Visa, money, SIM, transport, health, etiquette, packing, language. Everything you need to leave the house with.
Apply at evisa.gov.et. 30 or 90 days. Approval in 1–3 days. Single entry; multi-entry on request.
Cash-led economy. ATMs in cities only. Bring USD or EUR for exchange at the bank counter; never on the street.
Top-end hotels and Ethiopian Airlines take Visa. Expect to pay everything else in cash.
Buy at the airport on arrival. Passport required. Data is cheap; coverage is excellent in cities, patchy in the highlands, none in Danakil.
220V / 50Hz. European-style two-pin. Power cuts are common; pack a power bank for any trekking.
No daylight saving. Note: locals often quote "Ethiopian time" — clocks start at dawn.
Ethiopia keeps its own time. The clock starts at dawn, not midnight — so what your phone calls 7 AM is "1 in the morning" in Addis. The calendar is seven years and eight months behind ours, with thirteen months instead of twelve. Live values, your local time:
Subtract 6 hours from the Western clock between dawn and dusk; add 6 after dusk. Ask "is that habesha time or ferenji time?" before fixing any meeting.
The new year (Enkutatash) falls on 11 September. The thirteenth month — Pagume — has 5 or 6 days. Subtract 7 years and ~8 months from the Western date.
The lifeline of the Northern Circuit. If you fly into Addis on Ethiopian, internal-flight discounts (~50%) apply — book together.
The right tool for the highlands and Tigray. Self-drive is not recommended for visitors.
Modern Chinese-built standard-gauge line, runs three times a week. Twelve hours, scenic, comfortable.
Ride and Feres apps work like Uber. Blue-and-white minibuses are cheap if you're brave.
If arriving from a yellow-fever country. Hep A, typhoid, MMR, tetanus all recommended. Rabies for trekkers.
Below 2,000m. The Northern Circuit is mostly above this. Lower Omo, Gambela, Danakil: take prophylaxis.
Addis is 2,355m. Spend a night before going to Simien (4,000m+) or Sanetti.
Brand bottled water everywhere. SteriPen or Lifestraw for trekking days.
Including helicopter evacuation if you're going to Simien or Danakil.
Conditions in Tigray, Amhara, and border areas have changed in recent years. Check your foreign office before booking.