels, hasmadeanotable hotels, which make up95%of thecoun- Since ourlastvisit,thequalityof budget BUDGET best accommodation in northern Ethiopia. Goha Hotel) providesand Lalibela’s the Gonder’s Goha Hotel, Aksum’sYeha Hotel Dar’s Tanahistorical circuit(Bahir Hotel, Hotel Group. Itschain of hotels along the pick of ashared orprivate bathroom. your budget, youcantypicallyhave your you’re lucky,aplasticchair. Dependingon rolled over acementfloor,bedand,if –thinkfourwalls,linoleum always spartan only having in. ashutter toletairandlight bring earplugs.Many lackglasswindows, may doubleasdrinkingdensandbrothels– place tohead. of anewhotel intown, itmaybethebest thathavethose justopened.Ifyouhear priority, sothebestbudget hotels are often the relevant Sleeping sections foradvice. sections the relevant Sleeping duringthemajor festivals.and Lalibela See your belongingsfornoextracharge. ties inAddisAbaba, mosthotels willhold Worth singling out, however, istheGhion Worth singlingout, however, The vastmajority of budget roomsare In smaller, out-of-the-way townshotels In smaller,out-of-the-way Maintenance doesn’t seem to be a high Maintenance tobeahigh seem doesn’t Reservations are inGonder,Aksum wise Reservations Although thereAlthough are noleft-luggage facili-

253 ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY do thebirdsandartof bird-watching tract twitchers fromaroundtheglobe. To so diverse andsocolourfulthattheyat- The birds of Ethiopiaare sonumerous, Bird-Watching your binoculars andenjoy! Grab anythingelse. itsbirdsthantosee see morebelieved, peoplecometoEthiopia boom inbird-watching. are Ifstatistics tobe endemic andmigratorybirdshasledtoa opia’s skiesare blanketed withaplethoraof butnotleast,thefactthatEthi- fishing. Last playhometosomefineraftingand delights churning Ethiopia’stopo through graphic is stillinitsinfancyhere. Thewater ways Rock climbingisalsopossible,butthissport king inEthiopiahasbecomeamajor activity. unique wildlife, it’slittlewonderthattrek- and countlessotherpeaksvalleyshosting rangesWith twoamazing4000mmountain ACTIVITIES modest incomparison. inconsolablyThe nearbyHiltonseems on thecontinentforfacilitiesandcomfort. lection’ Sheraton Hotel thatrivalsanything Ababa, includingthefive-star ‘LuxuryCol- There are top-endoptionsinAddis several END TOP are sure tofollow. so more DarandLalibela, Minch, Bahir range optionshave croppedupinArba traditional designsandgreat service. offersEach attractive exceptionalsettings, 254 Several slicknewprivately ownedmid- Several
experience. on Before embarking atrek, considerthefollowingpointstoensure asafe and enjoyable GUIDELINESFORTREKKING SAFETY

Ask officials before you setoutabouttheenvironmental characteristics thatcanaffect your Beaware thatweather conditionsandterrain varysignificantlyfrom oneregion, oreven from Trek onlyinregions, and ontrails,withinyourrealm of experience. Obtain reliable informationabout physicalandenvironmentalconditions alongyour Besure forasustainedperiod. youare walking healthyandfeel comfortable Pay anyfees andpossessanypermitsrequired bylocalauthorities. ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY •• Activities ••Activities DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA trek andhow youshould deal withthem ifthey arise. ence what youshouldwearand whatequipment youcarry. one trail,to another. Seasonal changescansignificantly alter anytrail. These differences influ- intended route (eg fromparkauthorities). abroad, offer great bird-watching tours. ( p282 ), aswell assomeexcellentagencies while travelling thecountry. through delves intosomeof thespeciesyou’llspot tion ( p60 ) of theEnvironment chapter also to findthemandwhen.TheAnimalssec- and gives youthelowdownonwhere togo someoflights Ethiopia’smostfamousbirds Ethiopia’s EndemicBirds( p62 ). Ithigh- justice, we’ve created aspecialboxed text, sufficient, andpreparedsufficient, tolocate yourown you’ll have tocomefullyequippedandself- climbs intheHVS –E2(4-5c)range, though region of Tigray, which offers sandstone ing, particularlyaroundMekele inthe There’s potential for untapped rock climb- Rock Climbing where endemicspeciesare found. rivers NationalPark, Mountains intheBale where inEthiopia,withtheexceptionof south. Fishingispermitted almostevery- in thenorthandRiftValley lakes inthe as farequipmentisconcerned. self-sufficient tobetotally but you’llneed trolling are allpermitted fishingpractices, leger, freelining, threadline spinningand trout andthefamouslyfeisty Nileperch. barbus, tigerfish, thebrownandrainbow very large catfish(upto18kg),tilapia,large 200 speciesof freshwater fish, including Ethiopia’s lakes andrivers are hometoover Fishing Some of Addis Ababa’s touragencies Popular fishing spots include Lake TanaPopular fishingspotsincludeLake Fly-fishing, baitfishingwith floatand www.lonelyplanet.com www.lonelyplanet.com itions incredibly experienced some international operators, such as the tour operators ( p282 ) nowrun tripsasdo River inthesouthwest. MostAddisAbaba when anAmerican team rafted theOmo & Kayaking Rafting beganinEthiopiathe1970s, Rafting White-Water ( ecotreks aroundLalibela p163 ). Dodola ( p179 ). Alsonewonthescene are are Mountains nowpossibleoutofthe Bale typically (p181) last fourtosixdays. Park National Mountains while treks therich through wildlife of Bale NationalParkSimien Mountains ( p125 ), in thestriking4000msurroundings of areup totwoweeks regularly completed trips toEthiopia. Treks fromafew days Trekking of manypeople’s isthehighlight Trekking routes. Contact www.village-ethiopia.com) climbers inthepast. New horse treksNew horse inthewestern range of

preserve note theecologyandbeautyofarea ofthefollowinginformation. bytaking inEthiopiahasthepotentialTrekking toputgreat pressure ontheenvironment.Youcanhelp RESPONSIBLE TREKKING

Don’tusedetergents ortoothpaste within50mofwatercourses, even ifthey’re biodegradable. Try to cook on lightweight kerosene, alcoholorShellite Trytocookonlightweightkerosene, (white gas)stoves instead ofburning Avoid removing anyplantlife topsoilsinplace. astheykeep Ifyoublaze anewtrail cutsthat bypassaswitchback. Sticktoexistingtracksandavoidshort Where there’s notoilet,atlowerelevationsburyyourfaecesina 15cm deephole(consider nomore andtaking minimalpackaging thewaste Minimise youmustcarryoutbytaking Carry outallyourrubbish.Never ever buryit. If camping, try to make camponexistingsites. Ifcamping,trytomake Where noneexist,setupawayfromstreams Beaware oflocallaws,regulations andetiquette aboutwildlife andtheenvironment. Never feed animalsasitmesseswiththeirdigestive system andleadsthemtobecome

dead ericawoodoreucalyptus. Never burnindigenoustrees. heavyrainfall. straight downaslope,itwillerodethehillsidewithnext any watercourse and200mfromanybuilding. are sure best).Witheitheroptionmake yourfaecesisatleast50mfromanypath,100m down –spreading itfacilitates theprocess. Alwayscarryoutyourtoiletpaper(Ziplockbags needed todigestyourfaeces,soleave yourwaste intheopenwhere UVrayswillbreak it carrying alightweighttrowelforthispurpose).At higheraltitudes soillackstheorganisms food thanyou’llneed. on rockorbare ground,never over vegetation. dependent onhand-outs. (www.remoterivers.com) Village Ethiopia Village , which hascatered to ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY ••Activities DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA . Remote River Exped- River Remote

( % 0115 523497; River). alongtheOmo tribal groups(such asthose exposure towildlife (particularlybirds) and is notthemainattraction,rather itisthe tively three tame or fourontheUSscale) The white asacompara- water (classed Tours usuallylastfromonetothree weeks. to October(after theheavySeptember rains). a millenniumor so. won’t beonany travel agency itineraryfor beyond totheMediterranean, thisjourney TanaBlue NilefromLake and toKhartoum toric expeditionshave recently paddled the (one ortwodays)Rivers. twohis- Although on theBlueNile(afew days) andAwash enced kayakers inEthiopia. which will putyou intouch with experi- touch withthe AddisAbaba touroperators, trips have in gonetragically wrong.Get backed up. In thepast,some badlyplanned to bewellplanned, wellequippedand it’s notfortheinexperienced. Tripsneed had onalltherivers mentionedearlier,but The Omo River rafting season isfromThe OmoRiver raftingseason Shorter raftingtripscanalsobeplanned In theory,excellent kayakingcouldbe

255 ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY 256 very readable andgives a goodoverview among historians, this detective story is an eyebrowortwo and conclusions raised Ark of theCovenant. theresearch Though all time: the bizarre of ‘disappearance’ the to solve one of thegreatest mysteries of the Seal opia isGraham Hancock’s One of thebest-knownbooks aboutEthi- BOOKS by officials, you’ll likely haveby officials,you’lllikely theitem confiscated andhave a lotofexplainingtodo. venir canleave Ethiopia. Ifyouhaven’t declared questionablesouvenirs andthey’re discovered thedetermination ofantiquities,willmake astowhetheryoursou- office, nowtrainedintheart that looksantique,thisisnolongerthe case. of Inventory at theNationalMuseumifyouplantoleave andInspection Ethiopiawithanything permitfromtheDepartment Although youmayhave beentoldthatyou’llneedanexportation PermitsExportation










permits. Bewarnedthatcurrently much parchmentisbeingdeniedpermission. The followinglistisadapted thatare fromtheofficial catalogueofobjects nowdeniedexport List ofBannedSouvenirs the countryhave alookatthefollowinglistofbannedsouvenirs. her treasures by2020.Ifyoudon’twanttoriskwastingmoney onasouvenir thatcan’tleave totryandcreateproject anationwide,computerised inventory ofEthiopia’streasures. goldcross.famous 7kg Things becamesocriticalthattheWorldBankrecently fundedafour-year al MuseumatAksum,andinMarch1997aBelgian touristalmostsucceededinremoving Lalibela’s In1996aGermantouristremovedthe disappearanceofworksart. several items fromtheNation- will probablynever berecovered. including goldandsilver crossesandeven agiant stele (!),have leftEthiopiaas ‘souvenirs’. Most During thelastseveral hundred years,thousandsofmanuscriptsandothernationaltreasures, IN SEARCH OF SOUVENIRS

Old processional or hand crosses that bear the names of kings orreligious Oldprocessionalorhandcrossesthatbearthenamesofkings leaders;orany Anythingwithanancientinscriptiononit. Anythingofoutstandinganthropological orethnographicalinterest. Animalandplantfossilsanyprehistoric items suchasstonetools, bonesorpottery. Anyitems formerlybelonging totheemperor,hisfamilyorEthiopiannobles withoutstandinghistoricalvalue, suchasengravingswithhistoricalfigures. Art interest Anyitems ofexceptionalartistic whetherold ormodern. orleopardskins. Anyendangered suchasivory,tortoiseshell speciesortheirproducts, Coinsandpapermoneynotcurrently incirculation. Anyoldwoodenitems. Anyitems (includingmanuscripts,books,documentsorreligious suchaschalices, objects ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY ••Books DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA As oflate andAddisAbaba’smainpost 2005customsofficialsatBoleInternational Airport At thecurrent rate of‘souvenir’ removal, it’s thoughtthatEthiopiawillbebereft ofmost Today, tourists,antiquedealers,professional thieves andeven diplomatsare responsible for currently inuseatchurchesormonasteries. crosses and incense burners) currently serving inchurches.crosses andincenseburners)currently serving . Theauthorspent 10years trying The Sign and Ethiopian conflictinthe 1930s. as acorrespondent covering theItalian– in Abyssinia pressions of Ethiopiainthe1930s. rather dated now,includes somewryim- tenuous thefacts! of Ethiopia’shistoryandculture, however Duke of Pirajno recounts theduke’s time The charming Evelyn Waugh’s is based on theauthor’s time isbased A Cure forSerpents Remote People, www.lonelyplanet.com though though Waugh bythe e (p26). ter found inthesidebars of theHistorychap- Interesting Ethiopianhistory booksare engaging bookonEthiopia’shistory. is thebasisof andgiantelephants. chieftains encounters noble withfamouscourtesans, and engaginglywritten. Episodesinclude as adoctorintheHornandisbeautifully www.lonelyplanet.com ited hours onSunday. 8pm Monday toSaturday. Some have lim- to midnight. from 10am to10pm.Bars openfrom6pm beats to8pmor9pm,while or 7amthrough standards. business hours from these unless theydiffer reviews inthis guidewon’tlist Restaurant 9.30pmand10.30pm. between and close 7am and8am ants typicallyopenbetween hour later. OutsideAddisAbaba, restaur- Shopsweekdays. usuallyoperate half an open from8amto1pmand2pm to5pm Friday. Private organisations andNGOs Friday) and1.30pmto5.30pmMonday to around 8.30amto12.30pm(to 11.30am openforlunch. or stay later Saturday, butmanyopenearlier,close andfrom8.30am to11am 3.30pm weekdays hours of 8.30am to11amand1.30pm munications offices are allare openthecore In general, banks, postoffices andtelecom- BUSINESS HOURS Ethiopia’s the historicalanecdotes revolving around Solomon. Shah’s questtofindthemythicalminesof otic EthiopianlocationsonauthorTahir Gonderandotherex- Damo, Lalibela, takestainingly thereader Debre through worker. country duringtheauthor’stimeasanaid ontravelsham, which isbased aroundthe cally is the emperor’stime. Recentlypublishedlo- writer Paul Henze, charts travels during Journeys, For thebesttravel literature see p16 . The newlyreprinted (locally) Internet cafés are typicallyopen 8am to areCafés typicallyopendaily from6am Most government are offices open from Thomas Pakenham’s fascinationwith In Search of King Solomon’sMines (honey-winebars) usuallyrundaily Off theOff Beaten Trail, bythewell-respected American ambas The Mountains of Rasselas, (flat-topped mountains) (flat-toppedmountains) ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY •• BusinessHours DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA byJohn Gra- Ethiopian enter- an tej COURSES soar past30°C. and westwhere daytimetemperatures can only thelowlandfringes intheeast,south arewide-ranging highlands below20°C.It’s mild. Average dailytemperatures onthe Ethiopia’s climate onthewholeisvery CLIMATE CHARTS Compared withotherequatorialnations, October. receiving mostof itsraininApril,May and 1000mm). Thefarsouthbreaks thetrend cant rainfallinJulyandAugust(400mmto onlyreceivenorthern highlands signifi- up to1600mmannually.Thefareastand receivingthe centralandwestern highlands mid-Marchtween andearlyOctober,with Go section, Go section, p14 . destination chapter. also theWhento See ofcan befoundintheClimate section each nature while on thego! absorb the country’shistory, culture and most travellers are justtoobusytryingto likely duetothelackof demand–perhaps are really no courses of note in Ethiopia. It’s Unless you’re livingin AddisAbaba, there four-month language courses (see p90 ). Studies atAddis Ababa University offers DIRE DAWA ADDIS ABABA -10 -10 C°F °C °F °C 10 40 10 40 30 30 20 20 The majority of rainstraditionallyfallbe- More informationonweatherpatterns For long stays, theInstituteFor long stays, of Language 0 0 JFMAMJJASOND JFMAMJJASOND Temp Temp 1162m (3812ft) 104 104 32 32 14 14 68 86 68 86 50 50 2354m (7724ft) 10 12 10 12 14 in in 2 4 6 8 2 4 6 8 0 0 JFMAMJJASOND JFMAMJJASOND Rainfall Rainfall Max/Min Max/Min Average Average

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 257 mm mm ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY ing andhonest. driversEthiopian taxi are helpful,charm- rate elsewhere. Andalwaysnegotiate thetaxi of theairportanddon’tletthemtake you beforehotel youwishtostay youstep out intheirs,and putitstraight decideonthe you wanttotake moneyfromyourpocket can beaproblematmostairports. Unless touts andguides taxi Commission-seeking theAirport At less likely ifyou’re prepared forthem. –andeven difficulties encounter anyserious putting andalarming,it’svery unlikely you’ll newcomer inaminute. and conartistsget windof anuncertain if youknowwhere you’re going.Thieves of pettycrimedropsstillfurther. tremely rare. therisk Outsidethecapital, crime israre; againsttravellers it’sex- orviolent remarkably safe places.Serious AddisAbaba,Ethiopia anditscapital, are Compared withmanyAfricancountries, DANGERS &ANNOYANCES p256). text, venirs theboxed canbeaproblem(see migration (todeter black-market trading). your passportasyouenter Ethiopiaatim- puter, youmayberequired toregister iton value, such asavideocameraorlaptopcom- duty-free. of spiritsand200 cigarettes or100cigars ported andimported. Youmayimport2L in, butnomore thanBirr100canbeex- the amountof currency thatcanbebrought clare foreign currency. There’s nolimitto Upon arrivalin Ethiopia, visitors mustde- CUSTOMS 258 seen as dispensers of asdispensers charity.seen Foreignersmade thisinevitable. are often the work of has high-profile aidefforts theyarebeggars because foreign. However, Some travellers resent being‘targeted’ by aspects of travel inpoorer countries. encounter isoneof themostdistressing Many travellers findthatthe they begging & Begging Giving Though thefollowinglistmaybeoff- Though A simpletraveller’s tip?Alwayslookas sou- thecountrywithcertain Leaving If you’re bringingwithyouanythingof Ethiopia hasits fair share of beggars. ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY ••Customs DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA before youget in.Themajority of should notbeimportant. if you’re reason givingfortheright that thejoyonchild’s face,but won’t see No,you studentsactuallyinneed. to those This allowsteachers todistribute materials finding outwhatmaterials theschool needs. This mayinvolve visitingacommunityand toinvest youneed timeandeffort. in need, future. Ifyoureally wanttohelpchildren tounhappiness inthe porary andonlyleads face, butyouhave toremember thisistem- past generations). like of growingupproudandself-reliant hand-outsfromWesternersneed (instead childhood andmakes they thembelieve from school, robsthemof atraditional warded forthisbehaviour onlypulls them re- theycangetbecause theitems. Being theitems, theyneed but don’t begbecause water bottles,foodetc.Mostchildren were formoney,empty young,begging thantheywere off no worse whenthey younger generations of children, whoare Older Ethiopiansare heartbroken seeing pens,emptywater bottles orfood. sweets, give tochildren, whetheritbemoney, ing togive. this isapolitewayof andacceptable declin- bowofbless you)withaslight thehead; instead ment downtheline. andleadstomoreexpectations disappoint- the blind.Handing outmore onlyincreases theill,elderlyand such asthedisabled, whocan’tmake tothose aliving, dispensed thumb istogive howlocalsgive; smallcoins whom andhowmuch. Agoodruleof and arresting more. thousands Although vember 2005 resulted in police killing46 journalists andprotestors being jailed. ofin thousands opposition partymembers, testers throwingstones. Thefalloutresulted killed whenpolice fired intocrowdsof pro- 22civilianswereOn 8June2005 at least opposition protests have sparked violence. ated occasionsinAddis Ababa where large tions inMay 2005,there have two isol- been Since thecontroversial government elec- Civil Disturbances Yes, givingtokidsputsasmileontheir it’shard,youshouldnever Although If youdon’twanttodonate money,say toknowwhengive, to It’s difficult A week ofA week similar demonstrations inNo- igzabier

yisteh www.lonelyplanet.com / yistesh (m/f;God tains NationalParkstains are perfectly safe. areas Moun- such astheSimienandBale (Are there mines here?) Populartrekking Mobbing &Faranji Frenzy be might phrase sible. Auseful ficials. Keep towell-wornroutes whenpos- border shouldcheck withlocalvillage of- southeastern EthiopiaoralongtheKenyan intheOgadenregion of or drivingoff-road trekkingmines, butthose inpartsof Tigray Most travellers have nothingtofear from Land Mines eign Office). publishedbytheBritishFor-(such asthose reportsment’s latest security oncountries any massdemonstrations. clearofshould monitorlocalnewsandstay Addis Ababa isonceagainquiet,travellers www.lonelyplanet.com faranji few thingsmore tempting thanagrumpy only provokes children more (there canbe humour isprobablythebestanswer. Anger better,noring itor,even treating itwith Like there’s begging, noclearresponse. Ig- shoutingorsniggering children.giggling, as itsoundsinEnglish. other words,it’snotasrudeandaggressive way of catching someone’s attention. In equivalent thattheAmharic inmind,however, Bear thehacklesofis whatmostraises travellers. nomenon isdistressing. rival asmuch asfortheold-timer,phe- turn.Forthenewar-you atalmostevery is thefamous‘ annoyanceinEthiopia The mostwearisome to individuals. andcharminghowling mob intodelightful zoo feeling. Youmayjusttransformthe with localsusually breaks theanimalina ‘captive tryingtocommunicate spectacle’, a foreigner. fect, andisconsidered ratherharsh from scuttling, butit can have thereverse ef- the Ethiopianresponse, children and sends a boy, it’s almost If you’re concerned,check yourgovern- It canalsotake theformof screaming, The shoutsof ‘You,you,YOU!’ Although you’reAlthough likely never to get used If you’re waitingfora busandbecomea faranji !). AnAmharic hiji! frenzy, at leastfeel thankful that foragirlor never (Ante!/Anchee!) faranji aggressive orhostile. ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY ••Dangers&Annoyances DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA frenzy’, which greets hid! hidu! isthecolloquial (clearoff!) for foragroupis Fenjy alle ? for fear of government repercussions. targeted; theyare indeed positively avoided tourist trails.Infact,touristsare very rarely most of placesliefarfromthemain these ( bandits) are sometimesreported. However, ances section ( ances section p84 ). AddisAbaba’stics, see Dangers &Annoy- Nazret andDessie. Fortipsontheives’ tac- large towns,inparticularShashemene, a problemmainlyinAddisAbaba andother Pickpocketing isthebiggest concern,butis Theft andinthefar west, road atnight, Kenyan border,alongtheAwash–Mille the near as thesoutheast’sOgadenDesert, In someof themore remote areas, such Shiftas polite butfirmandtrynottoget paranoid! there’s almostalwaysanulterior motive. Be exit of etc.Unfortunately, busstations proaches youunasked, particularlyatthe then charged. waryof anyonewhoap- Be while, given unasked-for informationand will beapproached, accompaniedfora guides.You and unofficial self-appointed High unemployment hasspawnedmany Guides Self-Appointed transparent andrathereasilyavoided. the historicalcircuit(see p157 ), are pretty in AddisAbaba andthenotebook scamon thatdoexist,likeThose thesiren scam( p84 ) opia hasfew of.scams andrip-offs toboast Compared tootherAfricancountries,Ethi- Scams targeting Ethiopiansaswellforeigners. major festivals andmarkets (such asBati), professional thieves sometimesoperate at awareput yourbagson the busroof. that Be and bewaryofstations people offering to true, sodon’tberude. most are notgenuine, somestoriesare sadly education inEthiopiaorabroad.Although solicitingsponsorship fortravelor those or belt each timeyou spend. It’salso agood you don’t have toyank out yourmoney spending money–keep so thatseparate but not foryourdailyand cash stash, shops. Keep aneyeonyourbelongings atbus You’ll alsohearmany‘hardluck’stories, A money beltisbestfor yourpassport Also lookoutforfake antiquesinthe shiftas 259

ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY Belgium Australia the followingcountries: Ethiopia hasdiplomaticrepresentation in Consulates & Embassies Ethiopian EMBASSIES &CONSULATES hidden somewhere. idea tokeep an emergency of stash US$100 260 Sudan Kenya Italy Ireland Germany France Egypt Canada El-Gomhuria Sq,Mohandiseen) El-Gomhuria .html; 38JohnstonStreet, 3065) Fitzroy, Victoria Andrea Vesalio, 00161,Rome) Merrion House,FitzwilliamMerrion StLower, Dublin2) Charles Floquet,75007, Paris) de Tervuren, 1150Brussels) Ottawa, K1P5H3) Ottawa,




your trip,here are afew tips: unofficialguides,theyhaveschool, andlike littleknowledgethatwillbenefityourtrip. trip andencouragesunhealthymigrationofpotential ‘guides’totowns. chargetrained andwilllikely thesamefee. awayfromyour Their knowledgetakes lackofactual at acostofUS$20perday! conned apprehensive first-time themalongfortheentire travellers historicalcircuit, intotaking ‘wrong’.Some‘guides’inAddisAbabahavethis andotherguidebooksare even whollyorpartly andthat claimspecialexpertise tohard-luckstoriesorappeals for‘sponsorship’.Others resort circuit, there are stillcountlessunofficial ‘guides’waitingatevery corner. Although more official inthecitiesalonghistorical guides existinEthiopiatoday,particularly GUIDELINES FORGUIDES

Negotiate afee inadvance. Beaware thatsomemayaskinitiallyuptofive timesthegoing ensure Before are thatyourexpectations starting clearlyunderstood,suchaswhatyouwant with.Test Chooseaguideyou’re comfortable theirknowledgeofEnglishandthesites in Ifpossible,hire licensedguides. If the service hasbeengood,it’sfair andpolite attheend,butdon’tbepres- totipabitextra Iftheservice ( ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY ••Embassies&Consulates DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA ( % If youdon’twanttobeoneofthemanypeoplewritinguswithstories aguideruining childrenHiring anice waytohelp,butyou’re mayseemlike onlygiving themreason tomiss Even iftheunofficialguideisfriendly,they’llknowlittle incomparisontothosewho’ve been moneyfromtourists;others toaggression,Some ofthemresort toextract hysterics orsulking total fee ofBirr20)isvery fair. Checkthisbookforquotes. in GonderandLalibela. Foraknowledgeableguideelsewhere, Birr10perhour(minimum rate ormore. Professional licensedguides’fees are setatBirr150perday(onetofourpeople) to seeandhowmuchtimeyouhave. advance, perhapsover acoffee. sured into it, particularly ifthetourwaspoor.sured intoit,particularly Seetheboxed text, p264 . ( ( ( % ( % ( % % ( % % ( ( 06 4403653; [email protected];16-18 Via % % % 02-335 3693; 6 Abdel Rahman Hussein St, 02-335 3693;6AbdelRahman 471156; Plot 4, Block 384 BC, Khartoum South) 471156; Plot4,Block 384BC, Khartoum 020-2732050; State HouseAve, Nairobi) 01 478395;[email protected]; 35ave 01-677 7062;[email protected]; 1-3 613-235 6637;Suite210,151SlaterSt, 02 7713294;[email protected];231Ave 03-9417 3419;www.consul.com.au/index 030-772 060;Boothstr20a, 12207,Berlin) 3506 International Drive, NWWashington DC20008) 3506 InternationalDrive, -maeci.gc.ca; Seychelles St)Alsorepresents-maeci.gc.ca; Seychelles Australia. ethionet.et; Madagascar St) ethionet.et; Madagascar ethionet.et; Fikremaryam AbatechanSt) France Eritrea Egypt Djibouti Canada Belgium Australia most of youwilllikely need. Addis Ababa), butitcovers theembassies Africannationhasrepresentationevery in The followinglistisn’texhaustive (almost inEthiopia Embassies &Consulates USA UK Sweden ethionet.et; POBox 1464) Ave) Currently closed. Off BoleRd. Off Lojtnantsgatan, 11550,Stockholm) ( ( % % (Map (Map p76 ; (Map (Map p76 ; (Map (Map pp80-1 ; (Map (Map p76 ; 020-7589 7212; 17 Prince’s Gate, London,SW7IPZ) Gate, 020-7589 7212;17Prince’s ( (Map (Map pp80-1 ; (Map (Map p76 ; 202-364 1200;[email protected]; See Canada. See % 08-665 6030;[email protected]; 17 % % % % 0111 553077;egyptian.emb@ % 0111 550066; amba.france@ % 0113 713022;addis@dfait 0116 611643;embel.et@ 0115 512844; Ras Mekonen Mekonen 0115 512844; Ras 0116 613006;POBox1022) www.lonelyplanet.com also good. Leddet;of thebestplacestoexperience AddisAbabais dontheirfullregalia.horse racing. Priests Lalibelaisone ethionet.et; POBox1105) [email protected]; Fikremaryam AbatechanSt) [email protected]; Yared St) [email protected]; Ring Rd) [email protected]; Ring mail.mae.es; BotswanaSt) USA UK Switzerland Sweden Sudan Spain Somaliland Netherlands Kenya Italy [email protected]; POBox660) Germany www.lonelyplanet.com sometimes day, thetraditionalgamesof movingfromonechurchtoanother.often OnChristmas still significant.Thefaithfulattendall-nightchurch services, Leddet is thanTimkat andMeskel, Although lessimportant Leddet January clude thefollowing: (Festival of Sacrifice). end)andEidal-Adha(marking Ramadan’s al-Mira’ji (Prophet’sAscension), Eidal-Fitr Mawlid an-Nabi(Prophet’s birthday),Lailat as-Sana(MuslimNewYear),include Ras con- fortheMuslimpopulation.Festivalsevents particularly not spicuous inEthiopiabuttheyare important are holidays Islamic FESTIVALS &EVENTS .usembassy.gov; Algeria St) .usembassy.gov; Algeria onet.et; Fikremaryam AbatechanSt) Rd &CameroonSt) [email protected]; Ras Lulseged St) [email protected]; Ras [email protected]) Off Ring Rd. Ring [email protected]) Off (Map (Map p76 ; Major EthiopianOrthodox festivals in- 40 9Dc0 0 a 9 0Jl0 2 e 9 28 Nov09 Sacrifice 9Dec 08 20 Dec07 09 21Sep Ramadan 08 02Oct 07 13Oct Ascension 20Jul09 31Jul08 10Aug07 Birthday 09 09Mar 08 20Mar Festival of 07 31Mar 29Dec 09 10Jan 08 Endof 20Jan 07 Prophet’s 1430 1429 Prophet’s 1428 New Year Islamic year HOLIDAYS ISLAMIC MAJOR Mp p76; (Map (Map (Map p76 ; Mp p76; (Map (Map (Map pp80-1 ; (Map (Map p76 ; (also known as Genna or Christmas) 6–7January. orChristmas) (alsoknownasGenna (Map (Map pp80-1 ; (Map (Map p76 ; gugs (Map (Map pp80-1 ; (Map (Map p76 ; Mp p76; (Map % (a kind ofpolo)are played, alongwith (akind % % % % 0116 612354;britishembassy 0115 174000;http://addisababa 0111 553042;italembadd@ % % 0115 550222;embaespet@ 0116 610033;kenigad@ethi % % % 0111 550433;german.emb 0115 516477;sudan.emb ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY ••Festivals &Events DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA % genna 0115 511255;sweden.emb 0113 711107;vertre 0113 711100;nether 0116 635921;btwnBole (a kind of hockey) and ofhockey) (a kind vows are renewed. The water, whichisblessed,thensplashedontothem;religious The followingmorning,thecrowdsgatheraround March–April is alsogood(headforJanMeda; p103 ). is considered thebestplacetobeforTimkat; AddisAbaba church accompaniedbymuchsinginganddancing. Gonder Aksum. See Aksum. See p141 fordetails. Ethiopia’s largestfestivals, thoughit’sonlycelebratedin priests and faithful participate inavigilaroundthe andfaithfulparticipate priests thenight, ofTimkat. During oftheeve afternoon toanearbybodyofwateronthe Covenant) are taken the year. Thechurch of festival isthemostcolourful January. Thisthree-day September armies. heavycasualtiesonitsweakened toinflict fasting period past, manyofEthiopia’senemiestookadvantagethe finishesataround3pm.Inthe until thedailychurchservice nothingshouldbeconsumed iseaten.Officially, product fastof55days,inwhichnoanimal end ofavegetarian Zion Festival ofMaryam Meskel Yohannes Kiddus Fasika Friday Good Timkat November Meskel. Gonder andAksumare goodplacestoexperience dontheirfull regalia.around them.Priests Addis Ababa, are blessed,theyare lit,anddancingsingingbegins thebonfires daisy.After tied, mostcommonlytheMeskel Bonfires are builttoppedbyacrosstowhichflowersare Timkat. festival after festival isthemostcolourful two-day be seen. are prepared. Thetraditionalgameof children, are andrelativesvisited.Special feasts andfriends forthe clothes are boughtfortheoccasion,particularly Traditionally, new familyandsocialevent. important Ethiopian NewYear isan (alsoknownasEnkutatash) ends at3amonEasterSunday. which thefaithfulfastuntilEasterservice, Good Friday, (Orthodox Easter) March/April. Fasika marksthe Easter)March/April. (Orthodox (Epiphany, celebrating Christ’s baptism)19 (Epiphany,celebratingChrist’s (Finding of theTrueCross)27September. This March/April. From Thursday evening before FromThursdayevening March/April. (NewYear’s Day)11September. tabots tabot (replicas oftheArk 30November. Thisisone of isthenparadedbacktothe gugs cansometimes tabots 261

. ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY penalties of 10 days’ and10 years’ between ficially prohibits acts, with homosexual assumed tobejustfriends. discreetly,opians! Behave and youwillbe the permitted imaginings of many Ethi- the ideaof alesbianrelationship isbeyond berefusedmay even occupancy. you andyourcompanion willpaymore or only offers double beds,ratherthantwins, just forcomingunder suspicion.Ifahotel threatsexpulsion fromahotel andserious pravity. Onetraveller wrote tousreport fensive insult,implying immorality andde- shine, you’llfindthemunderDrinking. Conversely, ifit’stheircoffee orjuicesthat tries andcakes, they’llfallunderEating. hood andlastlybyauthorpreference. by neighbour- Indianetc),second Italian, are ordered first bystyleof food(Ethiopian, being theonlyexception.There, restaurants order of author preference, withAddisAbaba you’llbeoutaboutUS$8. taurant, orange couscousinAddisAbaba’s bestres- onions,lentils,lemonand raison melised lambwithcara- dine onsucculentbraised extra 50¢.Ifyoupulloutallthestopsand while aWestern mealwillrobyouof an cities alocalmealwilldingyouUS$1.50, ing youlessthanUS$1.Inlarge regional cheap, withlocal mealsinremote areas cost- Turn to p68 thepicture?! Get the word beaten uparen’t uncommon.InAmharic, strength of feeling. Reportsof gaysbeing of absolute taboo. Don’tunderestimate the giously andlegally–remains a topic severely condemned –traditionally,reli- In Ethiopia andEritrea, is homosexuality GAY &LESBIANTRAVELLERS atop your For informationonwhatyou’llfindheaped FOOD Gabriel Kulubi December 262 you’re inthearea, don’tmissit. near Dire Dawa intheeast(seeboxed text, p225 ). If church totheveneratedKulubiGabriel apilgrimage make official religious holidaylist,largenumbersofEthiopians Note thatthe Ethiopianpenal codeof- Women mayhave time:even aneasier If cafésare more knownfortheirpas- In thisbookrestaurants are listed solelyin outin Eating Ethiopia isridiculously ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY ••Food DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA bushti injera, 28December. Althoughnotonthe (homosexual) isavery (homosexual) of- see see p68 . What’s injera ? Lesbian & Gay Association Lesbian &Gay known gaypublications.Trythe inthewell- Horn ishardtocomeby,even Gay travellers are todolikewise. advised have withextreme discretion andcaution. gaylocalsobviouslyexist,theybe- though imprisonment forvarious‘crimes’.Al- per minute inmost places. Theexceptions and costs range from Birr0.20 toBirr0.30 Sunday. to Saturday. Someopen limited hours on ists. Mostare open8am to8pmMonday fewand nonexistent tour- inplaces thatsee Ababa, pretty easy tospotinmajor towns In English?Internet is everywhere in Addis whereone looksandnever nobody cansee. wedding day–it’s alwaysfoundwhere every- Internet inEthiopiaislike apimpleonyour ACCESS INTERNET planet.com/travel_services. 44 countriesisavailable onlineatwww.lonely medical insurance,see p369 . Forinformation on helpful butnotvital. while onetocover theftandlossreally is fortravelproblems isessential in Ethiopia, A travel-insurance policyforallmedical INSURANCE Downfall oftheDerg Day Victory Ethiopian Patriots’ LabourDay International ofAdwaCommemorationDay Victory for more details. therelevant towns’sections problems. See asfarinadvancepossibletoavoidflights tion costsremain It’sbesttobook thesame. times,transporta- for roomsduringthese Whilepricesrise oninternal flights. seats asare open in Gonder,AksumandLalibela, tivals, accommodationishardtocomeby p261 Orthodox). DuringtheChristian fes- theboxedand Islamicholidays(see text, Orthodoxdays, Christian festivals ( p261 ) into three holi- categories: nationalsecular Ethiopia’s public holidayscanbedivided HOLIDAYS Liberation Day)5May more information. Information on homosexuality intheInformation onhomosexuality Connections are stillonthe slowside Worldwide cover totravellers fromover Vehicle insurance iscovered on p280 . National holidaysincludethefollowing: 28May 1May

www.lonelyplanet.com (ILGA; (alsoknownas

www.ilga.org) International International 2March for bribes (we’ve yettoexperienceit). nations, policehere rarely, askfor ifever, polite. Compared withsomeotherAfrican yourcool,smileandbe always maintain show them.Ifconfronted bythepolice, opia willshowyouasmuch respect asyou a lawyer. Forthemostpart, policeinEthi- to someonefromyourembassyaswell within 48hours. Youhave totalk the right tocourtyou mustintheorybebrought toEthiopianlaws. Ifyou’resubject arrested, Remember thatwheninEthiopia,you’re LEGAL MATTERS for youtogoonline. and HiltoninAddisAbaba have facilities (Birr2 perminute). are Aksum(Birr1perminute) andLalibela www.lonelyplanet.com picked up insome Addis Ababa hotels or (1987; 1:2,000,000) isn’t bad andcan be defunct Ethiopian Tourism Commission precision. can helpyouplan yourroutes withmore fordetails) theparks’ relevant sections (see aren’t topographicmaps though necessary, additionalmaps Mountains, ien andBale king withoutascout isillegalintheSim- Sincetrek-4WDs, agoodmap isessential. venturing off intothenetherregions with of Forthose you guidebook shouldsuffice. try onpublictransport,the maps inthis For simplytravelling around thecoun- MAPS in Eritrea. leaf sentences. fenders canexpectbothfines andlongjail strictly enforcedinEthiopia. Convicted of- ing of illegal drugs(includinghashish)are Penalties ortraffick- use forpossession, Drugs fluence attractsafineof aroundBirr150. imprisonment. Drivingwhileunderthein- punishable bythree months’ tooneyear’s undertheinfluenceofby those alcohol is years of age inEthiopia. Disturbancecaused toanyone under18 Alcohol cannotbeserved Alcohol See alsoInternet Resources, See p17 . withlaptops,onlytheSheratonFor those In Ethiopia, themapproduced bythe Consumption of themildlystimulating chat ispermitted inEthiopia,butnot ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY ••Legal Matters DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA Information Centre inAddisforBirr61. Information Centre in thegiftshop( p104 ) nexttotheTourist Birr28.75. ping Authority( p78 ) inAddisAbaba for scale isavailable fromtheEthiopiaMap- cities)of labelsbetween thesame distance available inEthiopia. It’s much more uptodate thanbothmaps ternational Travel Maps (1998;1:2,000,000). the country,bestisthatproducedbyIn- ond, andisn’tabadchoice fortheregion. and Djibouti(1996;1:2,500,000)comessec- duced outsideEthiopia,including ATMs currencies.Africa’s moststable mining exchange rates, thebirrisoneof birr notes. auctiondeter- Despite aweekly coins, andthere are 1,5,10,50and100 into 100centsin1,5,10,25and50cent Ethiopia’s currency isthebirr. It’sdivided MONEY ( of travel. rates and p14 aboutthecosts fordetails mand!) UScurrency. of Immigrationaccept(andsometimesde- travel agencies theDepartment andeven opian Airlines,mostmajor hotels, most paid inbirr. Thisisn’tenforced andEthi- regulations, allbillsinEthiopiamustbe poor and it’s risky (see poor andit’srisky (see below ). traders aroundtheborders, butrates are budget accordingly.There are black-market This meanspeopleleaving overland must holding onwardairtickets fromEthiopia. canonlybedoneforpeople this transaction the conversion of birrtoUSdollars oreuros; banks. above 10%more thanthat offered bythe converge. It’srare tobeoffered arate much ficial and free rates fortheEthiopian birr The black market is in declineastheof- Black Market cept foreign cards. There are noATMs inthecountrythatac- % A more accurate itlacks map(although Of themapscurrently available outside The Cartographia mapofThe Cartographia Ethiopia,Eritrea Most major mapsuppliers stockmapspro- See theinsidefrontcoverSee forexchange According to National Bank ofAccording toNationalBank Ethiopia One regulation that’sstrictlyenforcedis 020-7836 1321;www.stanfords.co.uk) inLondon. Stanfords 263

ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY good chance of beingswindledorrobbed. Piazza inAddisAbaba, where’s there’s a other places,particularlyMerkato andthe indulge, sticktotheshops,andbe waryof from heftyfinestoimprisonment. If youdo cash. ally endupgetting rates worse for slightly cash thantravellers cheques, youwill usu- for poundssterling. canbesaid banks acceptthem.Thesame still more of ahassletochange andless Euros are gaininginpopularity,butthey’re US cash wherever there are forex facilities. Ethiopia. You’llhave notroubleexchanging dollar isthepreferred foreign currency in As withmanyAfrican countriestheUS Cash 264 travel agencies, and major airline offices outside it. The Ethiopian Airlines offices) (with theexception ofpletely useless some inAddis Ababaonly mildly useful andcom- Credit andMasterCard) cards (Visa are Cards Credit The blackmarket isillegal;penaltiesrange Although moreAlthough banksinEthiopiachange









compiled withthehelpofEthiopians. Tipping canbeaconstantsourceofworry,hassleorstress fortravellers. This guidehasbeen TIPS FORTIPPING

Professional guideshired fromAddisAbabatravel English-/German-/Italian-speaking agencies hasbeengoodatthe endofthetrek, aruleofthumbfortippingguides/scouts/ Iftheservice Drivers of4WDrental vehicles aroundBirr70perdayinsalary,soatipof Birr30 toBirr50 make Taxi drivers aroundBirr2addedtothefare; inAddisAbabaexpect car‘guards’(often self- At traditionalmusicanddanceshowsinbars,restaurants andhotels, anaudienceshowsits Fortheassistanceofachild,Birr1orBirr2isplenty. hotels’ atipof luggagehandlerswillexpect OutsideAddisAbaba,midrangeandtop-end hotels, aminimumBirr10perservice. staffwillexpect InAddisAbaba’smidrangeandtop-end Inbarsandcafés,sometimesloosecoinsare left.However, inthelarger restaurants accus- isincluded,andEthiopiansdon’ttipunlessthe Inthesmallerrestaurants inthetowns,service ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY ••Money DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA per day. aroundBirr200perday,soanicetipwouldbeBirr50toBirr70 for multiday4WDtoursmake day’spayforeverymule handlersmightbeanextra three days’work. per dayisgenerousforqualityservice. appointed) thesame. expect appreciation byplacingmoney(aroundBirr10)onthedancers’foreheads orintheirbelts. asimpromptuguides aroundBirr10. around Birr2toBirr5perbag,andpeopleacting tomed totourists,10%willbeexpected. hasbeenexceptional(upto10%). service instead of birr. Ababa’s Sheraton cangive youUSdollars (5.5%commission).OnlyAddis the capital couple of branches of in theDashenBank you 5%extrafortheprivilege of plastic. hotels thatdoacceptcardstypicallyding all local ways of expressing gratitude. tohavean invitation acoffee andpastry are ways: shaking hands,exchanging names, or ably better toshow yourappreciation inother someone drawingaregular wage), it’sprob- sively aren’t iftheir expectations met. look lucrative, andcanreact very aggres- touristswho onlythose to select can start the tripsof future travellers. Local guides mines thesocial traditions andmayspoil of theexpectations locals,under-raises It’s agreat mistake toovertip: itunfairly veryeven smalltipsare greatly appreciated. maxim ‘littlebutoften’ isagoodone,and supplement often very lowwages. The part of life everyday inEthiopia,andhelp ( Tips Tipping Cash advancesareCash onlypossibleata If aprofessional person helpsyou(or gursha inAmharic)are considered a www.lonelyplanet.com around Birr50fortipsperweek. ing photographs etc.Youshouldbudget fortips,tak- these good idea. You’llneed small notes –Birr1andBirr5isavery signing yourcheques. ter understood than‘commissions’)before what the‘fixed fees’ are (thisterm isbet- more.ing slightly It’salwaysworthasking lowest charges, withprivate bankscharg- the levies general, theCommercialBank cheques, plusaround Birr8percheque. In 0.5% to1.0%commissionfortravellers in USdollars. Like cash, travellers cheques are bestcarried hotels andtravel agencies alsoaccept them. ellers cheques. afew Inthecapital, major towns (butnotsmallerones)exchange trav- Most banksinAddisAbaba andthelarger Cheques Travellers www.lonelyplanet.com worldwide. cel of 1kgand 2kgcosts Birr13.90 between months toreach Europe. Postingasmall par- Surface mail takes five between and seven in AddisAbaba.from the mainpostoffice to 15daysforthe USAorAustralia. five daystoarrive andeight inEurope; eight tralia andAsia. Letters should take between andBirr3.45totheAmericas, Aus- East, Africa, Birr2.45to EuropeandtheMiddle postcards; Birr2 for aletter upto20g Airmail costsBirr2for sonably efficient. Ethiopia’s system isreliablepostal andrea- POST theboxedin theregion, see text, p266 . and productsmaynotalwaysbefresh. ficult tofindfilmexceptinthelarger towns, also available. OutsideAddisAbaba, it’sdif- 36-exposure Kodakfilm.Someslidefilmis andcostsaround Birr40fora in thecapital in theirrespective reviews. We’ve noted which cafésoffer thisservice Birr10more aCD. ifyouneed the service, They charge Birr4andBirr15for between images aUSB toCDthrough connection. some Internet cafésnowoffer to burn your With theboomof digital photography,PHOTOGRAPHY &VIDEO Furnishing yourself withagoodwad ofFurnishing yourself Almost allof thebankscharge from International parcels canonlybesent For somehelpfuladviceonphotography Decent printfilmisquite widelyavailable ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY ••Photography&Video DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA at thecounter. until you’ve hadtheircontents inspected a customsinspection,soleave themopen Birr50/51/38/24. Allparcelsare subjectto countriesyou’llpayapproximatelysame 205.55/170.55. Foreach extra500gtothe costingBirr190.50/209.65/ Canada/UK/Italy each country,witha1kgparceltoAustralia/ mation onthis. (EMS) andDHL.See p83 formore infor- Addis Ababa, withExpress Mail Service of yoursurname. will likely beunderyourfirst nameinstead of thelarger towns.Whenyoucollectit,it tante, AddisAbaba, Ethiopia’)andinmany Addis Ababa (address mailto‘Poste Res- remember theaim isnot to get the lowest meant tobe an enjoyable experience. Just cart) drivers. Don’t forget is that haggling instances. toaskforthemin these tate car hire andyoushouldn’thesi- etcthough, extended in hotels, lowseason, long stays Ethiopians. Allthe usualdiscountsapplyfor over prices cansometimesgreatly offend Prices are usuallyfixed inEthiopia. Haggling Bargaining ting themarkets andshops. inAddisAbabaMuseum ( p84 ) before hit- of qualityandartistry,visittheEthnological out thecountrysee p58 thetopend . Tosee To get anideaof whatwillbesoldthrough- Ethiopia hasrich historyof artsandcrafts. SHOPPING with the local taxi and with the localtaxi most expected, are atthelocalmarkets and buying craftsmadefromindigenous woods. While notillegal,youshouldtryand avoid theboxedexport regulations (see text, p256 ). your skillsof negotiation.Don’tforget the shops andwares. Pricesalwaysdependon poor tovery soit’s worthcomparing high, cal circuit.Qualityandcreativity ranges from aswellmajorcapital townsonthehistori- neys) andwrapagainstthecold. pillow, mattress, cushion(onlongbusjour- as a blanket, travelling companion.Itserves highlanders) makes agreat (albeitbulky) Prices of airmailparcelsare different for Express courier service isavailable in Express courierservice There’s in afree poste restante service The few exceptions, where isal- haggling Good souvenir shopsare foundinthe The gabi (white cottontogawornbythe gari (horse-drawn

265 ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY 266 tours forsolo travellers to justsign upfor expensive. There are no cheap organised ibly rewarding, butitcan also bemore Travelling soloinEthiopia canbeincred- SOLO TRAVELLERS with amuch better price! hearted andpolite aboutit, you’llendup to bothyouand the seller. Ifyou’re light- possible price,but onethat’sacceptable








from confiscationoffilmandcamera,tobetweenthree months’andoneyear’simprisonment! aces; andmajor‘infrastructure’ Penalties suchasbridges,dams,airports. forcontravening thislawrange installations andpersonnel,industrialbuildings,government buildings, residences androyalpal - may even helptopreserve thegroupsandtheirtraditionsbyassistingthemeconomically. it’smoneybargainedtourism. Infact, forphotosinstead ofmoneybargained forcrops. Tourism shots whileyouhappilywander. Rememberthatthelocalpeoplehave arighttobenefitfrom people recommend giving theircameratotheguide,who’llusuallyhave aneasiertimegetting fees forindividualphotos,orbetter yet,alumpsumforunlimited (andunpestered) shots. Some voyeuristic affaircanberatheroff-puttingformanytravellers. Birr2 perpersonpicture). Always agree toanamountfirst.The wholemercenaryandalmost their eagernesshastodowiththefee they’llclaimforeachsnapoftheshutter (aroundBirr1to In theLowerOmoValley, However, you’llbe chased bypeopledemandingtheirphotobetaken! interpreter Never aphotoifpermissionisdeclined. orgo-between. take try andaskpermission,even ifitisonlyusingbasicsignlanguage. Bestofall,usealocalasan at them.Manyfeel seriously threatened orcompromised,especiallywomen. Besensitive. Always outsideAddisAbaba,are unusedtotouristspointingthecamera Many Ethiopians,particularly TIPS FORPHOTOGRAPHERS INETHIOPIA

Never leave temperatures equipmentorfilminacarthehotEthiopiansun.High can Forthefullmontyontravel photography,pickupLonelyPlanet’s Beware dustwhichcanwreak havocwiththeelectronics. AUVfilter oneach lensisessential Bringplentyofbatteries withyou.Outsidethecapitals,batteries are often old,andofvery isgreat, bothforwildlife Asmallzoomlensofsome sort andforphotographingEthiopia’s Aflashisusefulforindoor scenessuchasthe Ethiopia’smanyhoursofsuneachdaypermittheuseslow film(suchasISO50forslide Spot-metering –ifyouhave darkonesin it–isgreat forphotographingfaces,particularly The morningand late afternoon are photosinEthiopia,ideallybefore thebesttimestotake ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY ••SoloTravellers DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA Following issomelesssocialandmore technical advice. Be aware forbiddentophotograph‘sensitive thatit’sstrictly areas’, including militaryandpolice People withguidestypicallyhave out amore enjoyabletime,asthe guides canusuallysort In otherareas, where todependontouristsforincome,theopposite peopleare istrue. starting wreck equipmentandplayhavocwithfilmcolour. is adecentlenscloth. as aprotector as wellasafilter. Adustblower(either compressed airormanual) isamust,as poor quality. people(butdon’tforget toshowsensitivityandtact). colourful andcolour-saturated pictures.or ISO100forprintfilm),whichcanyield clear,fine-grained difficult conditions. 8am andafter 4pm.The lightisgentlerand there’s lesscontrastbetweenlightandshade. cles inAddisAbaba. azmaris hire yourself. to shoulder the cost of anexpensive 4WD rock-hewn churches of Tigray, you’ll have such astheLower OmoValley andremote limited time and stillwantto explore areas biggest cost issueistransport.Ifyouhave with orcover The allthecostsyourself. alone, you’llhave tofindpeopleshare do atriptogether and share costs.Ifyou’re in Ethiopia. Ifyouhave agroup,youcan (wanderingminstrels) or dancespecta- Travel Photography www.lonelyplanet.com . bus headingsomewhere special. you manage onthelast toget thelastseat place finisherwouldhave tobeallthe times conversing second- withlocals.Adistant that you’llunintentionally bemore opento alone asafemale, see p270 . fare. abouttravelling Forspecificdetails opians who’llbelookingoutforyourwel- italsoincreaseshigh), thenumberof Ethi- greater riskforpettytheft(which stillisn’t double rates are stillvery inexpensive! if youwere sharing. Itshouldbenoted that you’ll bepayingdoublewhatyou’d DarandGonderrespectively.Bahir easy timelocatingpeopletoshare costsin you’llusuallyhaveSimien Mountains, an of inthecases TanaHowever, Lake andthe tent rental etcmustbeborneindividually. whereMountains, transport,guidefees, well aswithtreks intotheSimienand Bale Tanaonto Lake andtheRiftValley lakes as a Birr10 (refundable) deposit. pay a ‘report charge’ of Birr5 toBirr8, plus possible in thenearfuture); you stillhave to andFrance shouldbe (Australia, Germany only made to theUK,USAand Canada the telecommunications offices andcanbe try code. Collectcalls are only available at www.lonelyplanet.com % least 20%more expensive. buttheyare usuallyat offer phone services more flexibleopening hours. Somehotels minute. telecentres These alsousuallyboast where worldwideforBirr15toBirr25per centres’ andcanquicklyconnectyouany- hour. assisted centres canhave waitsof uptoan butthese after, plus15%tax), operator- three minutes andBirr10foreach minute cheapest option(Birr50.50forthefirst are offices Ethiopian town.These stillthe munications offices located inalmost every international the telecom- callwasthrough calls. Inthepast,onlywayto make an options formakinglocalandinternational to turnthecorner;there are nowacoupleof Ethiopia’s telecommunications have started TELEPHONE The biggest benefitof travelling solois travellingAlthough aloneputsyouat Few hotels offer singleoccupancyrates, so trips forboat Similar problemsarise When calling abroad from Ethiopia, use When callingabroad fromEthiopia,use Now countlessshopsalsooperate as‘tele- 00 followedby the appropriate coun- ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY ••Telephone DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA Birr50 andBirr100). cations offices indenominationsof Birr25, coins andcards(soldatthetelecommuni- public phoneboxes. Mostboxes take both telecommunications offices,telecentres and no matter where you’re callingfrom. that mustalwaysprecede theoldnumber, numbers nowtrailanewfour-digit area code in 2005tohave 10digits.Theoldsix-digit front cover. opia’s countrycodeare insidethisbook’s UTC. Ethiopia isthree hours aheadof GMT/ TIME pick upaSIMcardwhileinAddisAbaba. ible, youcanbringyourphoneandtryto vider andask.Ifyournetworkisn’tcompat- best planistocallyourmobilenetworkpro- or maynotworkwhileinEthiopia. Your athome,yourphonemay network youuse opian cities.Dependingonwhich mobile blush.ItnowcoversStarbucks mostEthi- phone networkhasexpandedwouldmake withwhich Ethiopia’s The speed mobile Mobile Phones night’ toindicatenight’ theperiodof day. and ‘at ‘inthemorning’,evening’ use Instead of using‘am’or‘pm’,Ethiopians after one hourof darkness it’s…1o’clock! at12o’clock(6pmourtime)and sun sets two hours of sunshine?Yes, 2o’clock.The one hourof sunshineit’s1o’clock.After it’s12o’clock(6amourtime)andafter rise that itblowsmosttravellers minds! Atsun- by theEuropean clock. ofpurposes thisbook, alltimesquoted are that Ethiopian/foreigner’s time?).Forthe clock ( according tothe Ethiopianor‘European’ careful toaskifatimequotedness. Be is occasionally inbusi- 24-hour clockisused budget hotel bracket. find squat jobs inthe bottom endof the influences respectively. You’llusually only in Ethiopia, reflecting European andArab Both sit-down andsquattoilets are found TOILETS Cheap localcallscanalsobemadefrom Note: allEthiopiannumbers were changed Important telephoneImportant numbers and Ethi- Time in Ethiopia isexpressed sosanely The system is used widely, though the widely,though The system isused Be habesha/faranji akotater no?

–Is

267 ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY you’re tocarryyourown. bestadvised 1000km after all. thenext suddenly findthatyoucansurvive Youmay all thefliesyoucanfitinbetween. with twoplanks,aholeintheground,and mon arrangement isasmellyold shack, small townsandruralareas, themostcom- your fondestmemoriesof Ethiopia. In hotels andrestaurants, butmaynotform date information. aregrapevine yourbestsources forup-to- Ababa, hotel managers andthetraveller you something. OutsideAddis pect tosell (see p282 naturallytheywill ex- ), though region isavailable touroperators through information on travel outsidethecapital Arba Minch’s beingtheexceptions). ofworth theeffort visiting(Konso’s and existelsewhere,tourist offices butfew are to bethemosthelpfulandprepared. Other mission inAksum,Mekele andWukro have Meskal Sq(see p83 ). inAddisAbaba’sist InformationCentre keep opentheETC’s ever- helpful Tour- Thankfully, thisministrywillcontinue to the newMinistryof Culture andTourism. Tourism Commission(ETC) andcreated moniously sacked theheadsof theEthiopian In 2005 theEthiopiangovernment uncere- Offices Local Tourist TOURIST INFORMATION 268 Ethiopian embassies and consulates tryto exists abroad.The No national tourist office Abroad Offices Tourist Toilet paperisvery rare inanytoilet; Public toiletsare foundinalmostall While inAddisAbaba, themostaccurate ofThe offices theTigrai TourismCom- can saygoodbyetothe1990sandringinyear2000…AGAIN! 11September 2006to10Septembercalendar, making 2007‘1999’inEthiopia. If youhurry, Gregory XIIIin1582)thatweWesterners have grownupon. popes toalignwiththeirversions theGregorian ofChristianity,like calendar(introducedbyPope it followstheJuliansystem of addingaleapdayevery fouryearswithoutexception. months of30dayseachanda13thmonthfive theancientCopticcalendar, orsixdays,like It’s basedontheold Coptic calendar,whichhasitsrootsinancientEgypt. Althoughithas12 Another great idiosyncrasythatconfoundsmanyatraveller isthecalendar.Ethiopian time-keeping MISSED THEMILLENNIUMPARTY? ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY •• Tourist Information ••Tourist DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA If you’re late, atleastyoucanstillconsideryourselfseven yearsyounger! What doesthisallmean?ItmeanstheEthiopiancalendaris7½years‘behind’ theGregorian theEthiopiancalendarevenWhat makes more bynumerous uniqueisthatitwasn’ttweaked the UKis usual touristbrochures. fill thegap,butgenerally justhand outthe -ethiopian.org; POBox55506,LondonSW74YP) -ethiopian.org; offers of help. Unlike in many Western as visually or aurally, you’llget plenty of least steps or climbsare avoided. but many hotels are so at bungalowaffairs, streetsuneven are ahazard. streets are nonexistent, and potholesand cilities forwheelchair-users. Kerb rampson (the Sheraton andHiltonhotels) have fa- Ababa afew hotels have two lifts;atleast None have access. InAddis wheelchair towns andare goodforgetting around. andhard ontheback. roads canberough, aware it’sexpensive). thatsome (though Be rental withadriver iseasilyorganised wheelchairs canbeaccommodated. Car reached Passengers byinternal flights. in the sites onthehistoricalroute are easily degree of empathyandunderstanding. so youshouldexpecttofindatleast some cent civilwarleftmanysoldiers disabled, travellers shouldn’tvisitEthiopia. There- There’s noreason whyintrepid disabled TRAVELLERS WITHDISABILITIES tri-annual Newsfile. and Eritrea isopentomembers. There’s a opia. Awell-stocked libraryonEthi opia regular onEthi- gatherings, includingtalks costs from£12annually.Thesocietyholds ing of Ethiopiaanditspeople’.Membership aims ‘tofoster aknowledge andunderstand- An active, nonpoliticalorganisation in For those restrictedFor those in other ways,such facilitiesareOutside thecapital, lacking, Taxis are widelyavailable inthelarge withrestrictedFor those mobility, all Anglo-Ethiopian Society Anglo-Ethiopian www.lonelyplanet.com

(www.anglo , which tours forthedisabled. have alistof travel in agents thatspecialise tion. Ask forthe‘travel whomay officer’, touch withtheirnationalsupportorganisa- arrival. Immigration inAddis Ababa prior toyour ments (in person) withthe Departmentof only ifyour companyhas madearrange- are available uponarrivalat theairport,but earlier. (US$20) One-month businessvisas ployer inaddition totheitems mentioned aletter fromyourem- embassy you’llneed a one-tothree-month atan businessvisa forUS$70).Toacquireentry touristvisas citizens whocan get multiple two-year issued are (exceptforUS businessvisas ally lessstrict. day). EthiopianembassiesinAfrica are usu- aminimumoffunds (officially US$50per cination certificate andproof of sufficient you’re planningtovisit,ayellowfever vac- forthe nextcountry airline itinerary),avisa applications:anonward airticketvisa (or some orallof the followingtoaccompany some peoplehave asked been forthem. they don’trequire onwardairtickets, though inAddisAbabation officials toldusthat managed ineuros. Immigra- topaythevisa people arrivingwithoutUSdollars have at someEthiopianembassiesabroad.Some lessthanthatchargedUS$20, substantially isonlysome, theone-monthtouristvisa cess uponarrivalcanoccasionallybetire- thepro- South AfricaandIsrael.Although Australia,NewZealand, the USA,Canada, includemostofAirport. These Europe, onarrivalatBole International tourist visas Ethiopia. tovisit visas Djiboutian nationalsneed information. country isthebestsourceof up-to-date The Ethiopianembassyinyourhome Be aware regulations thatvisa canchange. VISAS &DOCUMENTS .com) is the coming forwardtooffer assistance. countries, Ethiopiansare notshyabout www.lonelyplanet.com Before leavingBefore home,visitors canget in Presently, the only multiple-entry visas Presently, theonlymultiple-entryvisas Ethiopian embassiesabroadmayrequire Nationals of 33 countriescanobtain Currently, allvisitors exceptKenyan and A valuablesourceof general information . This site has useful links. . Thissite hasuseful Access-Able Travel Source Access-Able Travel ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY ••Visas&Documents DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA

(www.access-able rangement atimmigration. onarrivalwithoutpriorar-be obtained beforeyou avisa cannot yourarrival.Visas opian Airlinesoratouroperatortoorder your country,youmaybeabletoaskEthi- no Ethiopiandiplomaticrepresentation in can acquire atBoleandthere’s avisa also abroad; these are days. abroad; these validforuptoseven onarrivalorattheembassies transit visas Bole Rd. usually have day.It’soff the same yourvisa Extensions, Visa p83 ). tended toamaximumof three months (see 3.30pm Mon-Fri) btwn Bole Rd& Cameroon St; h [email protected]; Abatechan St; The KENYA the Bring US$30andtwopassportphotos to DJIBOUTI forOnwardTravel Visas but youprobablywouldn’twanttoriskit. arearrival inEthiopia. These rarely checked, infected area withinsixdayspriortoyour cholera ifyou’ve transited acholera- through cate ismandatoryasavaccinationagainst In theoryayellowfever vaccinationcertifi- Documents Other into Ethiopiaiscovered on p279 . other with you, separate fromtheoriginals. other withyou,separate copy withsomeoneathomeand keep an- cence etc)shouldbephotocopied.Leave one ance policy,air/bus/traintickets, drivingli- page page, andvisa credit cards,travel insur- The SOMALILAND in Nairobi. and atJomoKenyatta International Airport attheMoyaleborder( easily obtained p275 ) ready are thefollowing afternoon. Visas also being taken inthemorningonly,with visas passport photois required. Applications are or Birr438forthree-month One touristvisas. h If yourcitizenshipisn’toneof the33that Travellers of allnationalitiescanobtain Visas (touristandbusiness)can beex- Visas Documentation needed tobringavehicle needed Documentation All important documents (passport data documents(passport data All important 8.30am-12.30pm &2-5pmMon-Fri) 8.30am-12.30pm &2.30-4.30pmMon-Fri) Djibouti Embassy Somaliland office Kenyan embassy Kenyan produces tourist visas for produces tourist visas

Mp pp80-1; (Map (Map (Map pp80-1 ;

Mp p76; (Map h 8.30am-12.30pm & 2- charges US$50 % % % 0116 610033; andyou’ll 0116 613006; 0116 635921;

269 ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY US$61 andonepassportphotoisrequired. cost thingsalong.Touristvisas may speed ter of introductionfrom yourownembassy many applicationscomebackdenied.Alet- take over amonthtocomplete. Note that forapproval,Khartoum sotheprocesscan Allapplicationsarean easytask. to sent modesty. Traditionally, this formed part pected to put upa showof coyness and when they’rewomen (even willing) are ex- tion toa goodsnoginthe backrow! can turnouttobe littlemore thananinvita- tothecinema innocent invitation seemingly hotel. Evento headoffsome seedy a amount to‘foreplay’ before you’re expected of thingstocome. often Dinnerinvitations pretext, isconsidered alatent acceptance underany to anunmarried man’shouse, want togoout. try andhookupwithothertravellers ifyou keep outof thehotel barforexample, and profile – andbehave very conservatively foralarm,it’sbesttokeep alow no cause particularly ifyou’re alone. Whilethere’s wonder aboutyourmotives here, forstaying as brothels.Ethiopianmenmay naturally inabar.‘proper’ womanwouldbeseen of inAddisAbaba, thewealthierclasses no prostitutes behave. Apartfromtheyoung ‘availability’, asthisisalsotheway local are indications tothemalepopulationof excessive make-up andrevealing clothes unspokenmember these codesof etiquette. ing orbehaviour and re- maybegivingoff to simplybeaware of thesignalsyourcloth- many Western countries.Thebestadviceis offences islikely lowerthantravelling in travellers. Theriskof rapeorotherserious Ethiopia ispretty easy-going forwomen Compared withmanyAfricancountries, WOMEN TRAVELLERS atthe avisa Obtaining SUDAN you. someonetomeet send office isunmarked, andthey’ll socallahead and ittakes 24 hours orlesstoprocess.The US$40. Theyrequire onepassportphoto 270 Lulseged St; pp80-1; Be aware that‘respectable’Be Ethiopian Also beaware thatacceptinganinvitation Many cheap hotels inEthiopiadouble Drinking alcohol, smoking,andwearing ETHIOPIA DIRECTORY ••WomenTravellers DIRECTORY ETHIOPIA % 0115 516477; [email protected]; Ras 0115 516477;[email protected];Ras h 8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri) Sudan embassy isnolonger

(Map (Map a nameinAmharic: for encouragement. has Theconcepteven Ethiopian menmaymistake yourrebuttals was expected of some them.Consequently, withthegroom hara bride:afiercestruggle of ritualof theweddingnight Am- every % Labour &Social Affairs to work, you’llhave to applythe forbidden fromworking. Ifyou’re planning Travellers are in Ethiopiaontouristvisas WORK to the the boxedellers ispriests!See text, above . the biggest actual hindrancetowomentrav- men’s potential advances atbay,it’soddthat cinematic ‘glamour’. countriesduetoHollywooddeveloping women, somethingthat’scommon inmany aseasierthanlocal aren’t seen necessarily ern women(inparticularwhite women) relatively permissive societyisthat West- quite thereverse! has absolutely nodeterrent value. Infact, ring onawomantraveller (bogus ornot) well aswomen.Forthisreason, awedding of Ethiopia’surbanpopulation,formenas and apersonal toprotect you! crusade soon converted intosympathyor shame have aremight harbouringhimself been gallantry. Usually anyulterior planshe of pride,patriotismand peal tohissense havingbeen withhiscompatriotsandap- companion, bemoantheproblemsyou’ve here’s aquicktrick:pickmaleEthiopian it very fromthestart. clear things such asfood).Ifyoumeanno,make plies equallytofeigned reluctance forother Josif Tito St,AddisAbaba) With all this talk ofWith allthistalk keeping Ethiopian The oneadvantage of Ethiopiabeinga Adultery isquite commonamongmany If there aren’t anyothertravellers around, she donkeys, hensandnannygoats.she donkeys, to womenbutallfemale creatures, even theprohibitionextends notjust the book: confines. by Buttheholyfathersgostrictly for bids womenfromsettingfootintheholy Ethiopia andEritrea, anancientprohibition In someofthemonasteries andholysites of FEMALE PHOBIA 0111 553899; Addis Ababa) Department ofImmigration Department forawork permit,and

Mp pp80-1; (Map maqderder , off Zambia St. , off Zambia www.lonelyplanet.com %

Mp pp80-1 ; (Map (andap- 0115 517080; Ministry of Ministry ETHIOPIA TRANSPORT 271 Hilton (Map p76 ; Bole International Airport,Bole International 0115 525541; Menelik II (airline code ET; www.fly

(airline code D8; Map % (airline code BA; Map (airline code D3; Map 0116 650675; Bole Rd); (airline code MS; Map pp80-1 ; pp80-1 (airline code MS; Map % Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa (airline code KQ; www.kenya-airways

(Map pp80-1 ; ; pp80-1 (Map , is rated as one of the best air- as one of , is rated 0116 633702; fax 614769; Rwanda St) 0115 534688; www.daallo.com; Bole Rd) Rep- 0115 534688; www.daallo.com; 0115 505913; www.ba.com; Hilton0115 505913; www.ba.com; Hotel, Ethiopian Airlines (Map p76 ; ; p76 (Map Addis Ababa

% % % Bole International Airport,Bole International Addis Ababa (airline code KL; www.klm.com) 0111 564493; www.egyptair.com.eg; Churchill Ave) Churchill Ave) 0111 564493; www.egyptair.com.eg; THINGS CHANGE… THINGS CHANGE… is particularly information in this chapter The with the Check directly vulnerable to change. you un- agent to make sure airline or a travel (and ticket you may buy) derstand how a fare of the security require- works and be aware Shop carefully. travel. ments for international should be in this chapter details given The not a substitute and are as pointers regarded research. up-to-date for your own careful, Ethiopia’s only international and national Ethiopia’s only international Other international airlines currently airlines currently Other international ethiopian.com) pp80-1 ; Hub Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport, Djibouti City. Daallo Airlines Djibouti Airlines EgyptAir KLM Addis Ababa Kenya Airways restaurant and a few cafés; baggage carts are carts are cafés; baggage and a few restaurant an Internet When departing, there’s free. shops. a bar and duty-free lounge, carrier, lines in Africa and has a good record (the lines in Africa and has a good record it a No Authority gave Aviation US Federal 1 rating for compliance with international standards). safety Ethiopian Air- aviation African car- the largest lines is also one of 737s, 757s and with a modern fleet of riers, 50 or so offices worldwide, are 767s. There sell and domestic which both international book- Reconfirmation of directly. tickets ings is essential. serving Ethiopia: British Airways pp80-1 ; % Hub Cairo International Airport, Cairo. .com) resented by Abadir Travel & Tours. Hub Djibouti-Ambouli by Abadir Travel & Tours. resented International Airport, Djibouti City. pp80-1 ; Menelik II Ave) Hub Heathrow Airport,Menelik London. II Ave) Hotel, Addis Ababa Hotel, Hub Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam. Ave)

(code must

Bole International Airport is the only international airport in airport in is the only international Ethiopian border officials at land crossings Getting There & Away There Getting Ethiopia Entering Air 271 Land 274 Around Getting Air 276 Bicycle 277 271 Bus 277 & Motorcycle Car Hitching 281 271 Local Transport Minibuses & Isuzu Trucks Tours 282 276 Train 283 279 281 281 Ethiopia. Although modern, upon arrival Ethiopia. than a 24-hour bank, little more there’s Ethiopia Transport CONTENTS can be booked and rail tickets Flights, tours online at www.lonelyplanet.com/travel _services. ENTERING ETHIOPIA Ethiopia by air is painless, even if Entering to pick up your visa upon arrival you have airport. Important at Bole International visa and document information is found . p269 on You strict but equally fair. more are Passport is at passport’s expiry date your sure Make depar- past your intended least six months For visa and other from Ethiopia. date ture . p269 document information, see AIR Airports & Airlines Addis Ababa’s have a valid visa to enter overland as none a valid visa overland to enter have Those with at borders. entering available are all the necessary paper- should have vehicles ) and expect a lengthier process. p274 work ( ADD) GETTING THERE & AWAY GETTING THERE & AWAY ETHIOPIA TRANSPORT St) Hub Khartoum International Airport, Khartoum. InternationalAirport, St) HubKhartoum % St) Hub Sanaa Airport, Sanaa. St) HubSanaaAirport, % Frankfurt. InternationalAirport, Frankfurt % Airport, Jeddah. Airport, AbdulazizInternational DestaDamtewSt)HubKing Ras pp80-1; Map Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi. InternationalAirport, Kenyatta pp80-1; with oneof themajor airlinesthatform the of around-the-world(RTW) ticket. Check It’s possibletoincludeAddisAbaba aspart INTERCONTINENTAL (RTW)TICKETS www.flights.com. national website is thatcan’tbecategorised they each are located in.Onetrulyinter- undertheregioning sections orcountry ticket sourcesare mentionedinthefollow- Ticket pricesare duringthisperiod. highest often trytocoincidewiththemajor festivals. families duringthistime,andtour groups Ethiopians livingabroadtend tovisit their Year should bebooked wellin advance. gust andover ChristmasandNew Easter, For Ethiopia, travel duringthemonthof Au- Tickets (see domesticflights you, 50%off p276 ). extra charge; andifthere’s twoormore of turn date asmanytimesyouwishat no allowance; theoptionof changing yourre- offer somegoodperks:agenerous baggage est optiontoflyintoEthiopia,butdoes Ethiopian Airlinesisn’tusuallythecheap- Yemenia Sudan Airways Saudi ArabianAirlines Lufthansa % 272 Numerous travel agencies andonline accepted, but commissions are charged. available. Travellers cheques inUSdollarsare have amount aschangeisn’t always theexact problem paying itinbirr. Eitherway, tryand posed tobepaidin dollars,butwehadno It’ssup- which mustbepaid attheairport. The international taxisUS$20, departure TAX DEPARTURE 0115 504724;www.sudanair.com; DestaDamtew Ras 0115 526441; www.yememia.com; Ras DestaDamtew 0115 526441;www.yememia.com; Ras St)Hub Gambia 0111 551666;www.lufthansa.com; 0116 650507;BoleRd); GETTING THERE&AWAY ••Air GETTING %

Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa 0115 525548; Menelik IIAve)0115 525548;Menelik HubJomo %

Addis Ababa 0115 512637;www.saudiairlines.com; (airline code IY; Map (airline codeIY;Map pp80-1 ; (airline code LH; Map (airline codeLH;Map pp80-1 ;

Addis Ababa Hilton Hotel, AddisAbaba Hilton (airline code SD; Map (airline codeSD;Map pp80-1 ; (airline codeSV; (Map (Map .au) Star Alliance Mauritius on orvia via Mumbai(Bombay)onQantas, via DubaitoNairobi.Otherroutes include .eptours.com) and liable. treks.com. ticketsto arrange these online;trywww.air Travel for branch locations.InNairobi, out SouthernAfrica. theirwebsites Check Nairobi. Travel Frankfurt respectively. London, Amsterdamnections, through and offerKLM and Lufthansa theeasiest con- and Ethiopia. Currently BritishAirways, There are nodirect Canada between flights Canada (SAA; www.flysaa.com) to Ethiopia. There are nodirect fromAustralia flights Australia of eachseasons individualcountry. theyear,depending onthehigh throughout and otherAfricancouriers varydrastically can countries.Fares onEthiopianAirlines offers WestAfri- regular toeight flights Somalia, Kenya andSouthAfrica. Italso tries includingDjibouti,Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopian Airlinesfliesto25Africancoun- Africa (www.oneworldalliance.com) cheaper; try and Johannesburg–Addis Ababa tickets. Australia–Johannesburgbuying separate Thisistypicallycheaperseparately. than have tobooktheNairobi–AddisAbaba flight where youcanconnecttoNairobi.You’ll .com) British Airwaysand EthiopianAirlines. Addis Ababa usingacombinationof flight .au; theyfoundus acheap Sydney–Bangkok– tralia andare worthchecking out. code-sharing partner It’s alsopossible(andusuallycheaper) STA Travel Rennies Travel Rennies Via the Middle East isusuallyslightly Via theMiddleEast For onlinebookings trywww.travel.com have Aus- throughout numerousoffices . Note, these allstillonlyget. Note, youto these Flight Centre

( (www.statravel.co.za) % Egypt Panorama Tours Egypt 020-444 7151;www.lets-go-travel.net) in Cairo isalsogood. inCairo

( (www.staralliance.com) % Emirates Airlines Emirates Qantas

1300 733035;www.statravel.com.au)

Air Mauritius Air Mauritius (www.renniestravel.com) ( flytoJohannesburg, from %

(www.qantas.com.au) 133 133;www.flightcentre.com . have through- offices www.lonelyplanet.com South African Airways South African

( %

(www.emirates.com) (www.airmauritius or 2-359 0200;www One World and andits Let’s Go isre- STA

those soldintheUSA. those tend tohave fares than around10%higher 620 5121;www.airfair.nl) 967 5302;www.flightcentre.ca) student andyouthtravellers. travellers undertheageof26. and has 1500 Canadian outlets. and has1500Canadian Anyway Recommended agencies: FRANCE en route. to AddisAbaba, make butmostflights stops haveRome. KLMandLufthansa dailyflights Copenhagen, Madrid, Paris, Frankfurtand directly), includingAmsterdam, Berlin, over cities(many twodozenEuropean serve EthiopianAirlinesflights Numerous weekly Continental Europe ( www.lonelyplanet.com link Ethiopia with Lebanon, Israel, Saudi link Ethiopia withLebanon, andcombine to the Middle East enia serve EgyptAir, SaudiArabian AirlinesandYem- East Middle Viajes Recommended agencies include SPAIN One recommended agency is THE NETHERLANDS One recommended agent is ITALY STA Travel Lastminute Just Travel Expedia Recommended agencies: GERMANY Voyageurs duMonde OTU Voyages Frontières Nouvelles Lastminute -frontieres.es) bookings trywww.expedia.ca. national studenttravel agency. Foronline 462 0431;www.cts.it) .nouvelles-frontieres.fr) Nouvelles Frontières Nouvelles youth travel. % Canadian discountairticket agenciesCanadian 800-667 2887;www.travelcuts.com)

( % ( (www.expedia.de) % ( ( % ( ( 902 116226;www.barceloviajes.com) . % % % 08 92893892;www.anyway.fr) (www.otu.fr)Thisagencyspecialisesin 01805 456422;www.statravel.de)For 089 7473330;www.justtravel.de) 01805 284366;www.lastminute.de) 08 92705000;www.lastminute.fr) , specialisinginstudentand (

( % ( % % . GETTING THERE&AWAY ••Air GETTING 01 40151115;www.vdm.com) 902 170979;www.nouvelles 08 25000747;www isusuallyreliable Flight Centre CTS Viaggi CTS Airfair is Canada’s isCanada’s Travel Cuts Travel

( ( Barcelo % %

( % and 020- 877- 06

Arab Emirates andYemen. Arabia (Jeddah andRiyadh),theUnited travellers undertheageof26. the developing world. the developing in ofitsprofittoprojects southtravel.co.uk) Donatespart centre.co.nz) helpful. For Cairo, see Africa( see helpful. ForCairo, opposite ). Association good travel agent, whilethe ommended foronlinebookings. country. Thesite www.travel.co.nz isrec- (or theirAmerican code-sharingpartners). ope onBritishAirways, KLMorLufthansa DC, soyou’lllikely have Eur- toflythrough Washington Ethiopian Airlines onlyserves USA Bag Travel STA Travel Travel North-South Flightbookers Addis Ababa. both have Londonand between dailyflights British AirwaysandEthiopianAirlines UK &Ireland toAddisAbabayou straight viaBangkok. should beabletocombineairlinesget agentsthrough (inperson oronline),they ifyougo you asfarNairobi.However, partners andSAAonlygetting Qantas as thatforAustralia,withcode- sharing ismuch thesame The storyforNewZealand New Zealand New Yorkand otherbig cities. good dealscan befound in Los Angeles, ofsolidator capital some America,although solidator’). SanFrancisco istheticket con- ‘Con- asignonthe doorsaying won’t see known asconsolidators you (although online magazine Out newspapers,weekend broadsheet in agencies appearinthetravel pages of the London. Advertisements formanytravel in findingdeals. website www.cheapflights.co.uk ishelpful Flight Centre travel.co.nz) In Dubai, Discount travel agents intheUSAare Discount airtravel isbigbusinessin Both Recommended travel agencies: , the Flight Centre Evening Standard ( have the branches throughout and (

% (ISTA; % ( ( % 0870 1600599;www.statravel.co.uk) For Al-Rais Travels Al-Rais % 0800 0825000;www.travelbag.co.uk) STA Travel % 0870 4990040;flightcentre.co.uk) 0800 0823000;www.ebookers.com) TNT ( 02-625 7257) %

( (www.tntmagazine.com) % 01245 608291;www.north

( % 0800 243544;www.flight

Israel Student Travel Israel StudentTravel (www.alrais.com) 0508 782872;www.sta andinthefree , inJerusalem, is

Time . The

isa 273 ETHIOPIA TRANSPORT TRANSPORT ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA TRANSPORT CheapTickets cheapest options: flight age of26. yar Dhexe Iyo Xamuulkaa yar Dhexe Dawa, from Ave 26;tickets costDFr2700.InDire SPB attheborder.ing buses InDjiboutiCity, 10 to12hours, itinvolves though chang- City andDire Dawa. Thejourneytakes out vehicles linkDjibouti asdailybuses andoneviaAwashGalafi. and Gelille, Djibouti andEthiopia:oneviaDire Dawa There are twocurrent routes road linking ROAD Onward Travel on p269 ). for Visas none are issuedattheborder(see you DjiboutiandEthiopia,but crossing between Border formalities are usuallypretty painless Djibouti LAND travelocity STA Travel Orbitz Expedia.com 274 with 4WDsprefer thisroute over theGelille theentireing, asit’ssealed way. Even locals driv- fromAwashisbestforthose cessed advance. tobuytickets aday in important atleast tickets costBirr120.Ineitherdirection, it’s office northeastof the‘oldtown’of Megala; depart dailyatapainful3.30am fromits Peruse thefollowing websites forthe The Gelille route is best for those with- route isbestforthose The Gelille Although longer,Although theGalafi route ac- road rules, roadconditionsetc). that covers Ethiopia (seetheCar on &Motorcyclesection p279 for detailsaboutdriving licences, country you are travelling), the vehicle’s registration insurance papersand proofofthird-party antee issuedbyyourownnational motoringassociationthatyou won’tsellyourvehicle inthe a vehicle, sure make youhave avalidinternational drivinglicense, a relatively less travelled; theyboth enter Ethiopia fromSudanatMetema, westofGonder. is thetoughestand stillsuffers fromsporadicbanditry. well trodden,andshould present Kenya few throughnorthern problems, thoughthelastsection The overland route fromSouth Africa throughsouthernAfrica andEast Africa toEthiopiaisquite OVERLANDENTERING ETHIOPIA

( must % GETTING THERE&AWAY ••Land GETTING For important visa and documentation information see For important p269 . Border officialscan belaxorstringent,butthey’re usually notunfair. Ifyou’re travelling with The onlyroutes currently Africa are openfromWestAfrica andNorth muchrougher and (www.orbitz.com) Shirkada Gaadidka Dadweynaha Ee Yar- Ee Dadweynaha Gaadidka Shirkada 826573, 828838) (www.sta.com) Betterfortravellersunderthe have priortoarrivingas yourvisa (www.travelocity.com) (www.expedia.com) (www.cheaptickets.com) buses departatdawn buses

( % 0251 118455) buses buses City (Birr150 to Birr200, eight hours).City (Birr150toBirr200,eight inLogiya( nighting p221 toDjibouti ) right Ethiopia canhitch aliftwithtrucksover- Mille ( p221 usingthisroute toleave). Those with regular toAwashorDessieis buses trucks headingintoEthiopia. Thefirst town rely onhitching aliftwithoneof themany inYoboki.FromGalafi,youmust nighting from theborder)inmorningafter over- from DjiboutiCityreaches Galafi(5km bus(DFr2000) Galafi. Asporadicevening shortcut atDessie. via a Ethiopia, thisroute canbeaccessed comingfromnorthernside. Forthose onthe Djibouti route, which isonlysealed Ababa andDessie. all However, viaSerdo andAssabto AdigratviaSenafe; toAddis Adwa andAksumviaAdiQuala; Asmara from Eritrea intoEthiopia:Asmara to There are three traditionalentrypoints Eritrea currently outof commission. all thewaytoAddisAbaba, butthislegis before travel. 2nd class.Tickets theday shouldbebought butit’saworldabovemeans comfortable, 2nd class’costabouthalf.First classisbyno Dire DawaandDFr3900inDjiboutiCity; First-class tickets costsaroundBirr80in schedule anddelaysof daysare common. day,butthey’resecond notoriouslybehind route. Trainsare toleave supposed every also covers theDjiboutiCity–Dire Dawa A dilapidated, hot andpainfullyslowtrain TRAIN Those withoutvehiclesThose canalsotravel via In theory the train is supposed torun In theorythetrainissupposed carnet depassage www.lonelyplanet.com (aguar- well west of Moyale near Omorate in the 4WD, there’s amore adventurous crossing embassy prior toarrivalat theborder. atanEthiopian mustbeobtained these visas; Ethiopian immigration days). cost US$20 (validforseven sit visas managed topayin euros),butnotbirr. Tran- US$50. It’spayable inUSdollars (somehave 9am-11am &3-5pmSat Sun) migration arevisas painlessly produced at Moyale are opendaily.Kenyan three-month opia asthepetrolishalfprice. make sure youfillup before leaving Ethi- tion before outfromMoyale. Also setting ther way,besure tocheck sec- thesecurity route southisstillnotconsidered safe. Ei- alongthisroute.no longer used TheWajir to beundercontrolandarmedconvoys are fully thebanditryproblemsof thepastseem twosparebring atleast tires), butthank- long andhard(onyouyour 4WD– MoyaleandMarsabitthe roadbetween is (KSh500, 4½hours). Isiolo there’s regular transporttoNairobi sengers nearthemainintersection. From destinationspickuppas- thesame servicing and Isiolo(KSh1200, 17hours). Trucks Moyale withMarsabit (KSh600, 8½hours) of adailybusconnects Nairobi.Thatsaid, andovernearest road sealed 1000kmnorth dle of nowhere, some600kmnorthof the on p195 ). are road(transportdetails of found sealed a pretty good,butoften potholedsection to thenorthandAddisAbaba bybus,along tions, oneoneithersideof theborder. Ababa byroad.Moyalehastwoincarna- crossing isatMoyale,772kmsouthof Addis EthiopiaandKenya.between Themostused There are usuallyfew problemscrossing Kenya Eritrea Djibouti. through book. See p290 aboutreaching fordetails will bereopened duringthelifetime of this infeasible sadly thattheborders it seems sincethe1998war.initely closed these border crossingshave indef- been www.lonelyplanet.com If you’re heading southandhave aserious The EthiopianandKenyan borders at ofFor those youinyourownvehicles, The southernsideistrulyinthemid- The northernversion iswellconnected With relations ontheircurrent path,

( h 6.30am-6pm)

( h GETTING THERE&AWAY ••Land GETTING cannotissueEthiopian forthegrandsum of 8am-noon & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-noon &2-6pmMon-Fri, Kenyan im- Kenyan an Lower OmoValley. there’s Although now for Onwardtravel on p269 fordetails). Visas as noneare issuedattheborder(see musthavevisa acquired been inadvance, your passportandcheck The yourvisa. immigration shack,where they’llstamp man’s-land (about200m)toSomaliland’s Fromthere,perfunctory search. cross no- the gate where customswillperformtheir ing onthemainstreet) before walkingto immigration (lookfortheMAO build- outatEthiopian two hours). stamped Get the bordertownof Wajaale (Birr15,1½to Jijigaand trackbetween the dustydesert There are runningalong nowdailybuses Somaliland in USdollars. 90km tothesoutheast. Fares canbepaid whichgeisa, Somaliland’scapital, isabout (about Birr40)runfromtheborder toHar- p270 ) before heading thisway. inAddisAbaba yourSudanvisa tained (see of Gonder. It’simperative thatyou’ve ob- Sudan istheMetema crossing,180kmwest The onlyborder currently openwith Sudan ticket early in the morning (around 7am) Shihedi (Birr23, five tosix hours). Buythe migration officials are tothis. used Nairobi you’llhave toget im- itstamped; Onward Travel on p269 ). Onceyoureach in AddisAbaba for Visas beforehand (see onefromtheKenyanmust obtain embassy no Kenyan soyou posttoissueyouavisa, Omorate youout, there’s thatcanstamp still should never beattemptedshould never inwetseason. but it’sonlyforthetrulywell-prepared and of Africa’sgreatest East Turkana, Lake sights, galani. Thisroute willreward youwithone driveit’s atrickyseven-hour southtoLoyan- the KoobiForaresearch Fromthere, base. should get youtoSibiloiNationalPark and north of Omorate. Alongdayof driving along theroadtoTurmi,13kmaccessed always tryyourluck–bringlotsof fuel. don’t mindbeingturnedback,youcould Kenyan inyourpassport.Ifyou exitstamp Ethiopiarequiresheading northbecause a Contract taxis (Birr300) and minibuses (Birr300)andminibuses Contract taxis From Gonder onebusleaves daily for The remote tracktoKenya andsandy is This route isn’ttechnically possible Ethiopian immigrationpost

( h 7.30am-5pm)

275

in ETHIOPIA TRANSPORT TRANSPORT ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA TRANSPORT area, andtheGambela theborderisclosed ofbecause thecurrent ethnictensions inthe by busfromGambelaintoSudan.However, Gonder departsataround7am. hedi viaGallabat.ThebusfromShihedi to toShi-catch though adawntruckstraight inGedaref (betternight thanGallabat)then Gallabat andGedaref, sobeprepared. trucksget even stuck between In wetseason goingontheSudanside! border –it’srough supportive before underwear youreach the Gedaref to10hours). (Dinar1500,eight can catch atrucktothenearest large townof townofdanese Gallabat.FromGallabat,you you canwalkacrosstheborderintoSu- Metema, sokeep yourguardup. written of and robbedin beingharassed than Metema. travellers Several have also atShihedi,night asithasbetter facilities the last40kmorsotoMetema. over- Stay From there, pick-uptrucks(Birr8)cover of theprevious day,astheroute ispopular. 276 ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES'DOMESTICDESTINATIONS Formerly, it used tobepossibletravelFormerly, itused If you’re over- comingfromSudan,stay If you’re drivingyourown4WD,puton After reaching Metema thenextmorning, GETTING AROUND••Air GETTING Gambela Tepi Mizan Tefari Bahar Dar Debre Markos Gonder Jinka Jimma ADDIS ABABA Selassie Inda Arba Minch Aksum Lalibela Mekele Dessie Dire Dawa ethiopian.com) The nationalcarrier, Airlines inEthiopia AIR AROUND GETTING situation whenyouarrive inEthiopia. area isconsidered unsafe. Checkthecurrent The baggage limitis20kgondomestic groping thanscreening attheremote ones. there’llall airports,though bemore polite check inearly. landscapes, too. Ifyouwantawindowseat, somestunning opian skies,you’llstillsee Ethi- mestic planes,andtheusuallyclear With thelower-altitude flyingof thedo- priced andcutoutdaysspentontheroad. a budget. are Mostflights very reasonably ifyou’re ortwo,even flight travelling on this chapter, theyhave asolidsafety record. As mentionedearlierin domestic airservice. DHC TwinOtters to provide theonlyregular Standard security procedures security Standard applyat It’s wellworthconsideringadomestic , Jijiga

uses fiveuses Fokker 50sandthree Ethiopian Airlines www.lonelyplanet.com

(www.fly online brokers like available at domestic flights forpurchase you’ll find Ethiopian out penalty.Although you canchange theexactdates later with- timeasyourinternational ones,but same mustbebooked flights rates. atthe These fers domestic thestandard you50%off Ethiopian Airlines,Airlinesof- fly intoEthiopiafromoutsideAfricaon bela enroute. Dar, GonderandLali- stopsatBahir flight thedailyAddisAbaba–AksumFor instance, can alsojumpfromonetowntoanother. they are rarely nonstop,which meansyou the interiors are quite small. Don’tbringbulkyhand luggage as flights. www.lonelyplanet.com bought in Addis Ababa,bought but theyare not water. can be Cycles newand secondhand amountsofthe capacity tocarrysufficient plenty of spare parts,agood repair kitand try, come wellprepared withasturdy bike, hour). Ifwantto cycleacrossthecoun- large Ethiopian towns(Birr3toBirr5per you’ll findreasonable bikes forhire inmost you’re onlyinterested inthefirst option, rewarding waytoexplore thecountry.If to navigate sprawlingtowns, andapainfully Bicycling inEthiopiaoffers asmoothway BICYCLE circuit andduringmajor festivals. onthehistorical is particularlyimportant toensure bookingearly However, aseat ticket amonthorthree hours inadvance. rates alwaysapply,whetherbuyingthe ThereGetting &Awaysection. fares thepertinentcity’s the standard see fares.standard Fordomesticschedules and they cancharge upto300%more thanthe lowances for these changes.lowances forthese make itdoesn’t al- itinerary that’ssotight so trytonotplanan anical difficulties, forced tochange ormech- dueto weather toreconfirmdon’t need each leg. more than72hours inanyoneplace,you the historicalroute andare notspending leave itlessthan24hours. If you’re visiting away with48hours inadvance,butnever advance. Inpractice,youcannormallyget ficially, thisshouldbedone72 hours in If there’s twoormore of you,andifyou leaveMost flights fromAddisAbaba, but It’s If buyingtickets in Ethiopia,standard Beware thatschedules areBeware occasionally essential toreconfirm Of- allflights. GETTING AROUND••Bicycle GETTING Expedia (www.expedia.com) , quer thehistoricalcircuitwith! generally thetypeof bike you’dwishto con- general road conditions see general roadconditionssee p280 . timeforyoutogivebe theright itatry.For greatly improving roadnetwork itmayjust dicts andtheirbicycles,butwithtoday’s roads have scared offmostadventure ad- mountainous highland roads. highland mountainous tobeingoodworkingorderforthe need Brakeskeep thebicyclewellmaintained. travel after dark,bewaryof thieves and when travelling aroundthecountry:never season canbevery hardgoing. season and walkslowlyaway.Cyclingintherainy of rabies);sometimes it’sbesttodismount out tobeingenious improvisers. to helpwithcycleproblems,andoften turn Many mechanics are alsomore thanhappy for any This istodeter black-market trading. rival. Whenyouleave, thiswillbereturned. worth) atcustomstheportof entryonar- usually beleft(amountingtothecycle’s ofthe importation abicycle. Adepositmust ing theroute onthatgiven day. as itdependsonwhattypeof planeiscover- tocheck you’llneed firstflights inadvance Ondomestic Airlines international flights. where remote. a water youget filter stucksome- incase front aswellrear pannierrack, andpack nuts regularly, take aspare chain, take a can cyclist:check andtighten screws and .org/cycling/ethiopia. private buses is thepredepartureprivate buses rituals. ferentiating government traitbetween and anyofence between them.The biggest dif- you’ll rarelythough beabletotell thediffer- a dozenprivate ones operate inEthiopia, government busassociationandaround nects mostmajor townsof Ethiopia. One A con- good networkof buses long-distance BUS in line whilethe bus is loaded. After that’s ets in advance andpassengers must wait In thepast,irregular terrain andbrutal Cyclists shouldshowtheusualcaution Be particularlywaryof dogs(andtherisk Be Punctures are easilyrepaired: justhead Note the customsregulation regarding Cycles are accepted Ethiopian aboard Finally, a few tips from a seasoned Afri- Finally, afew tipsfromaseasoned More advicecanbefoundatwww.owen Government buses sell seat-specific tick- Government seat-specific sell buses gommista (tyre repairer) orgarage.

277 ETHIOPIA TRANSPORT TRANSPORT ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA TRANSPORT sitting onabus tocover the 2500km. ofalone, you’llspend atotal atleast 10days size of thecountry.For thehistoricalcircuit meals. There are no toiletsonboard. are usuallyscheduled 20-minute stopsfor and safer. Onthelonger journeys, there comfortable!) which isafarcryfrom saying able (note thatwe’ve more said comfortable, in Ethiopia,making themmore comfort- isillegal in theaislesof buses long-distance standards). therate (though isstill lowbyAfrican speed theincreasebeen inroadaccidents dueto road.Theonedrawback sofarhas sealed of intoslicksections some dirtsections of US$500millionisturningmanytrouble- fully, rapidroadconstructionto the tune journeys canbeseverely disrupted. Thank- roads 30km/horless.Intherainy season, expect tocover around50km/h,butondirt are roadsyoucan buses slow.Onsealed time –get onandget going! being private orgovernment are awaste of your direction, about it soanythoughts there’llstation onlybeonebusheadingin much!). that’snotsaying (though more thangovernment comfortable ones first toleave. Theyalsotend tobeslightly are private buses tosay, usuallythe Needless to thefloodof passengers astheycramin. ticketsply openthedoors selling andstart boarding barrage occurs. sim- Private buses the busbefore tickets are checked andthe completed, thequeueisparadedaround 278 The major drawback withbustravel isthe Unlike mostAfricancountries,standing Once ontheroad,you’llrealise thatall whenyouarriveIn mostcases atthebus understanding. don’tforget Oh,andifyou’re somewetwipes! fondofkids, title ofVomitComet. sellers. There’s themomentwhenyouplug your noseandofficiallybestowuponthebus but ratheraninnate fear ofdeadlymoving thosewindowsshut. airthatkeeps There’s themomentwhenitreaches 40°Cinside andyourealise thatwasn’tcommondecency, of cleaningthatbaby’sbodilyfluidsoffyouronlypairtrousers. and yourbusare abouttobequicklyintroducedthatcliff’sbottom. thebusesaroundEthiopiacanprovideRiding somereal highsandsomereal lows. THE JOYS OFBUSTRAVEL GETTING AROUND••Bus GETTING To enjoyyourmemorablebusjaunts,bringasenseofhumour,lotpatience andalittle There’s thesmelloffresh orangespermeatingthroughthebusafter aquickstopatstreetside There’s thecommondecencyofeveryone theirwindowsclosedona coldmorning. keeping There’s thejoyandhonourofholdinganEthiopian’sbabyinyourarms. There’s thepleasure There are astoundingcliff-topviews. There are butt-clenching momentswhenyou think you p281). (see orIsuzutrucks byminibuses ally served small bagonthebus. other overnight items totake withyouina the roof, soyoushouldpacktoiletriesand won’t beallowedtoremove luggage from you be off theroadby6pm).Inmany cases must buses stipulates thatalllong-distances are overnight stopsen route (Ethiopianlaw with durationslonger thanoneday,there the first busoutof town. tion, thebetter chance youhave of catching In general, theearlieryouget tothe bussta- fill isnormal–somemaynotleave atall. whenquotingbustimesinthis book. used locally (see p267 Western), though timeis Remember thattheEthiopianclockisused pearance attheprescribed departure time. full. Tobesafe you shouldmake anap- are demanddriven andwon’tleave until outbeforedon’t typicallyset 7amas most scheduled to‘leave’ they at6amorearlier, seat (though not a specific seat number on not aspecific seat (though seat advance. Ifyou can,do: itguarantees a (over in 250km) canusuallybe bought Tickets journeys formostlong-distance Reservations just oneclassof travel. out ataroundUS$1.50 per100km.There’s government-run work and private buses areBuses very cheap inEthiopia. Both Costs Smaller andmore remote townsare usu- journeysquoted inthisbook On those In remote areas to longwaitsforbuses are buses mostlong-distance Although www.lonelyplanet.com Bureau there, tothe head From stamp. you’ll payBirr300foranofficial third-party insurancethatcovers Ethiopia. hicle’s registration papers andproof of in thecountryyouare travelling), theve- yourveassociation thatyouwon’tsell hicle issuedantee byyourownnationalmotor ing cycle, you’ll a need If you’re bringingyourown4WDormotor- YourOwnVehicle Bring CAR &MOTORCYCLE window cracked open. as hetends tobuckthetrend andkeep his behindthedriveryour journey,get aseat ontheday. only bebought (lessthan250km),ticketstances canusually daily from5.30amto5.30pm.Forshortdis- Most government ticket are offices open to resell fordoublethepricetolatecomers. sometimes snapuptheremaining tickets andcutsoutthetoutswho private buses) www.lonelyplanet.com may leap in thenear futuremay leap inpower ifthose pricesareThese government and subsidised costs around Birr5.50to Birr5.90 perlitre. Birr4.35 to Birr4.80per litre, while petrol rol isnot available. costs fromaround Diesel gions such asthesouthwest. Unleadedpet- available, apart from the more remote re- isquite widely Fuel (bothpetrolanddiesel) Parts Fuel &Spare please. ter anyproblems–roll thediceifyouso convoluted processandhadyettoencoun- landers wemethadn’tbothered withthis your Ethiopian-endorsed licence. waiting andsigningsomethings,you’ll have of yourpassportandBirr30.After alotof paperwork, plustwopassportphotos, acopy fairs Division of the Service certified Englishtranslation)tothe Protocol embassy) copyof yourdomesticlicence(or quire oneyoumusttake acertified(byyour quire anEthiopian-endorsed licence. Toac- reach AddisAbaba you’re toac- supposed onceyou days.Officially, longer thanseven tional drivinglicences,itfailstodosofor EthiopianlawrecognisesAlthough interna- Licence Driving If you would like a whiff ofIf youwouldlike fresh awhiff airon This israrely enforcedandmostover-

Mp pp80-1; (Map

Mp p6; E p76; (Map % quatorial GuineaSt) quatorial 0115 506561;YohanisSt) Transport &Communications Transport carnet depassage GETTING AROUND••Car&Motorcycle GETTING Ministry of Foreign Af- ofForeign Ministry withallyour (a guar- , where of theincreased altitudes. because level inEthiopiathanatsea higher your vehicle’s fuelconsumptionwillbe 25% in Kenya, prices almostdoubled.Note that change policy.Whenthisrecently happened less expensive forLandrovers. thanthose erators, theirpartsare more plentifuland Cruisers beingthechoice of mosttourop- Sudan orKenya. Land ThankstoToyota forthejourneyahead,whetheritbe need while inAddisandacquire allthatyou may outside AddisAbaba. totake stock It’swise mend one),spare partsare notabundant out thecountry(askyourhotel torecom- and ifthere are driver’s set hours. charges willbeaddedafterwards ask ifservice taxes intheir rates; and check details allthese a collisiondamage waiver andgovernment accommodation), fuel,third-partyinsurance, driver, driver allowance(fortheirfoodand companies includeunlimited kilometres, a to US$180forluxuriousnewermodels.Most range fromUS$90perdayforoldervehicles p282 ) thathire 4WDs,pricesare steepand numerous touragents inAddisAbaba (see thecountry. Despite competitionbetween you stillreally a4WDtoexplore need the Even with the recent roadimprovements, Hire ing anagency athometoarrange it. things yourself inEthiopiaratherthanhir- sle, you’llalwayspaymuch lessorganising of Despite thehas- rental andtheseason. and varygreatly dependingontheperiod can onlybeentered with a4WD. Note alsothatsomenationalparks buses. remote regions for infrequent anderratic halved andthere’s nowaitingaroundin can besaved. Tripdurations are atleast of 4WDhire over bustravel isthe timethat gether (which costsvery little). gesture during thetripistoshare foodto- the boxedterwards (see text, p264 ), anice tipsaremechanics. Although expected af- asguides-cum-interpreters-cum-useful 4WD)canbeveryagency offers self-drive rangement. Increasingly, private individuals route and canrent 4WDs, but onlyby prear- branch offices intownson thehistorical While there are helpfulgarages through- Know thatpricesare alwaysnegotiable Though expensive,Though thechief advantage The mandatory drivers (currently no Some Addis Ababa–based agencies have

279 ETHIOPIA TRANSPORT TRANSPORT ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA TRANSPORT language newspapers. there. bylookinginthelocalEnglish- Start Ababa, vehicles are usuallyeasytofind expat communitythat’sresident inAddis US$12,000 toUS$20,000.With the large hand vehicle, expecttopayaminimum of If you’re lookingtobuyaqualitysecond- Purchase of offices recommend comprehensive coverage. pia. notmandatory,we’dalso Although insurance fromelsewhere isvalidinEthio- in thatcountry,Ethiopiaonlyrequires your are covered byaninsurancecompany based can countries,which demandthatvehicles by law.Thankfully,unlike someotherAfri- Third-party vehicle insuranceisrequired Insurance a depositof Birr1000toBirr2000. 70km free kilometres. Theyusuallyrequire US$35 andUS$50perdaywith50kmto 25 and70years old.Vehicles costbetween ternational driver’s licenceandbebetween youmusthavearound thecapital avalidin- you’re stillinterested inhiringonetotoot forbid themtotravel roads.If off sealed if theirvehicles leave andthey thecapital p283 companiesaren’t), butthese happy press Services, p282 Travel, , andRainbow of agencies inAddisAbaba GalaxyEx- (see tion of thecar. ticularly regarding insuranceandthecondi- awarerent of totourists.Be therisks,par- 280 surance fromBirr70/600peryear. .eic.com.et) If youdon’thave either,thenumerous Motorcycles are notcurrently rented. cars are onlyhired byacouple Self-drive TRAVELLERS LORE the donkey justplodstranquilly on. the donkey goat stillscatters atthefirstapproach, and passes, the dogstillchaseshis change,the never paid. got hischange,and thegoatgotoutbut and gotout,thedog paid,gotoutbutnever ataxi. The paid and decidedtotake donkey They wanted togoonajourneytogether, Once there was a dog,goatanddonkey. GETTING AROUND••Car&Motorcycle GETTING To thisday,and whenever avehicle sell third-party/comprehensive sell in- Ethiopian InsuranceCorporation Ethiopian folktale

(www larly inthe west and southwest, become someroads, particu- ing the rainy season, orexisting dirttracks.Dur- roads sealed the country; drivers on should alwaysstay always approach slowlyandwithcaution. tomed tovehicles and are very car-shy, so animals, including donkeys, are unaccus- majorcause accidentsinthe lowlands.Many ard; camelswandering ontotheroadcan the middleof theroad–without lights. ditionally, sometrucksparkovernight in still operate inthemore remote areas. Ad- ing isnotrecommended. playing ontheroadorkerbside. driv- Night look outforpeople,particularly children In the outskirtsof thetownsorvillages, Road Hazards roads. with goodsealed of AddisAbaba, are connected tothecapital finely gradedgravels corrugations. tocourse of thenorthernhistoricalcircuitranges from Ababa iscurrently beingupgraded.Therest connecting WoldiatoAddis section sealed kele andAdigraton the historicalcircuit.The havesections alsoallbutlinked Woldia,Me- Gorge shape. Newsealed stillinrough section Ababa toGonder,withonlytheBlueNile diabolical intherains. life of thisbook.Thelowlandroadscanbe should reach Nekemte andJimmainthe spreading westfromAddisAbaba and NationalPark. Mountains to Bale for theroadsheadingeastfromShashemene canbesaid from badtotolerable. Thesame Valley toArbaMinch andYabelo range roads connectingJinkaandtheLowerOmo Addis Ababa ismuch better. Theunsurfaced potholed, whilethestretch to fromAwasa Shashemene, theroadsare butrather sealed andfromArbaMinchnorth toAwasa, to thatare shape.those inrough or upgrading adding more sections sealed ambitious US$500-millionproject iseither weather roadsare currently andan sealed in Ethiopia. About one-quarter of theall- and about35,000kmof roads dry-weather There are 17,000kmof all-weatherroads Road Conditions Land mines still pose athreat minesstill pose throughout Land In thecountry,livestock isthemainhaz- Harar andDire Dawa, both525kmeast roadsallbutlinkAddis Decent sealed roadare ofTwo newsections sealed From MoyaleontheKenyan border www.lonelyplanet.com Shiftas (bandits) pected tocontribute towardsfuel. vehicles sometimesoblige, butyou’llbeex- Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) the remote any. roads,you’llbeluckytosee isstillverymany roads lowinEthiopia;on bars andcafésinthecentre of town. best placetolookforliftsisatthe hotels, pay a‘fare’. Negotiate thisinadvance. The is quite normal,andyouwillbeexpected to vehicles, orlight hitching bybuses served den motives such asrobbery. Ethiopians alsosuspected hitchers of hid- little sympathywasspared forthem.Many abusfare theycouldn’tafford and because Ethiopia, itwasusuallyassumedthat In the past,ifsomeoneasked foraridein HITCHING are available –simplyforsafety reasons. them ifthey people wouldbecrazynottouse that weshouldsay have though seatbelts, works oranaccident.Mostvehicles don’t or pebblesacrosstheroad;itmarksroad- Also keep asharpeyeoutforrowof stones beware of truckscomingfasttheotherway. roads,driveOn highland defensively and mirrors orindicators are often disregarded. such as driving isgenerally devices nothigh; of100km/h outsidethetowns.Thestandard is 60km/hinthetownsandvillages and limitforcarsThe speed and motorcycles sideofDriving isontheright-hand theroad. Road Rules local authoritiesbefore out. setting Checkroadconditionswiththe impassable. www.lonelyplanet.com cheap wayof hoppingabouttown (from provides aquick,convenient and service In manyof the larger towns,a minibus LOCAL TRANSPORT Be aware thatthedensityofBe vehicles on forsometownsnotreadilyHowever, or you may be asked faraboveor you maybe asked the goingrate at theend ofthejourney. if youshould wantto. Before taxi,alwaysnegotiate hiringacontract the fare before yougetin, a largebe contracted normal inthis way.Contracting minibus foryourselfisseen asperfectly ‘contracted’) foraprivate journey.The fare isthensplit between allpassengers. and worktoallintents littlebuses. like They taxis’ whenflaggeddown(or become‘contract plyfixed Share-taxis taxis’ and ‘share-taxis’. ‘contract routes, stop andpickpeopleupwhenhailed In thetowns,villages andcountrysideofEthiopiaEritrea, taxis offer ofservice: twokinds TAXI TERMINOLOGY Though of carscanall notreally ‘taxis’atall,minibuses, trucks,4WDs andvariousother kinds GETTING AROUND••Hitching GETTING of thebus;ifin doubt,ask. ductors’ generally shoutoutthedestination around Birr0.75forshortjourneys).‘Con- enlist alocaltoactasinterpreter. speak littleornoEnglish;youmay have to must sticktothebackones.Most drivers from operatingontheprincipalroads and that inmanytownsnowtheyare banned aware andforcitytours. bus stations, Be ticularly: ascheap transporttohotels from and are totravellers useful intwo ways par- cheap (usuallynomore thanBirr1toBirr2) local meansof getting abouttown.They’re doubt, askyourhotel foranestimate. and Birr20dependingonthedistance.Ifin below ). Fares are Birr10 usuallybetween theboxed (see text, for ‘contractservices’ Ethiopiansareheeled alwayscharged more reasonable, butforeigners aswellwell- towns includingAddisAbaba. Pricesare usually findthematbusstations. and cover more thedistances quickly.You’ll more buttheyleave thanbuses, more often to cover Theycostslightly shortdistances. roadsor townsconnectedtween bysealed are be- Minibuses nowcommonlyused MINIBUSES &ISUZUTRUCKS aren’t conducive like tobuses, theLower Taxis operate inmanyof thelarger Garis In more remote regions where theroads go. Womenshouldnever hitchalone. someone knowwhere you’re planningto ing issafer inpairs. Additionally,tryandlet Hitch- ing asmallbutpotentially seriousrisk. hitch shouldunderstandthattheyare tak- recommended. Travellers whodecideto isneverHitching entirely safe, andit’snot HITCHING (horse-drawn carts)are apopular

281 ETHIOPIA TRANSPORT TRANSPORT ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA TRANSPORT Bilen, nearAwash). andVillage Ethiopia (in soon inLalibela); withYemrha Langano, Lake Hotel opening at Arba Minch andWenneyEco-Lodge at Valley); Tours (Swayne’s Hotel Green Land ing EthiopianRift Valley Safaris(in theOmo ‘ecofriendly’ lodges andcampsites, includ- take atour. booked) youcanhire a4WDorguide or outside AddisAbaba, fromwhere (ifpre- excursions. Some have branches intowns Valley lake trips,andDanakilAfar trekking, Mountain Rift Simien andBale fishing, OmoValley tours, photosafaris, and wildlife-viewing, white-water rafting, hire, historicalroute tours, bird-watching ing: guides,4WDhire, camping-equipment inAddisAbaba.based tors hassprungupinthepast10 years, all of much more competitive private opera- its pricesremain uncompetitive. Acluster and guideshave excellentreputations, but agency, oncehadamonopoly.Its drivers with yourdates. onto.you cantag tobeflexible You’llneed ifthereto see are pre-arranged tours that ellers, theagency orcontact far inadvance cheap), hookupwith agroupof othertrav- sites thatyoucanvisitfirst. itineraries andprices.Mostnowhave web- theagenciestact inadvanceandcompare asmuch aspossible.keen tosee withlimited timewhoareand tohelpthose (such asbird-watching) withexpertguides; or theDanakilDepression; ‘themedtrips’ transport such astheLowerOmoValley access toremote regions withlimited public activitiessuch aswhite-waterised rafting; forfourthings:special- Ethiopia isuseful ing anorganised tourintoyourtravels in For theindependenttraveller, incorporat- TOURS collection points. ormarketstations areas are commonlythe back. Pricesare alwaysnegotiable. Petrol ally coststwiceasmuch asridinginthe inthecabinusu- way toget around.Aseat villagesgoods between are often thebest Omo Valley, Isuzuflatbedtruckscarrying 282 Some agencies also have very attractive, Agencies offer allorsomeof thefollow- NTO, thegovernment-owned travel To reduce thecostof tours (few are If you’re interested atour,con- intaking GETTING AROUND••Tours GETTING Abyssinian Tours&Travel industry. by travellers andEthiopiansinthetourism tive, recommended butitincludesthose negotiating, especiallyintheoff-season. fees formileage andfuel.It’salwaysworth onextra camping equipment,andsometack surance. Mostcharge extra forguidesand mandatory driver, driver allowanceandin- accept credit cards. Manyduring thelowseason. agencies now are very opentonegotiation,particularly additional kilometre is45¢). additional kilometre around AddisAbaba (US$49per daywith 50kmfree; each also anAvis cars foruseinand agent andrents self-drive andinsurance.It’s including unlimited mileage,driver Travel isinnew LandCruisers,which costUS$170perday Ethiopiatourpackages. well-run agencyoffers various St)This 510355; www.galaxyexpressethiopia.com; Gambia but fuelisextra. includemileage, charging Birr950perday fora4WD.Prices 613121; [email protected]; Bole Rd)Areasonable outfit Galaxy Express Services Services Express Galaxy &Tours Travel Four Seasons Valley Safaris Ethiopian Rift Safaris Ethio-Fauna Tour&Travel Ethio-Der Agency DarTour&Travel Bahir vehicle anddistancebeingtravelled. US$110 toUS$130perdaydependingonthestateof rangefrom fora4WDwithdriver across thecountry.Prices Abyssinianrunstrips andreasonably priced, Friendly Ave)519293; www.abyssiniantours.com; Ethio-China ningham St. It’soff Cun- person perday.Countonsublimeservice. typicallyrangefromUS$160 toUS$200per hotels. Prices age tours,includingguides,mealsandaccommodation in other agencieslisted,thiseliteoperationonlyoffers pack- the Unlike 552128; www.ethiopianriftvalleysafaris.com) St. Gambia atUS$160perdayforthe4WD.Off will start A basictrip with top-notchvehicles,equipmentandservice. agencies, [email protected]) Oneofthemostrespected Transport Association(IATA)Transport agent. approvedflight-ticketing ing fuelandmileage,isUS$100.It’salsoanInternationalAir Ethiopia. Itsdailyrateforanew-modelLandCruiser,includ- andsouthern company offers personalisedtoursofnorthern 550546; [email protected];ChurchillAve) Thislong-standing Camping equipmentisUS$5perday. to US$50perday,dependingonthenumberof people. including fuelandmileage.Professional guidescostUS$30 Der chargesUS$100/120perdayforanold/new 4WD, www.ethio-der.com; ItegueTaitu Hotel,Piazza) Ethio- The followinglistisfarfromexhaus- All 4WDhire priceslisted here include pricesareThough fixed, officially most Mp pp80-1; (Map (Map (Map p85 ; (Map (Map pp80-1 ; (Map (Map pp80-1 ; www.lonelyplanet.com (Map (Map pp80-1 ; Mp p85; (Map Mp p85; (Map % % 0115 505301; % 0111 571157; % % % 0115 % 0111 0115 0111 0116 US$120 pervehicleday.Theseincludefueland mileage. rangefromUS$80to tours toEthiopia’ssouthandnorth ItegueTaituwww.redjackal.net; Hotel,Piazza) for Prices MasterCard are accepted(6% surcharge). MasterCard to thosewishingflybetweenmajorsights. Visaand Italsocaters (Birr1 toBirr2eachadditionalkilometre). Ababa foraroundBirr300perdaywith75free kilometres inandaroundAddis carscanberented fortrips self-drive kilo costsBirr2.85.Small metres. Eachexcess kilometre Nissan Patrols forBirr750perday,whichincludes75free Taitu St)Thisagencyorganises4WDtourswithnew Rainbow Travel Travel Rainbow NTO Ethiopia Hess Travel range fromUS$130toUS$150perday. for4WD,guide,fuelandmileage Prices north. runs trips and campssetupthroughoutsouthernEthiopia. Italso hotels Land isoneofthebiggestagencies,withvarious 185875; www.greenlandethiopia.com; CameroonSt)Green LandTours&Travels Green www.lonelyplanet.com offers 4WDtoursforBirr750pervehicleday(fuelis Hotel and St)ThiscompanysitswithintheRas Gambia Rocky Valley Safaris TourOperator Jackal Red French-, German- and English-speaking guides. andEnglish-speaking French-, German- includemileage,fuelandequipment.Ithas vehicle. Prices fromUS$130per great reputation, starting Hessoffers trips www.hesstravel.com; BoleRd)Apopularagencywitha 151722; Menelik IIAve);151722; Menelik sights. It accepts Visa and American Express (7%surcharge). sights. ItacceptsVisaandAmerican it canorganisetoursforthosewishingtoflybetweenmajor guidesare US$43perday.Withofficesinmanycities, spoken costs75¢.Well- day costsUS$126.Eachexcesskilometre per credit cards. A4WDwith100freethat takes kilometres andisoneofthefew travel agencyisthemostexperienced % St); pp80-1; (Map Rd Mp pp80-1; (Map Sheraton Hotel 0115 514838; Ras DestaDamtewSt)Thisgovernment 0115 514838;Ras (www.nto.com) % % (Map (Map pp80-1 ; 0115 513755; Ras Biru Wolde Gebriel BiruWoldeGebriel 0115 513755;Ras (www.rainbowtravelplc.com) Hilton Hotel Hilton 0116 615414;BoleRd); Mp pp80-1; (Map Ras DestaDamtewRas St Mp pp80-1; (Map GETTING AROUND••Train GETTING (Map p85 ; Mp pp80-1; (Map Mp pp80-1; (Map % 0115 173697;Itegue % % % Mp pp80-1; (Map 0115 516408; 0115 520955; 0111 560559; Meskal Sq Meskal % % Bole 0115 0116

fuel costingBirr750perday. are thelowestyou’llfind,with4WD,mileageand Prices agency runsEthiopiatourswitholder1989LandCruisers. CunninghamSt)This 0911 223246;www.sunrisetours.com; pp80-1; pp80-1; (Map The Ghion Hotel is off Ras DestaDamtewSt. The GhionHotelisoffRas andquality4WDvehicles.lish, French, ItalianandGerman) ‘ecominded’ tourcompanywithmultilingualguides(Eng- they are yourpeople. Omo Valley. ifbirding inthesouthisyourthing, However, operator toldusthey’re notverygoodattoursofthe Lower Ave) Mekonen .yumo.net; Ras Thisrefreshingly honest Desta DamtewSt. cost US$180perday.Tent rental isincluded.It’soffRas innewerLandCruisers US$150 pervehicleday.Trips from of theGhionHotelandoffers Ethiopiatoursstarting lot .travelethiopia.net) Thisagencysitsbelowtheparking Danakil Depression andhasalodgenearitstoastyconfines. Danakil in thesouthtorockclimbingTigray. Italsospecialisesinthe agency offers frombird-watchingandethnictours everything IIAve) NationalHotel, Menelik This .village-ethiopia.net; fuel are notincluded.It’salsoanIATA agent. ticketing agency chargesBirr900perdayfor4WDs,but15%VAT and 0911 223246;www.ttamtour.com; BoleRd)Thisestablished can arrangelocalguidesenroute. Itdoesn’toffer professionalextra). guides,butitsdrivers along (see along (see p274 ). isstillchugging Dawa–Djibouti Citysection definitely outof theDire action,though The AddisAbaba–Dire Dawa train isin- TRAIN Yumo Tours Ethiopia Village T-Tam & Tour Travel Ethiopia Travel Tour Ethiopia &Tour Travel Sunrise % 0115 525478; Menelik IIAve)0115 525478;Menelik Aself- professed (Map (Map pp80-1 ; % Mp pp80-1; (Map (www.travelethiopia.com) Mp pp80-1; (Map 0911 206976); Mp pp80-1; (Map Mp p85; (Map % % % 0115 513783;www National Hotel 0115 510168;www % 0115 523497;www % 0111 578921, 0111 578921, Ghion Hotel (Map (Map 283

ETHIOPIA TRANSPORT TRANSPORT ETHIOPIA HEALTH 369 Interna- (www.wildernessmedical

. Its website can help website . Its . (IMAT; www.iamat. org) www.iamat. (IMAT;

If you’re bringing medications with you, If you’re the best How do you go about getting Travellers can register with the can register Travellers tional Association for Medical Advice to Travel- lers training.co.uk) carry them in their original containers, clearly their original containers, carry them in from your letter labelled. A signed and dated physician describing all medical conditions names, and medications, including generic or If carrying syringes is also a good idea. a physician’s letter to have needles be sure documenting their medical necessity. possible medical help? It’s difficult to say; it your illness depends on the severityreally of local help. of or injury and the availability seekIf malaria is suspected, medical help as soon as possible or begin self-medicating if ). p373 track (see the beaten off you’re INSURANCE insurance is crucial, but many pol- Medical Check that the policy includes icies differ. Some spe- all the activities you want to do. activities’ such cifically exclude ‘dangerous rafting, rock climbing and as white-water is motorcycling. Sometimes even trekking excluded. Also find out whether your insur- to provid- payments directly ance will make for overseas you later or will reimburse ers (in Ethiopia and Eritrea health expenditures expect payment in cash). En- many doctors the insurance will cover that your travel sure you to to get transport required emergency travellers to find a doctor who has recog- travellers nised training. Those heading off to very to do a first-aid might like areas remote course (contact the Red Cross or St John’s medicine a remote Ambulance) or attend by the as that offered course, such first-aid Royal Geographical Society doses over a period of up to six weeks, so a period of doses over you must visit a doctor six to eight weeks your doctor for an Ask departure. before Vaccination CertificateInternational of (otherwise known as the yellow booklet), re- will list all the vaccinations you’ve which yellow- of This is necessary as proof ceived. vaccination is (and possibly cholera) fever mandatory in Ethiopia. Ethiopian proverb Ethiopian One who hides his illness has no medi- It’s tempting to leave it all to the last it all to the last to leave It’s tempting Before You Go Before Insurance 369 Recommended Vaccinations Medical Checklist Resources Internet Reading Further In Transit 370 (DVT) Thrombosis Deep Vein In Ethiopia & Eritrea & Cost of Health Care Availability 369 Diseases Infectious Diarrhoea Travellers’ 370 371 370 Environmental Hazards 371 370 371 371 371 375 376 cine; one who hides his problem has no remedy. H e a l t h CONTENTS BEFORE YOU GO particu- departure, A little planning before a pre- larly for vaccinations or if you have trouble you a lot of existing illness, will save from a checkup Before a long trip get later. your dentist, and from doctor if you ill- medication or chronic any regular have You or asthma. ness, eg high blood pressure contact lenses spare should also organise and glasses your optical prescription (and take and medical kit to- a first-aid with you); get necessary vaccinations. and arrange gether; several vaccines take – don’t! Many minute As long as you staywith your up to date As some basic preventive vaccinations and take unlucky to be pretty you’d have measures, the health hazards to succumb most of Africa certainly has in this chapter. covered tropical diseases selection of an impressive to likely more much but you’re on offer, diarrhoea a bout of (in fact, you should get mosquito bank on it), a cold or an infected than an exotic diseasebite as sleeping such sickness. HEALTH

trol &Prevention outbreaks of themdooccur. canbesevere, and quences of diseases these regardless of theirdestination. The conse- rubella andpolio,aswellforhepatitisB, for diphtheria,tetanus,measles,mumps, recommends thatalltravellers becovered roots medical assistance forlocalpeople.roots medicalassistance intoproviding goes grass- for thisservice medical facilities.Moneypaidbymembers provides airambulancetransfers between ing Ethiopia,Eritrea andDjibouti.Italso gencies inmanyAfricancountries,includ- inmedicalemer- service an airevacuation search Foundation packing. ing isalistof items youshouldconsider ofthe case minor illness orinjury.Follow- first-aid kitwithyou,tohelpyourselfin It’s avery tocarryamedicaland goodidea MEDICAL CHECKLIST e h T RECOMMENDED VACCINATIONS your embassyorconsulate. ask atyourhotel. Inanemergency, contact cate thenearest orclinic,youcan hospital beabletohelplo- insurance companymight medicalhelp,your Ifyouneed if necessary. home, byairandwithamedicalattendant facilities elsewhere inAfrica,oralltheway inamajora hospital city,tobetter medical 370

be required. elled from,cholera vaccinationmayalso Eritrea. Dependingonwhere you’ve trav- is mandatoryfortravel to Ethiopiaand measles. Proof of yellow-fever vaccination and boosters fortetanus,diphtheria and gococcal meningitis,rabiesand typhoid, of Africa:hepatitisA,B,menin- vaccinations are recommended forallparts





Antidiarrhoeal drugs(eg loperamide) Antidiarrhoeal Antibiotics (prescription only),egcip- oraspirin (paracetamol) Acetaminophen Antibacterial ointment(egBactroban) Adhesive orpapertape (Diamox)Acetazolamide foraltitude (Utinor) ro floxacin (Ciproxin) or norfloxacin only) for cutsandabrasions (prescription sickness (prescription only) According tothe Membership of the World HealthOrganization BEFORE YOU GO •• Recommended VaccinationsBEFORE YOUGO••Recommended

(Amref; www.amref.org) (www.cdc.gov) Centers forDiseaseCon- Centers African Medical &Re- Medical African , thefollowing

(www.who.int/en) provides

.uk)

READING FURTHER USA UK Canada .gov) LonelyPlanet.com on theInternet. Forfurtherinformation, There’s awealthof travel healthadvice RESOURCES INTERNET from afinger prick. kit thatcanidentifymalariaintheblood aself-diagnostic Ethiopia, considertaking Since falciparummalariapredominates in eral interest are at www.who.int/ith. Otherwebsites of gen- annually andisavailable onlineatnocost tional Travel and Health tion publishesasuperbbookcalled TheWorldHealthplace tostart. Organiza- Australia parture, ifoneisavailable. ernment’s travel healthwebsite before de- outbreaks andisvery user-friendly. ers for updated daily,alsoatnocost;theCent- health recommendations country, forevery health.com)















Thermometer Syringes andsterile needles Sunblock Steroid cream orhydrocortisonecream Sterile syringes needles, andfluidsiftrav- Scissors, safety pins,tweezers Pocket knife Permethrin-containing sprayfor insect Oralrehydration salts (forwater Iodinetablets purification) DEET-containing repellent insect forthe Bandages, gauze,gauzerolls Antimalaria pills Anti-inflammatory drugs (eg ibuprofen) (forhayfever Antihistamines andallergic

(www.doh.gov.uk/traveladvice/index.htm) (1998) and Travel Medicine A Comprehensive GuidetoWilderness (for allergic rashes) elling toremote areas clothing, tents, andbednets skin reactions) It’s also a good idea toconsultyourgov-It’s alsoagoodidea , which hasup-to-date informationabout (www.cdc.gov/travel) ; and (www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/index.html) Disease ControlandPrevention (www.dfat.gov.au/travel) , which provides complete travel Fit forTravel

(www.lonelyplanet.com) MD Travel Health MD Travel

www.lonelyplanet.com (www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs by Eric A Weiss , which isrevised

(www.mdtravel isagood Interna-

(www.cdc avoid alcohol. while sitting),drinkplentyof fluids,and the legmuscles(iecontract muscles cabin, performisometriccompressions of youshouldwalk aboutthe on longflights medicalattention. diately seek with anyof symptomsshouldimme- these pain andbreathing Travellers difficulty. clot travels chest tothelungs,itcouldcause not alwaysonjustoneside. Whenablood pain of thefoot,ankleorcalf,usuallybut life-threateningcause complications. blood vessels tothelungs,where theycould breaksome might off andtravel the through blood clotsare reabsorbed uneventfully, thegreaterthe flight, most therisk.Although andthelonger vein deep thrombosis(DVT), bility. Thisformationof clotsisknownas of chieflyflights, because prolonged immo- Blood clotscanforminthelegsduring DEEP VEINTHROMBOSIS(DVT) IN TRANSIT www.lonelyplanet.com the cheapest service, but willhave theleast the cheapest service, large, in theregion public hospitals offer equipment. Byandvia poorly sterilised risk of hepatitis BandHIV transmission is equally variable,andthere’s an increased their relatives. of care Thestandard dental chased from alocalpharmacybypatientsor and intravenous tobe pur- need fluidsmight at best.Medicine sterile andeven dressings healthcarebut outsidethecapitals ispatchy ties withwell-trained doctors andnurses, Addis Ababa and Asmara have goodfacili- Health care inEthiopiaand Eritrea isvaried: &COSTOFHEALTHAVAILABILITY CARE &ERITREA IN ETHIOPIA

To prevent of thedevelopment DVT The chief isswellingor symptomof DVT (2004) Travel with Children Travel inHealth Dawood (2002) How toStay Healthy Abroad (2000) Healthy Travel Africa (1999) Healthy Travel by Jane Wilson-Howarth byGrahamFry(1994) INTRANSIT••DeepVein Thrombosis(DVT) by Cathy Lanigan Lanigan byCathy by Isabelle Young by Isabelle byRichard and better trained medical staff. and better trainedmedicalstaff. have more advanceddrugsandequipment and clinicsare more expensive buttend to reasonable facilities;andprivate hospitals usual formof payment)often have more (wheremission hospitals donations are the up-to-date equipmentandmedications; been incorrectlybeen stored. havein EuropeorAustralia,andtheymight notbeof qualityas Africa might thesame in Condomsbought traception you’llneed. cannot berelied upon,sobringallthecon- boxes! –are inhotel rooms),theirefficacy are readily available (sometimesboxes – yes fromhome. condoms be brought Although mended thatalldrugsforchronic diseases It’sstronglyrecom- tablets. paracetamol villages willbeluckytohave acoupleof are available inlarger towns,butremote tibiotics, such asciprofloxacin. Mostdrugs drugs are andexpensive malariatablets an- The mostcommonexamplesof counterfeit storedbeen conditions. undertheright becounterfeitmight nothave ormight beineffective: they inAfricamight sale can offer educated advice. Many drugsfor the onlyoneswithtrainedpharmacistswho ‘drug shop’or‘ruraldrugvendor’ asthey’re tion. Trytovisitapharmacyratherthan counter intheregion, withoutaprescrip- sion intheregion. The infected bloodifyoureceive abloodtransfu- any partof theworldwithin24hours. screened blood,which canbetransported to cholera attention could beavoided by close it’s not particularly effective. of Mostcases cholera vaccine isavailable intheUSA,but if fluids are not replaced quickly. An oral debilitation whichwatery causes diarrhoea, ing water. The main symptomisprofuse teria andspread viacontaminated drink- are rarely by a bac- affected. It’scaused can alsooccurat othertimes.Travellers or earthquakes, small outbreaks although natural orartificial disasters, egwar,floods Cholera isusuallyonlyaproblem during Cholera precautions goalongway… It’s a afewformidable listbut,aswe say, DISEASES INFECTIOUS (www.bloodcare.org.uk) Most drugs can be purchased overMost drugscanbepurchased the There’s riskof ahigh contractingHIVfrom is a useful sourceof isauseful safe, BloodCare Foundation BloodCare 371

HEALTH HEALTH HEALTH 10-year protection. Hepatitis A andtyphoid up to ayear,and abooster after ayeargives will givejection: a singledose protection for (Avaxim, VAQTA, Havrix) isgiven asanin- bepresent. Hepatitispain might Avaccine the eyes.Sometimes afever andabdominal urine andayellow colourtothewhites of problems. Thefirst symptomsincludedark recovered, there won’t beanylong-term six months afterwards, butonceyou’ve A, youshouldn’t drinkalcohol forupto delayed recovery. Ifyou’ve hadhepatitis prolonged itcancause lethargyfatal, and it’srarely jaundiceand,although causes food (particularlyshellfish)and water. It Hepatitis Aisspread contaminated through Hepatitis A ment isavailable. swelling of the legsand/orgenitalia. Treat- itching andSymptoms includelocalised infected mosquitospreads theinfection. system cause filariasis. The bite froman Tiny wormsmigratinginthelymphatic Filariasis lasts 10years. as aninjectionaloneorwithtetanus, and for short-term trips.Thevaccineisgiven areas. More than forlongstays important withthelocalpopulationininfectedtact likely con- mended forthose tobeinclose prevent Vaccination suffocation. isrecom- the throat,andatracheostomyto isneeded throat. Sometimesamembraneformsacross atemperatureally causes andasevere sore respiratory close Itusu- through contact. Found inallof Africa, diphtheria isspread Diphtheria pirin shouldbeavoided. andrest. paracetamol As- Self-treatment: bites shouldbeavoided possible. whenever influenza. There bearash.Mosquito might experienced withabad,prolonged of attack headache andmusclepainssimilartothose afeverishdengue fever illnesswith causes Spread thebite through of themosquito, ( Dengue Fever Fever) Break-bone treatment isn’tadvised. but sometimesantibioticsare Self- needed. is byfluidreplacement (orallyorviaadrip), potentially contaminated food.Treatment to gooddrinkingwater andbyavoiding 372 IN ETHIOPIA & ERITREA •• Infectious Diseases ••Infectious &ERITREA IN ETHIOPIA vaccine, hepatyrixorviatim. vaccines canalsobegiven asasingledose should beavoided possible. whenever be carriers of the infection. Sandfly bites loss. Dogscan alsoanaemia andweight and sometimes alife-threatening fever with form) skin lump orulcer(the cutaneous fected aslowlygrowing Itcancause sandfly. This isspread thebite through of anin- Leishmaniasis appear intheblood. testing isrequired toallow antibodiesto three-month gap after exposure andbefore fected withHIV,abloodtest a isnecessary; either. have Ifyouthinkmight in- been and are notreadily available fortravellers for theoverwhelming majority of Africans, available, drugsare butthese tooexpensive undercontrolis keep thedisease might At present there’s nocure; medicationthat intravenous sharingused through needles. and otherbody-piercingprocedures, and acupuncturements duringmedical,dental, such instru- contacts, aswithcontaminated It canbespread ‘blood toblood’ through baby duringchildbirth andbreastfeeding. ner andfromaninfected mothertoher intercoursesexual withan infected part- infected bloodandproducts,by and Eritrea. Thevirusisspread through Ethiopiaenormous problemthroughout AIDs,isanHIV, thevirusthatcauses HIV or sixmonths. five years. Itcanbegiven over fourweeks timeashepatitisA(hepatyrix). same tions. It’sgiven singlyorcanbegiven atthe B aspartof the routinechildhood vaccina- Manymunised. countries nowgive hepatitis social oroccupationalriskshouldbeim- areas withincreased forlongperiodsorthose sis orliver cancer. visitinghigh-risk Those virus, which tocirrho- couldleadeventually bechronicsome peoplemight carriers of the failure. Most peoplerecover completely, but liver, causingjaundiceandoccasionallyliver to thebabyduringchildbirth. the Itaffects It canalsobespread fromaninfected mother intercourse. andsexual contaminated needles Hepatitis Bisspread infected through blood, Hepatitis B A course willgive protection foratleast www.lonelyplanet.com death. Treatment and is essential, inhospital (also knownas cerebral malaria) followed by dice, then reduced consciousness andcoma if falciparum malariaisthe parasite: jaun- within24hours,could develop particularly medication. Ifnot treated, thenextstage ifyouhaveeven antimalarial taking been fection until a bloodtest proves negative, a malarialarea should assumemalarialin- afever Anyone whodevelops in a cough. and can includeabdominal pain,diarrhoea could bemistaken forflu.Other symptoms which aches andpains,malaise, eralised early stages includeheadaches, fevers, gen- nolongereral years agomight bethecase. changing sev- rapidly,sowhat was advised ers. Thepattern of drug-resistant malariais is more forsometravellers suitable thanoth- assomemedication health clinicisessential the pipeline. Up-to-date advicefromatravel topreventused malaria,andnewonesare in different several drugs are(yet). However, ellers, there’s novaccinationagainstmalaria regularlyother diseases encountered bytrav- the situationbefore departure. Unlike most andclimate, socheckvary withseason out inEthiopiaandEritrea.cases Infection rates dangerous typeandmakes up70%of the of malaria;falciparummalariaisthemost Anopheles mosquito. There are types several bloodstream spread viathebite of thefemale shouldn’t thinktwice–take prophylactics. ing of travelling areas, outsidethese you to erronthesideof caution.Ifyou’re think- ered safe areas, butthey’re notrisk-free. northern historicalcircuitare usuallyconsid- and mostof andSimienMountains, the Bale opia. The centralplateau, AddisAbaba, the have occurred inareas above 2000m inEthi- ataltitudesaboveabsent 1800m,epidemics ported each year. malariaisgenerally Though Eritrea, re- withonetotwomillionnewcases Malaria probleminEthiopiaand isaserious Malaria afevercauses andsometimesjaundice. conditions.It less livinginpoorsanitary It’s unusualfortravellers tobe affected un- titis andrenal failure, which befatal. might hepa- rodents, especiallyrats.Itcancause It’s spread theexcreta through of infected Leptospirosis www.lonelyplanet.com Malaria ways.The canpresent inseveral byaparasite inthe iscaused The disease For short-term visitors, it’sprobablywise IN ETHIOPIA & ERITREA •• Infectious Diseases ••Infectious &ERITREA INETHIOPIA even in thebestintensive-careeven facilities. as10% ratestillbeashigh the death might rhoea, abdominalpainandmouthulcers. rhoea, diar-hydrochloride (malarone)cancause and hairloss;atovaquone andproguanil disorders; nausea chloroquine cancause nightmares, and(rarely) severe psychiatric insomniaand anxietyattacks, can cause mefloquine(Larium) tosunlight; sensitivity heartburn,indigestioncause andincreased on thedrugbeingtaken. Doxycycline can true. of Sideeffects themedicationdepend malaria. InAfrica,thisisunfortunately not thanactuallygetting sideeffects through moreing antimalarialdrugscauses illness is alwayseasyandsuccessful,thattak- that malariaisamildillness,treatment women orchildren younger than12. doxycycline shouldnotbetaken bypregnant with epilepsyshouldavoid mefloquine,and take aparticularantimalarialdrug,egpeople eg withfood.Also,somepeopleshouldnot medication correctly, bytaking be minimised don’t recommend theiruse. that thisiseffective, andmanyhomeopaths but asyetthere’s noconclusive evidence arations againstmalaria,such asDemal200, Some peopleadvocate homeopathicprep- symptoms toadoctorassoon possible. repellent, andreport anyfever orflulike avoiding mosquitobites. Use netsandinsect derstand therisks,andbeobsessive about to take antimalarialdrugs,youmustun- you might no longeryou might beimmune. tolivepast andused inamalaria-pronearea, posure, ifyouhave soeven had malariainthe Immunity wanes after 18months of nonex- Western travellers have noimmunityatall. of mildcases ally onlydevelop malaria;most malaria have immunityandusu- developed labour. childhood Adultswhohave survived quently results inmiscarriage orpremature illness.Malarialess serious inpregnancy fre- peated infections result might in eventually themostsevere illness.Re- falciparum causes at saving the patient’s life andnot asroutine asemergencyshould beseen treatment aimed by treatment. Emergency stand-by treatment malaria predominates, stand- considertaking malarial area, particularlywhere falciparum Many travellers are undertheimpression These side effects are sideeffects These notuniversal, andcan If youdecidethatreally donotwish People of allages cancontractmalaria,and If you’re a planninga journey through

373 HEALTH HEALTH HEALTH than 24hours away frommedicalhelp. stand-by treatment (earlier) ifyou’re more see Self-treatment: couraged unlessessential. particularly tomalarialareas –shouldbe dis- travel Africa when pregnant throughout – Unless goodmedicalcare canbeguaranteed, duringpregnancyfoetus are considerable. also available intheWest. malaria inthebloodfromafinger prick, are kits,which canidentify ier, self-diagnostic in24hours.can befatal As mentionedearl- system and the brainandcentralnervous form such ascerebral malaria, which affects to avoid contractingapar ticularly serious you want ment. Thisisworthwhilebecause drugs were before beingused stand-by treat- as drugresistance, andonwhatantimalarial willdependonlocalconditions,such used successful. Thetypeof stand-by treatment to confirmwhetherthetreatment has been assoonpossible vice shouldbesought themedication.Medicaland howtouse ad- aboutthesymptomsof advised malaria been you’ll befarfrommedicalfacilitiesandhave onlyif Itshouldbeused self-medication. 374 mediate medical treatment is necessary. and aredheadache, neck stiffness rash. Im- Symptoms includeafever, severe season. towards theendofcially important thedry is recommended andisespe- forlongstays tion isuncommon intravellers. Vaccination Infec-in crowdedsituations, such asbuses. respiratoryclose andismore contact likely Meningococcal infection isspread through Meningitis Meningococcal The risksfrommalariatobothmother and



THE ANTIMALARIAL ATOD

D–Diagnosis. Ifyouhave afever illnesswithinayearoftravel orflulike toamalarialarea, C–Chemicalprevention (ieantimalarialdrugs)isusuallyneededinmalarialareas. Expert B–Bites –avoidatallcosts. Sleepinascreened room,useamosquitosprayorcoils,sleep A–Awareness Nomedicationistotallyeffective, oftherisk. butprotection ofupto95%is IN ETHIOPIA & ERITREA •• Infectious Diseases ••Infectious &ERITREA IN ETHIOPIA malaria isapossibility,andimmediate medicalattention isnecessary. malaria. at leastaweekinadvanceandcontinuedforfourweeksafter thelastpossible exposure to all antimalarialdrugsare suitableforeveryone. Mostantimalarialdrugsneedtobestarted advice isneededasresistance patterns canchange,andnewdrugsare indevelopment. Not intheevenings.of exposedskin sleeves, preferably withpermethrin-treated clothing. Applyappropriate repellent toallareas under apermethrin-impregnated netatnight.Cover upatnightwithlongtrousersand achievable withmostdrugs,aslongothermeasures have beentaken. given bothtypesof vaccine. adolescents insomecountries;it’ssafe tobe meningitis Cvaccinegiven to children and vaccine isdifferent fromthemeningococcal all travellers insub-Saharan Africa. This nervous system. Animal handlers should be nervous the virus from spreading tothe central vaccinatedbeen before thebite) prevents Postbite vaccination (whetheror notyou’ve tion should begiven as soonpossible. after aninfected bite), sopostbite vaccina- months (which beuptoseveral start might oncetheclinicalsymptoms It’s alwaysfatal licks of aninfected animalonbroken skin. isspreadRabies byreceiving thebites or Rabies bepermanent. muscles, which might weaknessorparalysisofcauses oneormore atransientfever.could cause Inrare it cases tomatically (ieshowingnosymptoms) and as aninjection.Poliocanbecarried asymp- years, eitherorally(adroponthetongue) or childhood andshouldbeboosted 10 every and water. It’soneof thevaccinesgiven in spread contaminatedGenerally food through Poliomyelitis clinic iscurative. severely affected. Treatment inaspecialised itchy, red, sore eyes.Travellers are rarely The earliestsignof infection isintensely which isspread bythebite of asmallfly. of atinyworm, bythelarvae This iscaused Blindness) (River Onchocerciasis The ACWY vaccineisrecommended for www.lonelyplanet.com It’s notpossibleforyoutoinfect others. kidney failure orpermanentboweldamage. clinics. Ifnottreated theinfection can cause sible inspecialisttravel orinfectious disease andtreatment exposed, been is then pos- test have candetect antibodiesifyoumight blood inthestoolorurine. Ablood have might and rash,advancedcases symptoms. There beatransient fever might rivers shouldbeavoided. There beno might in suspectfreshwater lakes orslow-running again.Paddlingcycle starts orswimming freshcould contaminate water, where the They’re outviastoolorurineand passed and thenmigrate tothebladderorbowel. human skinduringpaddlingorswimming moving orstillwater. Theparasites penetrate the snail,which thenshedsthemintoslow- freshwater snail.Theflukes are carriedinside worms) thatare carriedbyaspeciesof isspread byflukesThis disease (minute (Bilharzia) Schistosomiasis medicalhelp. more timetoseek fewerneed postbite injections,andhave injury. Ifyouhave vaccinated, you’ll been ing 24hours orassoonpossibleafter the acourse ofyou’ll need five injectionsstart- a month.Ifyouhave vaccinated notbeen Three preventive injectionsare over needed bite vaccineisn’tavailable within24hours. mote areas where areliable sourceof post- travellingvaccinated, asshouldthose tore- www.lonelyplanet.com It’s given routinely tomanychildren in vaccineisn’tavailable inallcountries. BCG Inoculationwiththe for short-term stays. TB. It’smore than forlongstays important it gives onlymoderate protection against withthelocalpopulation, although closely recommended likely forthose tobemixing vaccinationis milk orproducts.BCG infected andoccasionallythrough contact respiratoryTB isspread close through (TB) Tuberculosis home toavoid future healthproblems. sider having yourstooltested whenyouget dishes) inrural areas is usuallythecause. Con- itional food like itional food like Ethiopia andtheHorn. EatingEthiopiantrad- These parasites are relatively commonin WORMS TAPE kitfo and IN ETHIOPIA & ERITREA ••Travellers’Diarrhoea &ERITREA INETHIOPIA tere sega (rawmeat munocompromised individuals. munocompromised not begiven topregnant women orim- chest clinic.It’salive vaccineandshould tion, andisusuallygiven in aspecialised a smallpermanentscaratthesite of injec- countries.Thevaccinationcauses developing after exposure. or fever, sometimesmonths years oreven loss weight natively, acough, itcancause picked uponaroutine chest X-ray.Alter- compromised orpregnantcompromised travellers. vaccine andmustnotbegiven toimmuno- clinic andisvalidfor10years. It’salive vac cination mustbegiven atadesignated Theyellow-fevertion) jaundiceanddeath. illness tosevere hepatitis(liver inflamma- Symptomsrange fromaflulikequitoes. Yellow fever isspread byinfected mos- Fever Yellow death israre occurs. unlesssepticaemia tibiotics are usuallygiven astreatment, and the oralvaccineVivotifisalsoavailable. An- tection forthree years. Insomecountries, vaccine (typhimVi,typherix)willgive pro- mia (bloodpoisoning)canoccur. Atyphoid rash ontheabdomen.Sometimessepticae- first symptomisusuallyafever orapink byinfectedtaminated humanfaeces.The This isspread foodorwater through con- Typhoid There’s aneffective treatment. a headache, fever coma. andeventually Spread viathebite fly.Itcauses of thetsetse Sickness) (Sleeping Trypanosomiasis for upto10days orpossiblyrepatriated. in isolation attheportofdetained arrival to-date certificate willbe vaccinated and a traveller without alegallyrequired, up- arrival. There’s always thepossibilitythat also have to present itatimmigrationupon days of visiting aninfected area. Youmay requires oneifyou’re arrivingwithinsix Ethiopia andEritrea, Eritrea though only for of avisa evidence vaccinationto obtain is the mostcommon travel-related illness: Eritrea, very it’s certainly likely. Diarrhoea whiletravellingdiarrhoea in Ethiopia and that you’llget it’snotinevitable Although TRAVELLERS’ DIARRHOEA TB canbeasymptomatic,onlybeing Travellers mustcarrya certificate as

375 HEALTH HEALTH HEALTH could start a course of a course could start antibiotics. giardiasis, butifyou’re inaremote area you medical adviceifyoususpecthaveseek persistentit canalsocause Ideally, diarrhoea. lived boutof typicaltravellers’ but diarrhoea, onlyashort- parasite. cause Giardiasismight after you have totheoffending exposed been The illnessusuallyappears ormore aweek by ingesting foodor water. contaminated isalsocaused This, like dysentery, amoebic Giardiasis ment (which iswithspecificantibiotics). the illnessasitwon’tclearupwithout treat- medicaladviceifyouthink youhaveseek mild andtends tocomeongradually, but and mucusinthefaeces.Itcanbe relatively blood causes dysentery and water, amoebic Contracted byeatingcontaminated food Dysentery Amoebic medicalattention. dominal pain,seek panied byfever, shakingchills orsevere ab- persists formore than72hours orisaccom- easy reach of isbloody, atoilet.Ifdiarrhoea (such asloperamide)ifyou’re notwithin or norfloxacin) agent andan antidiarrhoeal ally aquinolinedrug,such asciprofloxacin an antibiotic(usu- taking you shouldstart having more thanfourorfive stoolsaday, stools don’trequire treatment but,ifyoustart andsugar.(lots), andsomesalt Afew loose oral rehydration water solutioncontaining be sure todrinkplentyof fluids,preferably an diarrhoea, Ifyoudevelop the waythrough). (make sure thatcooked foodispipinghotall lective wheneatingfoodfrom street vendors se- bedirty,soyoushouldhighly might utensils be asafe option,plates orserving freshlymilk. Although cooked foodcanoften unpasteurised contain products thatmight if cooked andbewaryof orpeeled, dairy freshshould alsoonlyeat fruitsorvegetables avoid water (see tap rhoea, opposite ). You oils, are Tohelpprevent thecause. diar- changes,dietary such asincreased spicesor atsomestage.will get Sometimes diarrhoea figures suggest thatatleasthalfof alltravellers 376 larly common in hot climates when taking larly common inhot climates when taking replacement of andis particu- fluidsand salt, ing andexcessive fluid losswithinadequate This condition occurs following heavy sweat- Exhaustion Heat ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS IN ETHIOPIA & ERITREA ••EnvironmentalHazards &ERITREA IN ETHIOPIA more tofoodsthanusual. salt table fluidsasinsoup,andaddingalittle ing salty componentconsistsofthe salt-loss consum- ing bycoldwater andfans.Thetreatment of ment withwater and/orfruitjuice,andcool- fluidreplace- diluted urine. Self-treatment: water toproducepale, to drinksufficient happening bythetimeyoufeel thirsty; aim ziness andtiredness. Dehydrationisalready Symptomsincludeheadache, diz- tisation. unaccustomed exercise before fullacclima- They cause an intensely itchy an intensely rash.TheThey cause the fingers.the skin, particularly between tiny mites liveaccommodation. These in ing bedding willget ridof them. tress killerafter remov- withcrawlinginsect very itchy, lumpy bites. Sprayingthemat- rugs of someremote churches. Theyleadto andinthe buses local andlong-distance cheap hotels. Fleasare alsocommonon occurs. ifcollapse ment shouldbesought by ascorpion,take apainkiller. Medical treat- that issometimeslife-threatening. Ifbitten apainful bitedry climates. Theycancause give Thiscouldsave yourself. yourlife. line (epinephrine)injection,which you can people,carryan‘epipen’:adrena-these the stings(anaphylaxis).Ifyou’re oneof whohaveonly tothose asevere allergy to quitos thatlandontreated clothingwilldie. clothing treatments are alsoavailable; mos- Use DEET-based repellents. insect Excellent you wouldforavoiding malaria(see p373 ). precautions takeavoid thesame these, as andinfected irritation can cause bites. To or denguefever, butthey(andotherinsects) not alwayscarrymalaria might Mosquitoes &Stings Bites Insect also required byintravenous drip. fluid andelectrolyte replacement isusually with water andfanningisideal.Emergency coolingbysprayingthebody death. Rapid lossofand eventually consciousnessand ature; irrationalandhyperactive behaviour; anism, withanexcessive inbodytemper- rise there’scase damage tothesweatingmech- more conditionof serious heatstroke. In this Heat exhaustion isaprecursor tothemuch Heatstroke Scabies is alsofrequently found incheap Fleas andbedbugs are often foundin Scorpions are frequently foundinaridor real andwaspstingscause problems Bee www.lonelyplanet.com not applyatourniquet,orcutsuckthe pressure, similartobandagingasprain.Do apply abandage over thesite, withfirm ten limbwithasplint(such asastick)and snake, thebit- donotpanic.Immobilise with poison(envenomed). If bitten bya venomous snakes are notactuallyinjected 50%ofcracks. However, bitten by those barefoot, orstickyourhandintoholes or avoidBasically, getting bitten! Donotwalk Bites Snake do notshowanysymptoms. ing toavoid spreading ifthey scabies,even members treat- of alsoneed thehousehold permethrin lotionfromapharmacy;other itch iseasilytreated withmalathionand www.lonelyplanet.com the above - ‘Do the right thing withour content.’ the above -‘Do theright the termsandconditions onoursitefor alongerwayof saying youknow, orresell it.See everyone site,massemailit to only. Inother words,please don’t uploadthischapter toapeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseit forpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasier foryoutouse,accessthischapter isnotdigitally Tomake IN ETHIOPIA & ERITREA ••EnvironmentalHazards &ERITREA INETHIOPIA antivenin canbegiven ifneeded. bite. medicalhelpassoonpossibleso Get taminate supplies. taminate but thepresence of animalscanstillcon- some dobringpure water tothesurface, to avoid drinkingfrompumpsandwells: from streams, rivers andlakes. It’salsobest (such drink Never aswithiodinetablets). boiled, filtered orchemically disinfected water unlessithasbeen drinktap Never Water mise waste.mise alwayscrushthebottle tomini- is obtained, you treat/filter localwater. Ifbottledwater it’sbetter fortheenvironment if though Bottled water isavailable everywhere, © LonelyPlanetPublications

377 HEALTH HEALTH