Food & Drink
Ethiopian common food is "Injera" (A pan cake made with a special crop called "Teff") with wot (Sauce which can vary from vegetable to Animal products). And the very famous drink is called "TELLA" (Local beer).
Best Time To Visit:
Ethiopia is a place of thirteen months of sunshine which has been proven by many tourists. However the very convenient time to visit Ethiopia is starting from Mid September to the end of June.
Natural Features:
The country offers different types of natural features ranging from its animals to its birds, mountains to valleys, lakes to rivers, & the very comfortable all the year climate.
General Information
Area: 1,133,380 sq km, Population: 74,672,000 (2007), Population Density: 65.9 per sq km.
Capital: Addis Ababa. Population: 3,100,000 (2007).
Language:
Ethiopia hosts 80ethnic groups with their own languages. among these Amharic is the national language of the country.
English is widely used and some Arabic, Italian and French are spoken.
Religion:
Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity in the north & central & Islam in the east and south are the very advanced religions in the country.
There are also significant Evangelical, Protestant and Roman Catholic Communities.
Time Zone: GMT plus 3.
Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz.
Communications:
Telephone: IDD is available. Country code: 251. Outgoing international code: 00.
Mobile telephone: The PTO, ETA provides a GSM 900 network with limited Coverage.
Fax: Facilities are available in major hotels.
Telegram: International services from local offices and hotels in Addis Ababa.
Post:
Service to and from Europe takes up to two weeks.
Press:
Governmental & privately owned medias are available which includes the daily Amharic newspaper "Addis Zemen" & English newspaper "The Ethiopian Herald".
PASS PORT: required by all visitors.
VISAS: Required by all visitors except the following:
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Nationals, of Djibouti and Kenya, staying up to three months;
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Transit passengers continuing to a third country within 12 hours provided not leaving the airport and holding valid travel documents for onward destination.
Note: The Yellow fever vaccination, while advisable, is not compulsory. Consult the embassy for up to date advice on whether applications will be accepted without the certificate.
Exit permit
Required by all nationals of Ethiopia and visitors staying more than 30 days.
Money
Currency: Ethiopian Birr (Birr) - 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of Birr100, 50, 10, 5 and 1. Coins are in denominations of 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 cents.
Currency exchange:
US Dollar bills are the most convenient currency to exchange.
Credit & debit cards: MasterCard and Diners Club are accepted on a very limited basis (only Hilton and Sheraton Hotels are certain to accept them).
Currency restrictions: The import of local currency is limited to Birr100. The export of local currency up to Birr100 is permitted, provided the traveler holds a re-entry permit. The import and export of foreign currency is unlimited, subject to declaration on arrival.
Banking hours:
Government offices: Mon-Thurs 0800-1200 and 1300-1700; Fri 0830-1130 and 1300-1700; Sat 0800-1200
Private Offices: Mon- Sat 0800-1700
Duty Free
The following goods may be imported into Ethiopia without incurring customs duty:
100 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 225g of tobacco; 1litre of alcoholic beverages; 2 bottles or 500ml of perfume; gifts up to the value of Birr10.
Note: Export certificates are required for skins, hides and antiques.
Food & drink:
All water should be regarded as being potentially contaminated. Water used for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should have first been boiled or otherwise sterilized. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish, preferably served hot. Pork, salad and mayonnaise may carry increased risk. Vegetables should be cooked and fruit peeled.
Other risks: Avoid swimming and paddling in fresh water. Swimming pools, which are well chlorinated and maintained, are safe. Onchocerciasis (river blindness) occurs. Visceral leishmaniasis may be found in the drier areas. Trachoma is widespread. Immunization against diphtheria is also recommended. Rabies is present. For those at high risk, vaccination before arrival should be considered. If you are bitten, seek medical advice without delay.
Health care: The high altitude and low oxygen level of much of Ethiopia needs time to be acclimatized to. Those who suffer from heart ailments or high blood pressure should consult a doctor before traveling. Health insurance is strongly advised.
Travel – International
AIR: The national carrier is Ethiopian Airlines. It is one of the most efficient airlines in Africa. It has offices in 54 cities around the world.
Airport location
Addis Ababa (ADD) (Bole International) with the new terminal opened beginning of 2003 is 8kms southeast of the city. Airport facilities include duty-free, car hire, banks, left luggage, post office, first aid facilities, restaurant and bar.
RAIL
A 784km rail service between Djibouti and Addis Ababa which is now only giving service to cargos, is run jointly by the two governments.
ROAD:
A good network of all-weather roads exists to most business and tourist centers but to go to the countrysides, four-wheel-drive vehicles are recommended.
Transport in the cities:
Traffic drives on the right.
Taxi (Chartered):
are available in Addis Ababa and other major towns. some painted fully blue & others painted yellow and white, they sometimes offer service on a shared basis. Fares should be negotiated before traveling.
There are also minibus taxis, which offer cheap and frequent shared travel in Addis Ababa.
Accommodation
Good hotels can be found in Addis Ababa and other main cities.
Special Events
The principal annual events are religious festivals.
Tipping
In most hotels and restaurants a ten per cent service charge is added to the bill. Tipping is a fairly frequent custom, but amounts are subjective.
Photography
While the scenic beauty of Ethiopia makes it a photographer's paradise, photographs should not be taken of military or strategic buildings. Before photographing any person, religious festival or rural homestead it is courteous to ask permission. Commercial photographers require a permit from the Ministry of Information. Certain tourist sites charge for video photography.
Commercial Information is available from:
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Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, PO Box 255, Unity Square, Addis Ababa (tel: (1) 515 004; fax: (1) 514 522); website: www.combanketh.com; or
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Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 2458, Mexico Square, Addis Ababa (tel: (1) 513 882 or 518 055; fax: (1) 511 479; e-mail: aachamber1@telecom.net.et; website: www.addischamber.com); or
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Ethiopian Trade Promotions Section, 17 Princes Gate, London SW7 1PZ, UK (tel: (020) 7589 7217; fax: (020) 7584 7054; e-mail: info@ethioembassy.org.uk).
Conferences/Conventions: Information is available from:
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The United Nations Conference Center, PO Box 3001, Addis Ababa (tel: 0111/514 874/945; fax: 0111 513 155; e-mail: uncc-aa@un.org; website: www.un.org/depts/eca/uncc-aa).
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