Things to do in Addis

This page was last updated on: September 9, 2008

If you have a few days in Addis during the trip, here's some ideas for what to do. They're in broad categories of Cultural & Nature, Shopping, Beauty Treatments, Visiting NGOs and Day Trips.

To come in future - a section on Eating Out in Addis - there are some really good restaurants, both for traditional/national food and international food styles (Italian, Mediterranean, Armenian, Lebanese, Indian, Chinese...).

Cultural and Nature

Learn to dance!

Ethiopian dancing is varied and fun to watch, and you'll be amazed at how some dancers can move their heads, shoulders and legs! While the dances of Tigray involve shrugging the shoulders, others such as Gurage are much more about energetic leg movements. Try searching for 'Ethiopian dancing' on YouTube to get some idea.

We have some dancer friends with whom we could arrange some group classes for anyone who's interested (so you can impress Dawit's family at the wedding!). Maybe we can arrange a show of Irish dancing in turn!

Entoto & Shiro Meda Market

The Entoto Mountain, to the north of the city, is worth going up to for a short or long walk. There is an old Orthodox Church, Entoto Mariam, at the top. Walking from the church through the Eucalyptus forest, there are some great views over the city and in the other direction, looking at villages and land off into the distance. You can also see a group of hyenas as they pass the day at the 'jib-bet' (hyena-house) - but don't worry, you're sitting up on an outcrop of rock, looking down on them!

On the way up to Entoto is Shiro Meda with it's busy traditional textiles market. This is the place to go to see and buy traditional dresses and also bed-spreads, table cloths etc embroidered with intricate cross ('meskel') motifs. There's a row of small stalls followed by some bigger shops. Bargaining is necessary - the first price given will invariably be a 'ferenji price'! But less so in the bigger shops than in the small stalls.

We lived up in Shiro Meda for 3 months - it is nice and cool up there, if a bit far out from the main parts of Addis.

If you want to do the walk through the forest, you could do it in a morning and then have lunch afterwards back down around Arat Kilo.

National Museum

The National Museum is between Arat Kilo and Sedist Kilo (on the road that leads up to Shiro Meda). It houses Lucy, the oldest hominoid but at this time, it's a replica as she's on tour around the world. I haven't been to this museum in a few years and when I was went, it was a bit musty and run down but still of some interest.

Ethnological Museum

This museum is in Addis Ababa University, the main campus at Sedist Kilo. It has great collections of different things such as traditional musical instruments, displays of the houses and ways of living of the many different ethnic groups in Ethiopia and art.

It's housed in what was once the Emperor Haile Selassie's palace (so make sure you're not using the emperor's bathroom when you need to go to the loo!!).

You can combine one or both museums and a visit to Shiro Meda, as the museums are on the way up to Shiro Meda and Entoto. You can also continue on up to see the church on Entoto.

Eating Around Arat Kilo/Shiro Meda

There are some good places to have lunch if you do the above for a day. These are in order as you go from Arat Kilo up towards Sedist Kilo.

At Arat Kilo - Marseille Cafe does good pizza, pasta and traditional food. It's on a first floor and you can watch the world go by from the balcony. Good value - about B20-30 for a main course.

Rominas Cafe has some good dishes such as kebabs and traditional tibs. They have a good outdoor area.

At Amist Kilo - Blue Tops is a long-established cafe and restaurant. It's expensive compared to other places but not so much if you're spending your Euro. Toasted sandwiches, burgers etc for lunch and good treats in cakes and ice cream. The attached restaurant is Italian and pricey, I believe it's good but haven't eaten there.

Lucy Restaurant - at the entrance to the National Museum, this is a nice place with a traditional feel and very good traditional food. Sometimes they have live traditional music in the evenings. Back to top

Shopping

NGO Bazaar (last Saturday of the month)

If you're not too involved in the wedding day preparations, you could occupy yourself that morning with a visit to the NGO Bazaar. This is a craft fair that takes place on the last Saturday of every month. All the vendors are NGOs or charities. Some of my favourites are the Ex-Leprosy Women's bright, cotton bedspreads and the Gemini Trust, where you'll find hand-made jewellery by Abesha Designs (twins Tigist and Haime, friends of mine). Other goods on offer include leather bags, fabric, pottery and embroidered table-cloths and bedspreads.

The fair takes place in the Evangelical Centre on the road from Mexico Square to Sarbet (it's opposite the Novis Supermarket).

Where to shop

There's good value in gold and silver jewellery. The main area for jewellery shops is around Piassa; these shops sell Ethiopian silver & gold and also imported or 'ferenji' silver & gold. There are also some jewellery shops in the big shopping centres such as Dembel City Centre & Friendship. There's usually a fixed price per gramme for gold and silver.

For traditional dresses, shawls, scarves, bed covers etc, the market at Shiro Meda (also mentioned above) is one place to go.

Mercato is, allegedly, the largest open-air market in East Africa. It's got everything, from spices to electrical goods. It's also got pick-pockets - mind your belongings!

The Shola market, not far from Haya Hulet, is a local market with a bit of everything.

There's good value in locally-produced leather jackets and handbags. There are various shops/boutiques around the city, such as in the Dembel City Centre (Knaff is a shop others have recommended to me) and Friendship shopping centres.

Muya abyssinian crafts is a shop that sells really nice stuff, all locally made - ceramics, textiles, designer handbags, scarves - they are combining traditional weaving by master weavers and modern design. The shop is in the Jan Meda area, near Sedist Kilo. Ask me for directions! Their website www.muyaethiopia.com was designed and built by a local web design company with support from Connect Ethiopia. I really recommend a visit to Muya - and bring some cash with you! Muya was mentioned in the Irish Times magazine of Saturday 24th May 2008, in a piece by Patsey Murphy (see at http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/magazine/2008/0524/1211522056674.html) Back to top

Beauty Treatments

Believe it or not, Addis has lots of good places for beauty treatments and massage. This is mainly for the ladies among you, but the men might like a massage to work off the travel tiredness!

The Boston Day Spa is one of the best. They do the full range of beauty treatments - waxing, manicure, pedicure, massage, hair. I think it's the ideal place for the ladies to get prepared for the wedding! It's on Bole Road, near the Medhane Alem (big church) end, easy to get to from Haya Hulet, where we live.

You can combine your visit to the spa with lunch in the Lime Tree restaurant, a couple of floors above in the same building. They have a good selection of mediteranean-style food and some really good cakes (the chocolate cake is especially good if it's fresh). There's also a trendy bar, The Black Rose, in the building - you could make the happy hour for cocktails there to round off your day!

 

 

Visit an NGO

Many NGOs/charity organizations welcome visitors to their compoungs and it's always interesting to find out more about what they are doing. Some of them sell crafts and food-stuffs made by their beneficiaries. These are often income generation projects for marginalised people, such as women, people living with HIV/Aids, the blind and disabled. Some produce very good quality goods. These are some I know of:

Selam Children's Village - this is a school and residential centre for orphans. They have a very nice restaurant where you can have a 4 course lunch (ferenji food) for about B35 per person. The restaurant is staffed by some of the orphans who attended the school. They sell fresh vegetables, bread and biscuits made on the premises and they also have a very nice garden centre (hopefully some of their plants in our garden will still be surviving by October!).

Donkey Sanctuary- if you want to see the donkeys, Dawit can arrange a visit to his clinic in Mercato or to the HQ in Debre Zeit!

Kidane Mehret Orphanage- it may be best to phone first to check if it's ok to visit. And I'm sure it'll pull your heart strings!

Timret Le Hiwot (Unity for Life) - an NGO working to meet the holistic needs of people infected and affected by HIV/Aids. They provide vocational training in different crafts and they sell some nice products, such as leather bags and colourful cushions. Back to top

Day Trips out of Addis

Menegesha Forest - just outside of Addis.

Wonchi Crater & Ambo - an extinct volcano crater that is now a lake; Ambo town is the source of the sparkling water brand of the same name. Woliso is a town near the crater that you can use as an overnight stop - there's a really nice lodge there, with traditional tukuls for the accommodation, a swimming pool and surrounded by forest, complete with monkeys!

Debre Zeit Lakes & Kuriftu Resort & Spa

Debre Libanos - a lodge in the highlands, with spectacular views and opportunities to see baboons and birdlife.

See the Ethiopian Quadrants web site for more information on short trips.