Tips for the traveler in Ethiopia

Land:

Ethiopia covers an area of 1.14 square kilometers (944,000 square miles).

Climate:

There are two seasons: the dry season prevails from October through May; the wet season runs from June to September.

Topography:

Ethiopia has an elevated central plateau varying in height between 2,000 and 3,000 meters. In the north and centre of the country there are some 25 mountains whose peaks rise over 4,000 meters. The most famous Ethiopian river is the Blue Nile (or Abbay), which runs a distance of 1,450 kilometers from the source in Lake Tana, to join the White Nile at Khartoum.

Economy:

About 90 per cent of the population earns their living from the land, mainly as subsistence farmers. Agriculture is the backbone of the national economy and the principal exports from this sector are coffee, oil seeds, pulses, flowers, vegetables, sugar and foodstuffs for animals. There is also a thriving livestock sector, exporting cattle on the hoof, hides and skins.

Language:

Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic state with a great variety of languages spoken in the country, of which there are 83 with 200 dialects. Amharic is the working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia while Oromigna, Tigrigna and Guragina are widely spoken.

Electric supply:

Ethiopia uses 220 volt 50 cycles AC.

Time:

Ethiopia is in the GMT +3 time zone. It follows the Julian calendar, which consists of twelve months of 30 days each, and a thirteenth month of five or six day (on a leap year).

People:

The population is estimated at 78 million.

Excursions:

Excursions within Ethiopia, whether for a day or for a month, may be organized for you by any of the travel agencies or by the National Tour Operation.  

Hotels:

Addis Ababa has hotels that cater for all pockets, from the luxurious Sheratons, Hilton and Ghion hotels to the four and three star tourists-class hotel. All tourist resorts offer and choice of modern hotels.

Banking Hours:

Banking hours are usually from 8:00am – 4:00pm on Saturdays. Closing times may be an hour longer in some private banks. Most banks work through lunchtime; however foreign exchanges services are closed during lunch hours (12:00noon – 1:00pm).

Communications:

Telephone, fax and Internet access is available in Addis Ababa in most hotels, at the Ethiopian Telecommunications Authority’s main office and at private internet service centers found around all major cities in the country.

Courier and Money Transfer Services:

Money transfers can be made through Western Union and Money Gram. Both have representative branches in Addis Ababa and also make their services available from private and national banks.  For courier services, DHL Fedex, UPS, TNT and EMS have offices in Addis Ababa.

Currency:

The currency of Ethiopia is based on the decimal system. The units of currency on arrival. In addition to any Ethiopian Birr, along with the currency exchange form you must bring all receipts of exchange transactions.

Residence Permit:

The Main Department for Immigration and Nationality Affairs issues a residence permit to a foreign investor, upon submission of an Investment Permit issued in his/her name. a foreign investor, who is a share holder of a company or branch company and an expatriate staff who has a work permit, is also entitled to a residence permit.

Working hours:

The government offices have 39 working hours a week. The office hours are 8:30a.m to 12:30p.m and 1:30p.m to 5:30p.m from Monday through Thursday. Working hours on Friday are 8:30am to 11:30am and 1:30pm to 5:30pm. Private and public businesses are often open on Saturdays.

Public Holidays:

Public holidays are celebrated according to the Ethiopian (Julian) Calendar which consists of twelve months of thirty days each and a thirteenth month of five days (six days in a leap year). The calendar is seven years behind the Western or Gregorian Calendar, with New Year falling in the month of September. 

• September 11     – Ethiopian New Year
• September 27     – The finding of the True Cross (Meskal)
• September 20     – Id Ul Fitr (Ramadhan)
• November 27      – Id ul Ahada (Sacrifice)
• January 7           – Ethiopian Christmas
• January 19         – Ethiopian Epiphany
• March 2             – Victory of Adwa
• March 9             – Birth of Prophet Mohammed (Mauwlid)
• April 25              – Ethiopian Good Friday
• April 27              – Ethiopian Easter
• May 1                – International Labour Day
• May 5                – Ethiopian Patriots’ victory day
• May 28              – Downfall of the Dergue Regime

* The holidays of Id Ul Fiter and Id Ul Ahda and the birthday of Prophet Mohammed (S.A.W) are subject to moon sighting.

Customs:

Duty-free imports are permitted for up to: 200 cigarettes, 100 cigars, or 250 grams of tobacco 2 litres of alcoholic beverages Half a litre of perfume; Visitors may export souvenirs with a value not exceeding Ethiopian Birr 500.

Health:

Health requirements Prior to entry, visitors should be in possession of a valid health certificate for yellow fever. Vaccination against cholera is also required for any person who has visited or transited a cholera-infected area within six days prior to arrival in Ethiopia.

Visa and Immigration Requirements:

Visa are required for all foreign visitors to Ethiopia, with the exception of nationals of Kenya and Sudan. Visa applications may be obtained at Ethiopia’s diplomatic missions overseas and visas are readily available. However, nationals of 33 countries are not allowed to receive their tourist visas on arrival in Ethiopia at the regular charge. The list includes Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Braxil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan< Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Mexico, North Korea, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States.

Bole International Airport:

The New Bole International Airport is situated 8 kilometer from the centre of the city (a 15 minute drive under normal conditions). Paid parking, luggage carts and uniformed porters are available at the airport terminal.

Taxi:

Taxis are readily available. The National Tour Operator (NTO) taxi can be ordered at their airport desk. Privately-owned blue cabs and yellow cabs are also in abundance, but do not have fixed rates; establishing and negotiating the fare is advisable before getting into the vehicle.

Security:

Security at the airport is tight and travelers need to produce their air ticket and passport to enter the terminal building. All other visitors are required to pay a fee of two Ethiopian Birr at the booths located in the parking lot and need to show identification cards at the guard post.

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Adapted from: Ethiopian Airlines, Selamta Magazine.