Dawit & Terri's Wedding

Visiting Ethiopia/Practicalities

This page was last updated on: September 9, 2008

Ethiopia is 3 hours ahead of GMT. During Irish/British summertime (from March to September), that means Ethiopia is 2 hours ahead; the rest of the year it's 3 hours ahead.

Ethiopia is a very high country - Addis is about 2,400m above sea level, which can be a bit of a shock to your system coming from sea-level Ireland! Many people find that they feel tired in the first few days here and get a bit out of breath just going up stairs - it's the altitude, surely! (It may also be a contributing factor to the world-beating performances of Ethiopian long-distance athletes).

The climate in Ethiopia varies between the highlands and the lowlands; Addis has a good climate that is not too hot nor humid and not too cold (though I, Terri, am not looking forward to the rainy season in July/August). October will be a nice time to be here, as the 'long rainy season' will have ended in September, so the land surrounding Addis should be green. It will also be hot and sunny, but the altitude means it can be cooler at night.

The Bradt guidebook is good as is the Lonely Planet.

Dealing with Begging

Many, many people do live in poverty in Ethiopia. You will see people begging on the streets, some will target you to ask you for money because you're a foreigner. Giving money like this doesn't help matters in the long run but what is just a few cents to you can mean bread or a cup of tea to someone living on the streets. It's hard to draw the line and not give to everyone you see. What you can do is give to someone you see regularly, outside your hotel, for example. It's acceptable to give coins (which go up to 50 Ethioprian cents) but in these days of high inflation, this can buy very little - a birr note is becoming more the norm to give. It may also be the case that not everyone on the street is a genuine case but in saying that, you are obviously much better off than anyone you see begging in Ethiopia. You can try to prioritise - for example, give to mothers with small children rather than to children on their own or to old people who may have noone to look after them.

Dealing with Attention on the Street

As a white person, you do stand out when walking around. You'll get attention but mostly it's friendly and not aggressive. Often, people just want to practice their English (they'll assume you speak English!) and are curious about where you come from.

Kids, and sometimes older youths, may ask you for money (or 'one birr'). If it's children, one way to deal with it is to strike up a conversation with them, which they'll enjoy. See Terri's Basic Amharic page for some tips on that.

If it's teenagers or other people, you can ignore them or have a chat, as you see fit!

Some people will simply say 'ferenji' as you walk by - this means 'foreigner' and it's not seen as insulting, it's just a comment really. Though after then tenth one on the way down the road, it can be annoying!

Useful Things to Bring

Just a reminder of some things you should bring on your trip:

sunblock, small torch (in case of power cuts), light fleece or similar for chilly evenings, shoes suitable for walking on uneven surfaces (even in the city, many roads are unsurfaced), hand wipes and/or hand-cleaning fluid (that can be used where water & soap are not available if you're on the road).

Medical Considerations

For general medical supplies, there are plenty of pharmacies in Ethiopia. There are many locally-produced drugs available, including basics such as paracetamol and drugs to take in case of bacterial infections. These are cheap compared to imported versions.

It's common to experience stomach upsets while here - it's just a fact of life if you're not going to be paranoid about what you eat and drink for the entire time! It's easy to visit a clinic for the necessary tests if you think you've got a bacterial infection or similar and the necessary anti-biotics are available over-the-counter.

Vaccinations & Malaria

You should have certain vaccinations for visiting Ethiopia, such as yellow fever, typhoid, tetanus etc. Check with your GP or clinic for up-to-date medical advice.

Some parts of the country are malarial. Areas at 2,000m or more above sea level are not malarial. This includes Addis Ababa, Lalibela and Mekelle. Lower-lying areas, such as Awassa and other parts of the south, are malarial. Bahir Dar is sometimes malarial. Check with your GP or clinic for advice on what anti-malarials to use. Lariam, Doxycyclene and Malarone have all been advised in the past. Malarone is the newest of those and is convenient as you only need to start taking it a few days before entering a malarial area. It is, however, more expensive than the others. All of these may have side effects - again, check with your doctor.

Getting to Ethiopia

You can fly direct to Addis Ababa (Bole International Airport) from London and other European centres. Airlines to check for fares include Ethiopian Airlines, BMI (they took over the route from BA during 2008), KLM (with Kenyan Airways) and Lufthansa.

Factors that might influence your choice (apart from the obvious one of cost):

 

Visa

Irish citizens can get a tourist visa on arrival in Addis Ababa, which can be paid for in Euro or dollars. I'm not sure about British citizens but I presume it's the same. You can also get the visa in advance from the Ethiopian Embassy in Dublin or London, but it may cost a bit more. The cost of the visa for Irish people is about €20, maybe more if obtained from the embassy.

Money

The Ethiopian currency is Birr. You can't get birr outside of the country. At the time of writing (May 2008), the exchange rate for Euro is good - almost B15 to a Euro. Sterling is about B20 and US dollars about B9. To put that in context - a bottle of beer varies from about about B5 (in a local bar) to B7-9 (in a hotel bar) to B20 (in more up-market night-spots in Addis). A sparkling mineral water or soft drink is usually B4, bottled still water is B5-8 for 2 litres.

You can exchange Euro, Dollar and Sterling cash for Ethiopian Birr when in Ethiopia. There's an exchange office in Bole airport and numerous banks around the city. Banks are closed on Sunday and on Saturday afternoons, but there's a branch of the United Bank in the Hilton Hotel that is open every day.

Travellers' Cheques can also be used.

There are now a few ATM machines around Addis in which you can use a Visa credit card (not other cards) to withdraw local currency (you need the PIN for your card, obviously). Check with your credit card provider about charges - my understanding is that if you put cash into your credit card account, then you won't be charged extra for the transaction. The exchange rate used may be slightly less than you'd get with cash in a bank but it's worth it for convenience.

The ATM machines are owned by Dashen Bank; there are machines in the Hilton and Sheraton Hotels and also in a few Dashen Bank branches around town, including the one near Lam Hotel, which is not far from Haya Hulet.

Transport

Internal Flights

Ethiopian Airlines have a good network of internal flights connecting all the major tourist destinations. They are a bit on the expensive side but good for saving on time. If you come to Ethiopia on Ethiopian Airlines, in a group of 2 or more, I believe you can get a discount on internal flights - check when you're booking your flights.

Car Hire

For journeys out of Addis, or around the country, a 4-wheel drive is usually necessary. It's easy to hire something like a Toyota Land-cruiser with a driver. It can be up to B1000 per day but I know a place where you can get a car and driver for B5-600 per day. It's good to hire the driver as driving can be tiring and difficult if you're off the asphalted roads (still lots of unsurfaced roads in Ethiopia!). Often, the driver can also act as a guide, as they know the places along the route. We can deal with car hire when you're here or closer to the time.

Accommodation

The standard of hotels in Ethiopia is generally average, with the Sheraton and Hilton in Addis being the only 5 star hotels. There are various government-run hotels which are basic but usually fine. Some of these are now in private hands, in varying states of (dis)repair and standards of service. The major tourist destinations will have a few decent private hotels. The Ghion hotels are usually government-owned.

Please note - we're looking into accommodation options in Addis and we're happy to make bookings for people once we know arrival dates. We aim to have everyone in the one hotel for the wedding weekend itself. We'll use that one or others for your other nights in Addis.

Addis Ababa

Addis has hotels of varying standards, from the Hilton and the Sheraton down to cheap and very basic 'pensions'. There is a big gap in terms of quality and standard between the Hilton/Sheraton and other hotels, though a number of new hotels have appeared in the last couple of years that seem to be of a better standard than the older ones.

We hope that our wedding visitors can stay in the general area of where we live, which is the Haya Hulet area.

Across the road from where we live are the Giovanni and Yonnas Hotels - these are both fine, though the rooms can be on the small side. The Giovanni is newer and therefore more 'shiny' and more expensive.

Further along Haile GebreSelassie Road, in towards Meskel Square, are the Axum and Queen Sheba Hotels. These are a bit better than the Yonnas and Giovanni and accordingly higher priced.

We'll add more details here as we check out the various hotels and get prices for them. Note that prices could rise between now and October, as there's general inflation here. Also note that some prices are given in Ethiopian Birr (ETB) and some in US dollars (exchange rate is about ETB9 to 1 US$, but you should check current rates).

Hotel Name Location Price Comments
Yonnas Hotel Haya Hulet, across from our house ETB188 for a double room, ETB222 for one of the few bigger rooms that have a small salon area in them Some previous visitors have stayed here and liked it, the atomsphere in the bar/lobby area is good.
Giovanni Hotel Haya Hulet, across from our house maybe about $50, need to confirm this Pleasant courtyard to have a beer outdoors
Axum Hotel Haile GebreSelassie Road, 5-10 minutes walk from our house $50 for 'old' rooms, $70-80 for rooms in new wing Wireless internet!
Queen Sheba Hotel Haile GebreSelassie Road, 10-20 minutes walk from our house to be checked Looks nice from the outside, haven't checked inside yet
Hilton Up the hill from Meskal Square towards the Palace, on Menelik II Avenue check Hilton website and/or email them Hotel is nice inside, gives a sense of an oasis from the hustle & bustle of Addis life, you also see how the other half of Ethiopian society passes their time!
Sheraton Near the Palace, not far from Hilton check Sheraton website and/or email them Very opulent, especially when you compare with its surroundings (people living in tin shacks with no running water). Interesting to see it but if you stay here, you really need to make an effort to get out and about and experience the real Ethiopia.
Beer Garden Inn Around Bole Medhane Alem church (airport area) Single $70, twin/double $90 (B&B) New hotel with a micro-brewery in the bar and an outside beer-garden, German style (as is the brewing). Good food also.