Ethiopia is a gem. Read on for stories, tips, recommendations, and to find out about the wonderful places I went, food I ate and people I met!
Surprisingly, Ethiopia wasn't ever really on my bucket list (although in hindsight, it definitely should have been). I actually wound up visiting after traveling to Washington, DC and meeting this amazing guy Hamdi, who was from Ethiopia. Once I returned home from DC, we kept in touch, and eventually, he told me that he was going to Ethiopia to visit his family. This was right around the time that I was planning my summer vacations, so we decided that we should reunite in Addis Ababa.
Note: This post isn't arranged chronologically, but rather by city.
Addis Ababa overview
My arrival in Addis Ababa went smoothly, after passing through immigration I found myself in the arrivals hall, but Hamdi wasn't there! I stood there looking around, and after a minute or so a woman approached me "Are you looking for someone? You can borrow my phone and call them if you'd like!" This was such a sweet moment- the exact help I needed and I didn't even have to ask. I borrowed her phone and sure enough, Hamdi was just around the corner.
You'll want to visit
Meskel Square- The biggest traffic intersection in Addis Ababa. No lines, all chaos. This place is a total shitshow.
Bole Road- This is the Main drag in downtown Addis Ababa, It’s walking distance from the airport
Medhane Alem Cathedral- This is the most beautiful cathedral in town, in my opinion
National Museum of Ethiopia- See Lucy, the oldest human remains(at least, when they were found)
Addis Mercato- a bustling, hectic part of town
Monument- Lion of Judah
Entoto Hill, St. Mary’s, Shiro Meda Market
Piassa
Addis Ababa Storytime- We went to the same school!
Some backstory here, I'm from Orange County, California and attended Chapman University. While halfway around the world in Addis Ababa, I saw someone with a Chapman University hoodie on. Instinctively, I approached him, and found out that he actually went to Chapman for film school. For me, it's moments like these that really put our world into perspective.
Storytime: How to find your bus at an Ethiopian bus station
I have a friend in San Francisco named Yannick (an Ethiopian guy who grew up in the US) who told me that he traveled to Ethiopia and his nightmare experience at a bus station there - apparently after wandering lost through the bus station for long time(they can be HUGE, and have NO SIGNS WHATSOEVER, just people yelling the destination out), when he finally found the bus he was wanting to take, it was full so he was denied boarding. Apparently, the whole experience was so stressful to him that he wound up breaking down crying.
I decided that I wasn’t really into crying so when it came time for me to navigate the Ethiopian bus station, I decided to offer a little kid a few birr to make sure I wound up on the right bus. BEST IDEA EVER! He also made sure that I got the front seat TO MYSELF. I liked this idea so much that I also did it when I made my connection- This decision actually saved my trip, as I caught the last bus to Mek’ele by literally RUNNING with this little kid yelling at me to hurry up because the bus was leaving. I narrowly made it. There’s no way I could have made that connection without that kids help. I paid him more than I paid to ride the bus, but honestly hands-down worth it! Please remember this option if you wind up in this situation!
Addis Airport Storytime
I’m one of those people with a last name that’s pronounced wrong all the time, so I’m very used to it and really don’t care how people say it. Generally, I just tell people, “That’s right” if they try at all, even when they’re way wrong. However, as my flight attendant from Addis Ababa to Dubai greeted me, “Welcome on board, Mr. Beehatch, ,Bejajch, bejatch?” I couldn’t help but answer, “It’s Biotch!” We both got a good laugh out of it. Once we got up in the air and the flight attendants were serving drinks, they kept dropping off tons of the flight size vodka bottles, wine, and various other drinks that I never ordered. I think I’m going to start doing this more often!
Also, if you’re wondering, Bejach is pronounced “Be Jack”
The Ebola outbreak
I visited Ethiopia during the height of the Ebola outbreak. I bonded with other travelers who all noticed the same thing at the airport upon our arrival to Bole International Airport- a helpful, albeit rather graphic depiction of the common symptoms of Ebola.
Sodere Hot Springs
If you’re into hot springs, Sodere is a few hours southeast of Addis Ababa. The water is HOT and there are monkeys everywhere- it’s a really nice place to relax
Don’t give your Passport to anybody as a deposit.
Imagine driving down a very remote dirt road in Ethiopia with two men with very large machine guns sitting in your backseat. As you’re driving, you come upon three more men with big machine guns. They walk out to the middle of the road as to block your passage, and put their hand up to indicate you need to stop. You stop and crack open the window, and the five men with machine guns start yelling at each other in Amharic, which you don’t understand at all. It seems to be getting heated, and the guys that came with you in the back seat get out of the car. They’re outside yelling at each other for a few minutes, meanwhile the friend you’re with speaks Amharic but he’s not providing any translation- he decides to join in on the argument, yelling at all the guys with their big guns outside the car. Things keep getting more and more heated, and the men who blocked the road start pushing the guys you came with a bit. You’re tempted to punch the gas and get the fuck out of there.
Ok Honestly at this point I was semi-freaking out. As it turns out, the guys that stopped us were the bosses of the security guards from Sodere who were accompanying us to go pick up my ID (driver’s license) from the home of another security guard who had seized it upon our arrival at Sodere because the trunk of our car was non-operational and therefore was considered to be a security risk. But instead of leaving my ID in the security booth at the entrance, he forgot it in his pocket and brought it home with him. The bosses were unaware of this and yelling at them for having left work when they weren’t supposed to, and in the end were friendly and wished us all a good night.
BOTTOM LINE: Don’t give any ID that you aren’t willing to live without as a deposit to any security guard or the like. Absolutely refuse to leave your passport.
After this experience, I was later in the trip again asked for my passport as a deposit that I would pay for my Danakil Depression/Erta Ale tour upon my return- normally you must prepay but in Mek’ele all the internet connection was down(No ATM would work) so
prepaying would have been impossible. I refused to leave a passport- but risked leaving my ID. I had a flight back to Addis Ababa the evening of my return from the tour, and, four days later, none of the ATMS were back on line. We tried all my credit cards and none would go through (no connection whatsoever.) The company refused to give me my ID back until I had paid. I really tried everything, but at least it wasn’t my passport they were holding onto, I could ditch my driver’s license and still continue my travels. By the grace of god, as time was getting tight for me to make my flight, my card finally got approved. I made it to the airport on time, and with my ID, but I was SO glad that I wasn’t stressing with it being my passport.
Souvenir recommendation
Buy an Agelgel
Shashamene
The Promised Land, Home of the Rastafarians
On my tour of Danakil Depression and Erta Ale, I met a couple other travellers, and once back in Addis, we linked up and they told me that they had arranged a private van to take them to Shashamene for the day. It wasn't originally on our itinerary but with space in the van, these girls intrigued us enough that we decided to join them. It was a LONG day, but an interesting one.
Shashamene is a town built up on an area of land that was gifted by Emperor Haile Selassie I to African Americans that were decedents of slaves and who wished to return to Africa.
I think the idea was to be able to give people who are sick of racism, institutionalized racism, and ignorant people in general a safe place to go.
Unsurprisingly, it's not the most popular place. Regardless of whatever issues people have with racism in the United States, the fact is that the US is their home now. That's where they have grown roots. I think that it's a widely known fact that it's easiest to help people where they already are- it's why the US would much rather send aid to countries than take on refugees.
This is a unique situation, however, because one cannot simply send aid to end racism.
So, with that in mind, we have Shashamene.
In Shashamene, we went to visit a museum that had some nice Papyrus paintings and talked all about the history of the area.
Admittedly, this probably wont be high on your list unless you're into rastafarian culture
Lalibela
Lalibela is perhaps the most famous of all the historical landmarks in Ethiopia.
11 Rock Hewn Churches- these are the main sights in Lalibela and well worth the trek here (and high entry fee- $50)
Saturday Market- Every Saturday, This is a worthwhile market to visit simply because it is so massive, chaotic and unique. It's farmers from the surrounding area who come into town to sell what they've grown on their land.
Lalibela Storytime- Caution at the ATM
Upon arrival in Lalibela, I dropped off my bags and headed out to explore a little bit. I decided to stop at an ATM since I was out of cash, and two guys (who were probably about 15 years old) saw me make my withdrawal and began following me and relentlessly asking for money, saying it was for their school. I was direct that I don't give money to anybody who asks for it on the street and that if and when I decide to donate money, I do so to a reputable charity. Undeterred, they continued to follow me throughout the town, this continued for over half and hour and across a mile or more, until mercifully, I found the Saturday Market. The Saturday Market in Lalibela is a bustling place and luckily, it wasn't too hard to lose the guys once I was in there. To be fair, these guys never threatened me directly, but after a certain point, being followed like that is extremely uncomfortable, especially knowing that they saw me taking money out of the ATM.
Axum (Aksum)
Axum is the historical centre of Ethiopia. The ruins here span miles and miles.
The most recognizable landmark in Axum is the obelisk.
Unfortunately, I was running short on time when I arrived here and was only able to spend one day in Axum. The sights in Axum are fairly spread out, so I hired a Bajaj Rikshaw to take me to all of them. I would definitely recommend this, as walking would have been exhausting/impossible.
Tigray
I didn’t go, but heard that these remote churches are beautiful
Bahir Dar
Lake Tana monastery exploring…
Only men can enter some of the monasteries on Lake Tana
Blue Nile Falls: I didn’t go because it was turned off when I was in that area.
Be careful: This waterfall isn’t always on- Ask somebody that lives there if it’s on or not before you go. There is a dam, so sometimes it’s going to be running full steam, and other days it’s just a trickle.
Foodie alert: Fried Fish on Lake Tana
When you go out for the day exploring Monasteries of Lake Tana, your trip will likely include a stop at an island where Fried Fish is for sale. My friend and I couldn't stop ordering them! They were perfectly delicious.
Storytime Bahir Dar
The most memorable thing I was told in Bahir Dar-
“I know things aren’t so nice here… but don’t worry; we’re working on it!”
The thing that I love so much about how this person said this to me was his awareness of the world outside Ethiopia. I feel like so many people tend to live in their own little bubbles and not recognize faults and ways to improve their own communities, so it was lovely to hear this guy straight up tell me this.
Historical Circuit in the north
This includes Gondar, Semien Mountains National Park, Aksum(Axum), Tigray and Lalibela
Gondar
Fasil Ghebbi (Castle) – Make sure you’ve got your makeup done, because you’re going to want to have a photoshoot here!
Fasiladas Bath- Only full of water during Timkat (Typically in Mid January) but well worth visiting even when it’s emptied.
Debre Birhan Selassie- As someone who loves to paint, the paintings on the interior of many Ethiopian churches stands out to me as a distinct style. This church is one of my favorites- A beautiful, colorfully painted church, this is an absolute must visit while in Gondar. The man who works there is very sweet and will give you a tour and it’s fascinating.
Semien Mountains are nearby
Storytime- A foul smell
While visiting Gondar we stayed at the Circle Hotel. I liked the hotel because the room was huge and had a beautiful view over the entire city. Unfortunately, the water was off for the duration of our stay. This meant that sewage smell was coming out of the toilet- BADLY. Additionally, the door to our bathroom wouldn't stay closed on its own. I couldn't just block the door with my bag because it opened inwards, so this led me to have to be a little inventive- I tied the door shut with the power cable of the TV and used the TV as a weight to keep the door shut.
Storytime Fassil Ghebbi (Fasilides Castle)
My friend and I arrived to Fassil Ghebbi just after it closed. I thought for sure we’d have to see it the next day, but actually we found out we could just bribe the guard with a few birr to let us enter right then and there! The place is stunning and a definite must see while in Gonder.
Mek’ele
Mek’ele is the only place in the entire world that I have seen a professional gardener, “mowing” the center island of a huge avenue- with nothing but a pair of SCISSORS. Please, if you are going to travel to Mek’ele, bring that woman a Lawn Mower!
Mek'ele is the gateway to Erta Ale and Danakil Depression (it’s like a 5 nights roundtrip from Mek’ele)
Practical info on Erta Ale – It’s the world’s only permanent lava lake and can be found in Danakil Depression located near Ethiopia-Eritrea border. – It can only be visited on 4×4 jeep. Armed guards and local Afar guides are required because of the nature of the area. Coming here as part of an organized tour to Danakil would be the easiest. – The tour agency we went to Danakil with was Ethiopia Travel and Tour (info@ethiopiatravelandtours.com) and the cost was $550 for 4-day excursion. – Bring a torchlight and a scarf. – The 3 hour hike to the summit of Erta Ale is an easy hike made harder because it’s done in the dark. – You’ll sleep at the summit in bare huts on mattresses before hiking back down the following morning.
Storytime: What did you actually want to order?
After a long day of travel from Axum, I arrived to Mek'ele with a voracious appetite. Exhausted, I stumbled no further than the restaurant just outside my hotel. I began to order, one thing after another. Some Ethiopian dishes, a pizza, a sandwich, dessert and more. The waitress politely took my order, however when she presented it to the chef, he came out and asked me to please decide what I actually wanted, because my order was simply too much food. In the moment, I found it to be the funniest thing ever.
Erta Ale and the Danakil Depression
is a circuit that is done on organized 4x4 tours out of Mek’ele. It’s 4 nights and the advertised cost was around $600, however you can bargain down from there (at least $100 to at most $200 off) if you contact the tour company directly before booking online. It’s not going to be super cheap, or necessarily comfortable, but it’s an experience I would recommend 100% to anybody planning to travel to Ethiopia.
Erta Ale
This is an absolute MUST-SEE place. Erta Ale is one of the few volcanos in the world with a permanent lava pool. Be prepared to get up close and personal –there are no restrictions about how far away from the action you need to stay. You can hop right on in if you want! (Not that I would recommend that.) Some days may be more or less tumultuous, but when I was there, there were lava bubbles the size of an SUV bubbling up and exploding everywhere. They were unpredictable. At one point a HUGE burst came up on the side of the pool nearest me and the lava was thrown right in my direction. I literally had to run to avoid being hit by the molten lava. Please, Be careful and don’t melt your shoes! Also, try not to sit or set anything down near the lava pool because there are very fine barb-like sharp dried lava bits that will make a mess and hurt to try and remove. (Especially don’t sit down or go on your knees). You’ll survive; it would just be a nuisance. The tour I took had us sleep for the night on top of the volcano- only problem was that the camels that were supposed to carry our sleeping mats up to the top never arrived, so as it got to be late at night we found out we weren’t ever going to get the sleeping mats and were going to have to divide the few that we had amongst ourselves. We did this in a very diplomatic way- ladies first, which meant there were none left for the men. So, I slept on the jagged rocks. I mean, I “slept” on the jagged rocks, because of course I wasn’t actually able to fall asleep that night.
Danakil Depression
The Danakil Depression is an ever changing area with colorful sulfur formations.
You will also visit some salt flats and have the opportunity to swim, er, float in a pool with a very high salt concentration. The catch? You won’t be able to shower for two days after. Considering that salt was oozing out of my sandals for almost a year after my visit here, I think I made the right decision not to swim here. But some people did!
You will see a long line of camels transporting salt out of the region, and you’ll get the chance to see how the workers cut the salt off from the salt flats. It’s brutal work- If you can, bring those guys a saw! They use an axe and just whack at it really hard, slowly carving chunks out.
If you're white, you might be seen as Chinese
In this extremely rural corner of Ethiopia, little kids would come running to me (and others in the group) yelling “CHINA! CHINA!” I asked about this and found out that, because so many Chinese workers had recently come to build roads through this region, to these little kids, at least in their heads, I had light skin, and therefore I was Chinese. It took me aback a bit, but it wasn’t just me that they were saying this to. This experience really made me question what “ethnicity” is. After all, what does it mean to be Chinese? White? I think that there are many bi or multi-racial people that are constantly being categorized into an ethnicity that they really don’t most identify with. It was a unique experience for me to be able to grasp, at least in a small way, what this might feel like.
Save money on hotels
In Ethiopia, only the high end hotels were bookable online. The cheapest hotel online would be $100 but there were many, many hotels available walk-in for around $10 (or less!). A couple times I had to go to 2 or 3 before I got a room, and it was a nuisance, but there was always a room available eventually. Don’t let the high prices for hotels in Ethiopia advertised online deter you if you’re on a budget. Speaking of budget, you can bus between all the cities in Ethiopia, but they are long, brutal bus rides, so if you want to splurge, I’d do it by flying for the most part. If you buy your ticket into Ethiopia on Ethiopian Airlines, you’ll get a nice discount when you purchase any internal flight. You can do this in person at the Hilton in Addis Ababa. Also, if you’re Ethiopian you will get a huge discount from Ethiopian airlines when you buy it in person. However, if you aren’t eligible to get a discount you can simply buy it off Expedia or any airline site.
Spotty Power and Water situation
Let’s put it this way: in my three weeks in Ethiopia, I lost count of how many times the power went off and how many times there was no water when I turned on a faucet. There seemed to be constant rolling blackouts at all times of the day, so be sure to bring a battery pack to charge your phone and camera batteries with in case you need them when it’s off- Don’t worry about this too much though as most big hotels have generators that will turn on a couple minutes after the power is cut. The Ethiotelecom cell phone service seemed unaffected by this and always worked well, even when the power was off.
What I'll be back for
Omo Valley
Tribes in the Omo valley- Great if you’re a photographer who likes taking portraits of people. What I’ve heard is that for the most part the people there will expect a tip/payment if you take their photo. I didn’t do this but I heard it's nice
Tigray Churches
Semien Mountains National Park- Gelada Monkeys
Harar- Feeding Hyenas
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