Ethiopia, known as Ityop'iya, is the oldest independent country in Africa and the only African country that evaded colonial rule. The country is located on the African continent in a central and eastern position on the Horn of Africa. Now Ethiopia is being discovered by discerning travellers, interested in getting off the beaten track and exploring lesser known parts of Africa.
Ethiopia is about Historic Sights, Tribes, and Landscapes. Note that Ethiopia is nothing like Kenya and Tanzania, it is not a safari destination where you can expect to see lions and such. Ethiopia is a history lover’s paradise with a lot of ancient landmarks.
In 2015, Ethiopia received 910,000 visitors. This can be compared with 2014 figures from the African Development Bank for the top 4 African destinations of Morocco (10.3m), Egypt (9.6m), South Africa (9.5m) and Tunisia (6.1m), respectively. Zimbabwe received 1.9m visitors.
There is a sense that Ethiopia is just beginning to be discovered, which means it is a great time to visit this incredible country.
Key Attractions
The classic must-visit ones are Lalibela, Aksum, Gondar (history and religious travel); Omo Valley (tribes and culture); and Danakil Depression, a geographic wonder- one of the hottest and lowest lands in the world. I can also recommend the 6th Century Abuna Yemata Guh church, which bristles with stories from a distant past.
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- Lalibela: The rock-hewn churches are probably the best known attraction of Ethiopia. Here eleven medieval churches were cut and carved out of rock.
- Addis Ababa: Ethiopia's capital is a quickly growing city and the country's largest city and main commercial centre. The name in Amharic means 'new flower'. In Addis Ababa you find the world's largest market, as they say, it is called merkato. In the city you must also visit the National Museum, where there are the world's oldest fossils of a hominid: Lucy, in Amharic called Dinkinesh.
- Omo Valley: Home to several indigenous groups where traditions are upheld.
- Gondar Castle: This building is also called Fasilides Castle as it was built by Emperor Fasilides in the 17th century.
- Simien Mountain National Park: This national park in northern Ethiopia offers breathtaking views of the highland landscape.
Developing Ethiopia's Tourism Adventures
Some tourism infrastructure is not as developed as in other destinations. However, many major roads have recently been rebuilt with new asphalt and the standard of hotels and restaurants is constantly improving with new investments in the hospitality sector.
Ethiopia was voted World Best Tourist Destination 2015 by the General Assembly of the European Council on Tourism and Trade.
Visitor numbers have been growing about 12% annually over the last 10 years and an estimated 2.2 million jobs have been created according to the African Development Bank. This is quite impressive for a country with no sea coast or ocean beach resorts.
According to Ato Solomon Tadesse, CEO of the Ethiopian Tourism Organization, “People don’t know a lot about Ethiopia. It is the land on which human beings walked upright for the first time. It is the land that brought a gift to the whole world, coffee, that everybody enjoys every morning.
Inside Ethiopia’s Ancient Coffee Ceremony – 1000 years of coffee wisdom!
Ethiopia & The Lord of the Rings
Many authors and bloggers have delved into the world of Lord of the Rings (LOTR) and its connection with Ethiopia as an inspiration for the creation of the fictional setting of Middle-Earth.
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Authour of The Real Middle-Earth, Michael Muhling, sought to understand the Abyssinian (modern day Ethiopia) connection with JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings over eight years. Rigourously testing theories, analysing logic and researching countless notions led to conclusions of a unique connection between LOTR and Ethiopia’s top historical sites: Gondor/Gondar, Rohan/Roha, Barad-dûr/Bahir Dar, and Harad/Harar.
Even though JRR Tolkien never visited the heart of Africa, it is suggested that some of the Lord of the RIngs was inspired by Ethiopia and its eastern counterparts. Interestingly, Tolkien was actually born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. What's more, he started composing his first novel not long after Italy's invasion of Ethiopia in 1935.
Planning Your Trip
Visitors have multiple options to travel. The best way is still through a Travel Operator especially if you are on a limited schedule and/or traveling with kids and/or just want to make your life easier. The historic churches of Lalibela in the north are best reached by plane. However, we were lucky enough to have the time to drive.
You can take buses too but of course, there’s no timetable of schedule and where they stop is a mystery, and who knows when the next bus will come, or if it will ever come? I have seen backpackers in some of our lunch stops, where they have to get off in a place they have no clue about, and then figuring out which bus or van to hop next. I’m sure aspiring backpackers and my younger self will love the challenge.
Our typical day started with breakfast at the hotel, after which, our tour guide and driver picked us up. From there, we explored the local sights, stopping for lunch in a hotel or restaurant for a set-meal or buffet along with other fellow tourists. You would notice the same faces on Day 2 or 3 and then you can tell that there are set lunch places for all the tourists. This is the routine for several days but the activities were varied and interesting.
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The knowledge of the guides in Ethiopia was pretty impressive. You can tell that they know their history and are passionate about it. English skills are average to intermediate but sufficient. Our impression is that this is the standard but better safe than sorry so make sure to book with a reliable tour operator with actual reviews from Trip Advisor, Trust Pilot, etc… A typical car used is a van or a Pajero Type jeepney.
We also learned that we were required by law to hire a guide for every destination we visited.
Practical Information
Ethiopia is a developing country and this is evident in the infrastructure:
- Roads: The majority of the roads were bumpy, but we got used to it fairly quickly and saw how plenty of senior travelers are indifferent about it. Long-distance buses can take you from city to city but the schedules are erratic, so make sure to factor this in if you plan on using them.
- Public toilets: When we stopped for lunch breaks, we found restaurants and hotels were equipped with decent washroom facilities but elsewhere the standard was extremely poor that you would rather grow a kidney stone than use their toilet.
- Internet: Hotels had Wi-Fi but typically this was only in the shared areas. Elsewhere, the internet was unstable at best and using mobile data almost impossible.
- Hotels: Budget rooms were very basic so, if you are a family or fancy a nice comfortable sleep, I can recommend sticking to the mid-range or luxury hotels.
- Supermarkets: The capital city, Addis Ababa, had supermarkets but there weren’t 24/7 shops or 7/11s.
- Airports: We found the capital has a large and fairly decent airport, Addis Ababa Bole International. Domestic airports were nice but small and there’s nothing to do to pass time so arrive just in time and either bring your snack or make sure you have eaten before coming because there were barely any shops too.
- Banking: We were able to find ATMs but most places didn’t accept credit cards.
Safety and Security
Ethiopia, on the whole, is one of the safer African countries to be a tourist. We found driving to be one of the best ways to see the sights but I can’t recommend going solo. The lack of maps and internet signal make navigation extremely difficult. There were also cows passing across many of the roads. If you run into them (despite being their fault, lol), you’ll face charges. We also, unfortunately, saw a lot of accidents, which is one of the reasons why I wouldn’t recommend using public transport.
The locals were very friendly to us but in the South most especially, they tend to become pushy when they tried to sell something, particularly in the poorer areas.
Ethiopian Culture
Ethiopian culture can be fascinatingly different from Western traditions, making it an eye-opening place for us to travel. For example, the country, quite literally, runs on a different time. Instead of the 24-hour clock, we are used to, many Ethiopians run on a 12-hour system which goes from dawn to dusk, then repeat from dusk to dawn. To give an example, their clock meant 8 am in Western time was 2:00 in daylight hours in Ethiopian time - it could be very confusing.
Throughout our trip, we discovered ways of life vary massively throughout the country. Addis, the largest city, is a bustling metropolis bursting with the business, fashion and art you would expect from a major city. However, when we got into the suburbs the pace changed dramatically. Many of the villages were self-sustained with locals making their own coffee, liquor and everything else they need. Tribal life also continues to thrive, particularly in the Omo Valley which is home to around 200,000 people living in eight different tribes.
Ethiopian Food
Ethiopian food is centered around the famous injera, a pancake-like flatbread that accompanied almost every one of our meals. Food was placed on top of the injera, which can be anything from meat stew to beans and you eat this by first tearing a small portion of Injera and then using it to scoop the viand (along with your fingers) and scootch it straight to your mouth. There was plenty of food on offer, much of which was sublimely spiced and delightful to taste.
Overall, Ethiopia definitely has a unique food culture. Stews and minced meat were a common dish but I ended up craving some cake or a brownie as desserts weren’t common with fruit the only real option available. Ethiopia has about 200 days of fasting because of their religion. This means they have a very nice variety of non-meat delicacies that would make vegetarians happy.
We were also lucky enough to watch one of the wonderful coffee ceremonies, which form a ritualistic bonding event between women and an essential part of Ethiopian culture. It’s a lengthy process that starts with the roasting of the beans, but one that I can recommend to every tourist.
Economic Impact of Tourism
Tourism in Ethiopia accounted for 5.5% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2006, having barely increased 2% over the previous year. The government is proving its commitment and willingness to develop tourism through a number of initiatives. Developed in the 1960s, tourism declined greatly during the later 1970s and the 1980s under the Derg.
One encouraging aspect is the growing popularity of ecotourism, with significant potential for growth in Ethiopia. Travel retail sales are expected to continue to grow, posting an increase of 7% in 2006 and with a forecast 5% increase in 2007.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism was on an impressive trajectory in Ethiopia. The sector contributed nearly USD 4.8 billion to GDP, and international tourist arrivals reached over 1.4 million, marking the peak of a decade of consistent growth. However, the pandemic dealt a severe blow to this progress.
International tourist arrivals in 2020 fell by over 84% from the previous year, bringing the number of visitors down to around 228,200.
Projections for the next 5 to 10 years suggest that with continued investment, Ethiopia’s tourism sector could surpass pre-pandemic levels by the late 2020s. Initiatives focusing on enhancing infrastructure, improving security, and developing new tourism products like ecotourism, will be key drivers of growth.
Ethiopia recorded a total of 897,000 tourists in 2022, ranking 73rd in the world in absolute terms. In 2022, Ethiopia generated around 1.18 billion US dollars in the tourism sector alone. This corresponds to 0.72 percent of its the gross domestic product and approximately 6 percent of all international tourism receipts in Eastern Africa.
In 1995, tourism revenues amounted to 177.00 million USD, or about 2.3 percent of the gross national product. Within 27 years, the country's dependence on tourism has increased noticeably. Before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, sales were $3.53 billion, 3.7 percent of gross national product. In 2020, tourist receipts plummeted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the $3.53 billion (2019), only $2.28 billion remained. This is a 35 percent decrease in Ethiopia. On average, each of the tourists arriving in 2022 spent about 1,210 US dollars.
Additional Facts
- Ethiopia is the only African country never to have been brought under colonial control.
- Ethiopia is a country full of vibrant festivals.
- The spiritual homeland of the Rastafarian movement is in actual fact Ethiopia.
- Several archaeological findings in Ethiopia’s Afar region go quite some way in suggesting that the country may be where the human species came from.
- Addis Ababa is the world's fifth-highest capital city, with an altitude of 2355 metres.
- Ethiopian cooking is some of the tastiest, healthiest and most diverse cuisine on the continent.
Travel Advisories and Safety Information
- Visas: citizens are required to obtain a visa to legally enter Ethiopia. Do not travel to Ethiopia unless you have an approved e-Visa. Travelers without a valid visa will be denied entry.
- Currency Restrictions: Visitors to Ethiopia, including transit passengers who do not plan to exit Bole International Airport, may hold up to a maximum of 1,000 ETB per trip to and from Ethiopia. Persons not residing in Ethiopia can enter with 3,000 USD or other foreign currency equivalent.
- Photography: It is illegal to take pictures of government buildings, military installations, police/military personnel, and key infrastructure such as roads, bridges, dams, and airfields.
- LGB Travelers: Consensual same-sex sexual activity between adults is illegal and punishable by imprisonment under the law.
- Health: Medical care is extremely limited and health care facilities are only adequate for stabilization and emergency care.
- Road Conditions and Safety: Traffic accidents occur regularly in Addis Ababa and throughout the country. Roads are ill maintained, inadequately marked, and poorly lit.
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