Visa and Immigration requirements

Visas may be obtained from Ethiopian diplomatic mission overseas ,in addition nationals of 33 countries listed below are allowed to receive their visa on arrival to Ethiopia, the detail includes:- Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea Republic, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, and US.

Health Requirements

Prior to entry, visitors should be in possession of a valid health certificate for yellow fever. Vaccination against cholera is also required for any person who has visited or transited a cholera-infected area within six days prior to arrival in Ethiopia.

Religion

The main religions are Christianity and Islam, but some other traditional beliefs are also practiced.

Accommodations

Addis Ababa offers variety of hotels ranging from luxurious 5 star hotels to the tourist standard. Tourist accommodation facilities are also improving at destinations outside Addis, the offer ranges from 2-4 star hotels to camping facilities.

Food

Enjera, the Ethiopian national dish is a flat, circular pancake of fermented made from an endemic grain seed called teff, served with different kinds of cooked meats, vegetables and different sauce. Though it is different from region to region, in generally Ethiopians used hot and spiced sauces that give Ethiopian food its characteristic taste. Vegetarians should try “Ethiopian fasting food”, a colorful spread of salads and vegetables devoid of all meat and animal products.

In Addis Ababa and major towns, it is possible to get traditional Ethiopian restaurants and others specialized in Italian, Far East and western dishes. In hotels found at tourist sites European style foods are always available. Those visitors who are travelling to the remote and adventure tourist sites such as deep in the Omo valley and Erta’le, Tankwa Tours & Travel Agency is provide professional cook and cooking materials. To read more about food in Ethiopia click here

Clothing

Visitors should take light, summer clothes for the day time and warm cotton made clothes for the evenings. The temperature drops quite rapidly towards sunset.  Mountains trekkers should bring warm clothes and water proofs for unexpected seasonal rains. Shoes must always be removed before entering churches and mosques.

Safety

Generally, Ethiopia is considered as safe destination, but one should still take normal precautions while visiting cities and tourist sites: avoiding unfamiliar areas at night and not carrying large sums of money in pockets.

Time and calendar

Ethiopia is found within GMT +3 hours’ time Zone, and follows the Julian calendar, which consists of twelve months of thirty days each thirteen months of five days (six days in a leap year). The calendar is seven years and eight months behind the Western Gregorian calendar

Currency

The Local currency is the Ethiopian Birr, made up of 100 Cents. Notes are used in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50 and 100 birr. There is no limit to the amount foreign currency imported, but it must be declared to the customs authority upon arrival.

Custom

• Duty-free imports are permitted for up to:
• 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, or 1/2 lb of tobacco
• liters of alcoholic beverages
• Half-liter or two bottles of perfume.

Visitors may export souvenirs, although some Articles (such as animal skins and antiques) require an export permit.

Power

Ethiopia uses 220 volts and 50 HZ. It is good to bring your own round two prong adaptor and transformer if necessary.

Public holidays

The following are Ethiopian public holiday dates:-

• September 11, Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash)
• September 27, The finding of the True Cross (Meskal)
• January 7, Ethiopian Christmas (Genna)
• January 19, Ethiopian Epiphany (Timket)
• March 2 ,Victory of Adwa (commemorates the victory by Menelik II over Italy in 1896)
• Ethiopian Good Friday (variable)
• Ethiopian Easter (Fasika) (variable)
• May 1, International Labor Day
• Eid ul Fitr (Ramadhan) (variable)
• Eid ul Adha (variable)
• April 6, Ethiopian patriots victory day (celebrates end of Italian occupation in 1941)

Banking and Currency Exchange

Banking hours are usually from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm from Monday to Friday and from 8:00 am – 11:00 am on Saturdays. Closing times may be an hour longer in some private banks. Most banks work through lunchtime including foreign exchanges services

Courier and Money Transfer Services

Money transfers can be made through Western Union and Money Gram. Both have representative branches in Addis Ababa and in some other major towns and make their services available from private and national banks. For courier services, DHL, FedEx, UPS, TNT, and EMS have offices in Addis Ababa.

Language

Amharic is the official language of Ethiopia although English, Italian and Arabic are also spoken in cities and towns.

Communication

Internet, Telephone, Tele fax, and postal services are available in the country. Numerous internet cafes are available in Addis Ababa and in other cities. They all give Internet, Fax and telephone calling service. The country Dialing Code is +251

Tipping

Though tipping is a frequent custom, amounts vary depending on the service quality offered and the interests of the visitors. In most hotels and restaurants, a 10 per cent service charge is added to the bill.

Points of Entry

Bole International Airport, Bahir Dar, Mekele and Dire Dawa Airports are entry ports. Dawale and Galafe for those crossing from Djibouti border, Moyale for those driving from Kenya, Humera and Metema from Sudan are surface entry points .All arrivals undergo full customs and immigration checks. These are only entry points and no visa services available.

Driving

In Ethiopia driving is on the right. Drivers require a valid international driving license which can be obtained by exchanging yours with local license. Visitor can recover their license prior to their departure