Ethiopia: A Primer for Those Thinking About Visiting
This is a blog in which I attempt to organize some thoughts regarding the chance you might be considering a trip to Ethiopia. In particularly, you’re thinking about visiting me in the field and getting the “Peace Corps experience” of Ethiopia, not the tour operators’ bubble-wrapped package of postcards version.
I will be frank: Ethiopia is no picnic. It’s no Bali. Do not honeymoon here, unless you think frequent trips to the shint-bet [pit latrine] with explosive diarrhea makes a romantic night. Do not expect to get a tan here; the sun’s all UVA rays, meaning you’ll develop skin cancer before your flesh turns any color but red. Do not entertain fantasies about an Africa of your celluloid imagination; Ethiopia is mostly deforested mountains or hot, scorching scrub desert with over 80 million people crammed into a country the size of the Pacific Northwest. Even on remote mountain treks you’ll encounter villages and tons of cute-but-dumb domesticated animals chewing on the greenery.
I say all this not to get your hopes up, but to ground your expectations. I do this because Ethiopia will defy your every expectation and thrill you in ways you can’t imagine from the comforts of your computer desk. There’s a saying amongst Ethiopia PCVs: “The only thing consistent about Ethiopia is that it’s inconsistent.” This country will bedevil your every expectation and turn your worldview topsy-turvy, if only for a time. I can’t imagine a more compelling reason to go anywhere than that.
CAVEAT
I have only been in Ethiopia five months and have not yet really been a “tourist” in this country yet, so to speak. With that in mind, the tips I offer in this post are mainly from my experiences thus far, what I’ve gleaned from other PCVs who’ve traipsed about the country, and reading Bradt’s Ethiopia travel guide cover-to-cover. Let this just be a taste that flavors your plans, if you will.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
Ethiopia is very expensive in terms of airfare but super cheap in terms of on-the-ground travel. Currently the average airfare from the U.S. to Ethiopia is hovering around $1,400. Don’t expect to find anything cheaper than $1,100, but certainly don’t pay anything more than $1,600. Do a search on Kayak.com to find the best fares and itineraries. Once you land, expect to pay anywhere from $5/day (if you’re sleeping at my house) to $15/day (if we’re hopping buses and in transit) to $25/day (if we’re in Addis Ababa, or on an organized trek). I think the most expensive meal I’ve paid for was in Addis: a gigantic burger, fries, and a beer…all for $6.
Other price indexes: Bottle of Coke: 50 cents. 1.5 liter Bottle of Water: 75 cents. Typical lunch/dinner: $1.50. Typical breakfast: 50 cents. Snickers candy bar: 75 cents. Pineapple: 25 cents. Umbrella (if you come in the rainy season): $4. Bus fare from Addis to Bonga (non-stop, 11 hours): $7. Approximate airfare from Addis to Jimma (closest major city to Bonga): $75.
WHAT ARE THE DANGERS?
Nevermind that Ethiopia is surrounded on all sides by civil war (Sudan), clan warfare (South Sudan), drought/terrorists/pirates (Somalia), bandits/kidnappers (Kenya), and repressive regimes (Eritrea)…Ethiopia is relatively stable and peaceful. How Ethiopia pulls it off when so many of its neighbors just can’t keep it together is a question for geopolitical historians and world leaders to analyze. (Though its highland climate surely keeps tempers cool and collected.) Even crime is minimal and merely opportunistic. Addis Ababa is said to be one of Africa’s safest capital cities in terms of violent crime, but one of its worst in terms of petty theft. That being said, here are things to actually worry about (and how to prevent them):
WORRY: Vehicular accidents (Ethiopia has the worst record in the world). In a nation where so few people own cars, and all drivers must take driving lessons, and people rarely drive when it’s dark, it’s odd that so many people die on the roads here. Chalk it up to “difficult” road conditions and drivers who like to floor it at every possible moment, especially around blind turns.
PREVENTION: Don’t ride in long-distance minibuses (the most likely to crash because they can go fast and the drivers aren’t necessarily qualified for the job). If possible, take Selam Bus or Sky Bus, which can still crash, but at least you’re in a big modern bus. If in a janky local bus, sit near the middle. I must say, the drivers of these beasts are pretty deft at handling them. Better yet, fly Ethiopian Airlines between major hubs.
WORRY: Bacterial/viral gastrointestinal ailments, including Typhoid fever, salmonella, giardia, and bacterial infections. Ethiopia is the worst in the world for fecal-oral contamination because 1) Ethiopians don’t wash hands with soap after going to the bathroom, 2) Ethiopians must shake the hands of about 100 people/day as a matter of culture, and 3) Ethiopians eat with their hands. That being said, this isn’t something you should really be worried about.
PREVENTION: Only drink/brush teeth with bottled water, carry hand-sanitizer with you everywhere, only offer your wrist to shake people’s hands (they won’t be offended), don’t share meals with Ethiopians, and wash your hands religiously. I was in the country for over a month before I got the first of three bacterial infections, so you might be lucky! Even so, just the change in diet and sanitation standards means you’ll probably get travelers diarrhea at the very least.
WORRY: Skin cancer. Seriously, the Ethiopian sun is scary. You can spend hours out in the sun and not burn (and not tan, either). This leads you to think that—somehow defying all science—the Ethiopian sun isn’t as harsh as back home. Then, months later, sunspots appear all over your body. Reality check: Most of Ethiopia sits at over 7,000 ft. elevation, and is within 10 degrees of the Equator. The sun is intense, and will kill you dead if you’re not careful.
PREVENTION: Long-sleeved shirts, sun hats, sunglasses, long pants, and big tubes of sunblock.
WORRY: Malaria. It’s present in Ethiopia. Mostly in the lower elevations, and mostly during the rainy season, but it’s here. I don’t recommend worrying about malaria traveling in any other continent except sub-Saharan Africa, where you’re 100 times more likely to get it than in tropical Asia. The plus side is that it’s not as prevalent here than in more tropical African nations.
PREVENTION: I’d say plan on taking anti-malarial pills (Mefloquine, Doxycycline, or Malarone) unless you’re coming for less than two weeks and/or only sticking to the touristed sites.
RECOMMENDED VACCINATIONS
Typhoid fever
Hepatitis A & B series
Rabies (3 shot series in 21-day period)
WHAT TO BRING (The Basics)
Medium sized internal frame backpack.
One pair of lightweight, quick-dry pants*
One pair of shorts*
Two pairs of quick-dry T-shirts*
Three pairs of socks and underwear*
One thick fleece or sweater*
*go with synthetic fabrics, as cotton is useless after a day or so.
One waterproof-breathable rain jacket
One pair of hiking shoes
One pair of sandals
Flashlight
Sunglasses
Hat
Two bandannas
Earplugs
Watch or Travel Alarm Clock
Universal Power Plug Converter (or purchase here for cheap)
Camera with extra batteries
Small/cheap mp3 Player, with headphones
Multitool Knife
Hand-sanitizer
Ziplocs (to keep the rain/dust off yr electronics)
Sunblock (SPF 50+)
Mini First Aid Kit
Not Necessary, But Might Be Nice:
Sleep sheet (can sometimes keep fleas/bedbugs at bay)
Inflatable neck pillow
Daypack
HOW WILL I GET AROUND?
Sadly, Ethiopia no longer has a train. But Ethiopian Airlines does reliably travel between the major cities and some less-major cities. It might be prudent, depending on how much time you’ve got, to buy an onward ticket to Gonder, Mekele, Bahir Dar, or Jimma at the time you book a flight to Addis Ababa, as this skips the hassle of Addis and an all-day bus ride to those cities. I can meet you at the airport in Addis, in Jimma, or pretty much anywhere you like, given enough advance notice. I don’t have to use vacation days to pick up visitors at the airport.
Other than a few routes (Addis-Gonder; Addis-Jimma; Addis-Lake Tana; Addis-Lalibela, which can all be done on the luxurious tourist buses at a premium price) most of “Peace Corps experience” travel will be by local buses. The bus system here is probably one of the most maddening things about Ethiopia, and a prime reason you don’t see many backpackers passing through. Buses only leave at the crack of dawn, and only originate from certain towns, so it’s easy to get stranded places. They are crowded, cramped, smelly and make dubious pitstops at random. Buses break down more often than not. Also, because Ethiopians fear a light breeze or fresh air, windows are rarely opened. Prepare to suffocate a little. On the upside, it’s not so bad. The prices are always fair (tourists are not overcharged). The drivers seem competent. Traffic cops patrol to make sure buses aren’t overcrowded (a subjective inspection!). I’ve had some good experiences on buses so far. And anyways, it’s about the journey, not the destination, right?
WHERE DO THE TOURISTS GO?
LALIBELA Ethiopia has a good collection of rock-hewn churches spread throughout the middle and northern part of the country. Lalibela supposedly has the most amazing churches of them all. I feel I’ve seen the main church, St. George’s, in so many postcards and tourist brochures that I’ll inevitably be disappointed once I finally do see it, and that I’ll be far more disgruntled at the huge hordes of white tourists flocking here to really enjoy it for what it is, but so it goes, I’ll probably end up checking it out.
SIMIEN MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK It’s like the Grand Canyon, only with troops of Gelada baboons running around. But seriously, the Simiens are highly touted and well worth a jaunt. Multi-day treks can be easily organized. If you want to stand on Ethiopia’s highest mountain, Ras Daschen, and you brought some cold-weather gear, look no further than the Simiens. Word on the street is that a 4-5 day trek in the Simiens will cost about $150 per person, including horsepackers, armed guides, camp fees, food, etc. [Note: If you plan on doing overnight hikes in Ethiopia, best to bring a two-person tent, sleeping pad, and sleeping bag. Though even if you change your mind, this equipment can be rented.]
GONDAR Dubbed Africa’s Camelot by tourist brochures, Gondar is a major city with some ancient castles here and there. It’s on the way to the Simiens, so it’s worth a look if you’re headed that way.
AXUM (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axum) Axum is another ancient city, with huge stelae, Indiana Jones-style excursions, and a distinct character. Pretty far in the north, though. Most tourists fly in and fly out. To get here the cheap way isn’t for the chicken-bus-phobic and takes considerable amounts of time.
LAKE TANA/BLUE NILE FALLS (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Tana) Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile River and is dotted with island monasteries. The once-a-week ferry that crosses the lake, stopping at the islands along the way, sounds interesting but could turn into a logistical nightmare. I hear the waterfall is under whelming due to the damming of the Blue Nile (hint hint: Western Ethiopia has far more amazing waterfalls).
RIFT VALLEY LAKES The lakes are a pleasant sight, the temperature decidedly hot and dry, and the landscapes fairly flat and Africanesque. Hippos, crocs, monkeys, lizards, and maybe the odd zebra can be sighted in this area, along with all kinds of birds. Nechisar National Park is especially touted as a southern Ethiopian highlight, the closest thing to a safari this country has to offer. Many of the lakes also have lushly landscaped tourist lodges catering to those looking for comfort and rustic beauty, which doesn’t sound so bad after spending a few nights at a flea-ridden hotel in the boonies.
OMO VALLEY TRIBES Culture Vulture Tourism at its worst. Villagers demanding you take their photo so they can in turn demand 20 birr from you. Hard to distinguish reality from the “cultural show” tourism’s presence has created in this remote southwestern corner of Ethiopia. It’s a place many German tour groups visit: Enough said.
LESS VISITED, BUT WHOLLY FANTASTIC
WESTERN ETHIOPIA If you’re up for seeing what my life is like as a Peace Corps Volunteer, expect an unforgettable experience, but don’t expect many comforts. I’m in a place where tourists dare not tread (at least not yet). And that’s part of the charm, I suppose. What isn’t so charming is the utter lack of tourist infrastructure servicing this region of Ethiopia. That being said, Western Ethiopia is greener and lusher than the rest of the country, has vast stretches of virgin rainforest, plenty of waterfalls, hot springs, and birdlife up the wazoo. If you’re a coffee snob, I can take you to the birthplace of coffee and the oldest coffee tree in the world. Also (and this is key) I have the highest number of Ethiopian friends in this area, who are more than eager to meet my farenji friends and family and show them an authentically Ethiopian time. At my house, I have what passes for a futon for guests, extra blankets, and an extra mosquito net; alternatively, there’s a nice guesthouse to set up a tent and soak in the scenery about a 30-minute walk outside of town.
BALE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK Organized treks (on foot or horseback) can be organized for this Afro-alpine setting in which to view the rare Ethiopian wolf, among other endemic plants and animals. It may not be as epic as the Simiens, and doesn’t have Gelada baboon troops running around, but I imagine Bale is as close to a backcountry adventure as you’ll find in Ethiopia. I’m thinking about hitting up either the Simiens or Bale during the February 2012 semester break, as mountain treks are a no-go in the wet season.
SORRY, I CAN’T TAKE YOU THERE As a PCV, I’m not allowed to go certain places that pose a security risk. This includes the walled-city of Harar, the Danakil Depression (the hottest place on Earth), Gambella (because it’s close to Sudan), Omo Valley (because German tourists will furrow their brows at me), or within 60km of any border.
BEST TIMES TO VISIT
Because I am an Education Volunteer, my vacations must be taken on school holidays or furloughs. This means I have somewhat narrow windows for receiving visitors. The best time to visit Ethiopia is during the “shoulder” seasons of Oct-Nov. and April-May. Unfortunately these are the busiest times at the college, so I won’t be able to take 2-3 weeks off to go on a trip. So the best time to visit me is approximately between Jan. 28-Feb. 19 (the dry/dusty/brown season) or June 11 through October 17 (the wet/cold/impossibly muddy season). I’d lean toward mid-September/beginning of October, personally, as the rains taper off then. In any case, check with me before booking any flights, as I may have a conference, summer camp, or other vacation planned during those free weeks or months.
Dehna hunu!
