Edition 46: Spring 2009

With Ethiopia’s tourist attractions as diverse as its landscape, the country can capture (and hold) anyone’s attention, whether they are history buffs or outdoor adventurers.

Northern historic circuit
• Addis Ababa & Bahir Dar
• Rock-hewn churches of Lalibela
• Aksum & Debre Damo
• Gonder, Simien Mountains & Harar
Days 1-3
Spend your first day in Addis Ababa visiting the national museum and one of several restaurants specialising in traditional Ethiopian food and music. Fly to Bahir Dar the next morning, spend the afternoon at the Blue Nile Falls, then dedicate a full day to exploring the various island monasteries on Lake Tana.
Days 4-5
Fly to Lalibela, where you should allow an afternoon and morning to each of the two main church clusters in town, then possibly head out of town to a more remote church such as Nakuta La’ab or Yemrehanna Kristos.
Days 6-7
Fly to Aksum, spend the afternoon exploring its legendary stelae field and other sites around town. The next day could be dedicated to further sites in the vicinity of town, or to a full-day trip to the 2500-year-old Yeha Ruins or the legendary cliff-top monastery of Debre Damo.
Days 8-14
Fly to Gonder and spend the afternoon visiting its old castles and churches. For a shorter itinerary, head up to the Simien Mountains for a day or overnight trip on day 9, then fly from Gonder to Harar via Addis Ababa on day 11 or 12. Alternatively, take a longer hike in the Simiens over days 9-13 and fly back to Addis Ababa on day 14.

Tigrai and Afar for Adventurers
• Awash National Park & Assaita
• Danakil Depression & Erta Ale
• Rock-hewn churches of Tigrai
• Mekele, Lake Hayk & Ankober
Days 1-2
Drive from Addis Ababa to Awash, and then take an afternoon and morning wildlife drive before heading on to Assaita, the largest town in Afar, for a night.
Days 3-7
Spend five days exploring the arid north of Afar in a well-equipped 4WD, climbing to the rim of the explosive Erta Ale volcano, then continuing north to Dallol in the low-lying Danakil Depression and nearby Afar salt mines at Lake Asale.
Days 8-12
Drive to the small town of Wukro or Hawzien, stopping en route at some of the rock-hewn churches around Atsbi. Dedicate the next few days to exploring various churches along the Gheralta Escarpment between Hawzien and Wukro, as well as at nearby Teka Tesfai. On day 12, drive to Mekele, the bustling modern capital of Tigrai, and enjoy a relaxed urban afternoon there.
Days 13-14 Back to Addis Ababa
Drive back to Addis over two days, with stops at the likes of Lake Hayk (near Dessie) and Ankober.  

Wild South
• Northern Rift Valley lakes
• Arba Minch, Nechisar & South Omo
• Karat Konso & Awasa
• Bale Mountains
Days 1-2
On day one, drive from Addis Ababa south towards Lake Langano, ideally following the little-used back route through Butajira, with stops at the rock-hewn church of Adadi Maryam, the Tiya stelae field, and Lake Ziway. On the morning of day two, explore Abiata-Shala National Park, and then relax on the shores of Langano in the afternoon.  
Days 3-4
Drive south to Arba Minch, and spend two nights there, with a daytrip to Nechisar National Park sandwiched in the middle. 
Days 5-8
Drive on to South Omo, and spend the next four days visiting various traditional villages, timing your itinerary around colourful market days.
Days 9-10
It’s a long drive to Bale, so allow overnight stops at Karat-Konso (famed for the lovely hilltop  villages  and weird burial totems of the Konso people) and at Awasa (with its lovely lakeside setting).
Days 11-14
Spend three nights in Bale National Park, split between the park headquarters at Dinsho (good for forest birds and mountain nyala) and the small town of Goba (for the best access to the Sanetti Plateau, with an optional daytrip to the lower-lying Sof Omar Caves, time permitting). Leave early on day 14 for the full-day drive to Addis Ababa. 

Right time, right place
Rainy season
Conventional wisdom is that it’s best not to visit during the rainy season, which runs from May to Sept over most of the highlands. However, this caveat dates back to a time when Lalibela, the country’s single most important tourist site, had a dirt airstrip and was forced to close during the rains. Today, all major sites of interest are accessible throughout the year, though there is a case for avoiding July and August, when many parts of the highlands receive in excess of 200mm monthly, though this is compensated for by the lack of crowds. And Sept/Oct is the optimum time to visit: the highland scenery is deliciously green, food is plentiful, and colourful Meskel flowers bloom everywhere.

Christian festivals
The unique Ethiopian Orthodox Church lies at the heart of Ethiopian culture, and it’s well worth trying to time your visit to coincide with a major festival, bearing in mind that accommodation at major centres tends to be less readily available over festival dates. The best place to be for Timkat festival, which celebrates the baptism of Christ on 19 January, is in Gonder or Lalibela, while the colourful two-day Meskel Ceremony (celebrating the Finding of the True Cross) on 27 September is celebrated most colourfully in Aksum or Addis Ababa. Other key dates are Ethiopian Christmas (6-7 January) and New Year (11 September).    

Ethiopia Factfile

Language
The most important of 70-odd indigenous languages, Amharigna (or Amharic) is placed alongside Arabic and Hebrew in the Semitic linguistic subgroup. The most prominent international language, English is understood to a variable extent by most Ethiopians involved in tourism.
Time zone  GMT +3
Visas
Nationals of most counties (including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and EU) can buy a visa valid for up to three months upon arrival at any international airport or border.
Health
Malaria is present in lower-lying parts of Ethiopia, and prophylactics should be taken by all visitors to all risky areas. Tap water is suspect throughout the country, but bottled water is widely available and cheap.
Safety
The little-visited Somali and Eritrea border areas are prone to periodic security concerns. Addis Ababa is something of a pickpocket hotspot, but violent crime is quite rare. The rest of the country is as safe as Africa gets.
Money
The official currency is the Ethiopian Birr (ETB). In 2009, recent exchange rates were: UK£1=14.60, US$1=9.95 and €1=13.30. There are a handful of ATMs in Addis Ababa, but none exist elsewhere. Facilities to exchange cash and travellers’ cheques (US dollar preferably) are available at banks in most tourist centres.
Cost
Ethiopia, despite the widespread application of discriminatory ‘faranji (foreigner) prices’, is among the cheapest travel destinations in Africa, Independent travellers who use local buses and shoestring hotels and restaurants might get by on US$10-20 per person per day, but a daily budget of US$50-75 would allow a much higher level of comfort. Organised tours tend to be relatively expensive as they usually involve multiple domestic flights and/or use of a 4WD vehicle, but the relatively inexpensive accommodation and entrance fees makes Ethiopia a cheaper prospect than a safari in most parts of eastern or southern Africa.
Getting there
Ethiopian Airlines (www.Ethiopianairlines.com) is the oldest carrier in Africa, and one of the most reliable, with a vast network of flights connecting Addis Ababa to the USA, Europe and about two-dozen African countries. Other carriers who fly to Addis Ababa include:
British Airways (www.britishairways.com)
KLM (www.klm.com)
Kenya  Airways (www.kenya-airways.com)
South African Airways (www.flysaa.com).
Getting around
The most expedient option for the northern circuit is the excellent network of domestic flights operated by Ethiopian Airlines, while the south is most easily explored by 4WD. Arrangements can be made independently, or through any local tour operator. It’s more than possible to explore Ethiopia on public transport, but this tends to be time-consuming and is at times uncomfortable.
Books
Travel guides include Bradt’s Ethiopia by Philip Briggs (5th edition, 2009) and Lonely Planet’s Ethiopia & Eritrea by Matt Phillips and Jean-Bernard Carillet (3rd edition, 2006). More general reading includes The Sign & The Seal by Graham Hancock (Heinemann, 1992) and Paul Henze’s Layers of Time (Hurst 2000), while more visual coffee table books include the superlative African Ark by Beckwith & Angela  Fisher (Harry N Abrams, 1990) and the more affordable Touching Ethiopia by Golzábez and Cebrián (Shama Books, 2004).