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Contact us at :
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Phone :+251
116 614095
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+251 116 614096
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+251 116 614099
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Fax :+251
116 614097
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Mobile
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911 217455 / 175686
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P.O.Box:
4841 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Address:
Bole Medhanalem Road next to a Atlas International Hotel
Traffic
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Email: |
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info@ethiopathtour.com |
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epathfindertour@yahoo.com |
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Do I need a
Visa to come to
Ethiopia?
Back to top
What can you tell me about Ethiopia?
Is Ethiopia really the cradle of mankind?
What can you tell me about Lucy'?
What can you tell me about the people of
Ethiopia?
What is the base of the Ethiopia economy?
What can you tell me about the topography
of Ethiopia?
What is the climate in Ethiopia?
What does thirteen months of sunshine
mean?
What is the time difference in Ethiopia?
What is the best time to visit Ethiopia?
No visa is required
for the nationals of Kenya Djibouti, and The Sudan. In addition
nationals of the following countries can easily get a visa on arrival in
the air port.
. 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 (PROVINCE OF CHINA) .
UNITED KINGDOM . UNITED STATES
Nationals out of the mentioned countries above can apply for a visas at
where available the Ethiopian Diplomatic Missions Offices.
The Federal
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is a developing country located in the
northeastern part of Africa commonly known as ' The Horn of Africa'. It
leis in the equatorial region between 30 - 180 north and 330 - 480 east,
Eritrea and Djibouti bound in on the northeast, on the east and
southeast by Somalia, on the south by Kenya and on the west by the
Sudan. Ethiopia, as large as France and Spain combined, has an area of
1,104,300 km? It is the tenth largest country in Africa. It is a
democratic national comprising of 11 semi-autonomous administrative
regions organized loosely along major ethnic lines. It has an
agriculturally dominated economy, which is about 65 per cent of the land
is presently cultivated. Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in
Africa having its own calendar, alphabet and clock.
Lucy is a 3.5
million years old female skeleton, which is among the important
archaeological discoveries that make that make Ethiopia to have the
prestigious title of 'the cradle of mankind'. It is a complete direct
hominid fossil discovered in the north - eastern part of Ethiopia at the
place called Hadar. Now any tourists in the National museum in Addis
Ababa can visit it. So the fact that the most crucial discoveries,
including the Lucy's, have taken places in Ethiopia make the country the
most probable site for the cradle of mankind
Ethiopia is
considered to be the' mosaic of cultural diversity. 'The population of
Ethiopia is estimated to be about 65 million. It is the home of more
than 80 ethnic groups. Based on the language they speak, they can be
divided into Semitic, Hamitic, Nilotic and Omotic stocks. Despite their
diversity, Ethiopians are characterized with peace, hospitality and
struggle to develop. The Ethiopians, often called the 'Habesha' are
generally sociable and friendly, not at all hostile to tourists.
Ethiopians are proud of their culture and civilization, which pre-date
those of Europe. They are known for their unforgettable hospitality and
well-deserved cultures.
A wide variety of
different dishes are available in Ethiopia and most of them are unique
to the country so you have to familiarize yourself first with the names
of different dishes. You can choose from the spicy and hot Doro Wot,
Kitfo, or Key Wot to less spicy dishes like Alicha Wot you can get these
foods virtually anywhere in the country and portions are generous and
very cheap. There are also home made and fabricated local drinks for you
to choose from Araki- a strong alcoholic beverage made from millet and
maize, Tej - a mead like drink made from honey and Tela - locally brewed
beer from maize, wheat and barely and Guder- the Ethiopian wine.
Ethiopia's economy
is predominantly agricultural. The highlands are very fertile, which
contain many large rivers with enormous untapped potential for
irrigation projects. About 90 per cent of the population earns their
living from the land, mainly as subsistence farmers. Agriculture is the
backbone of the national economy and the principal exports from this
sector are coffee, oil seeds, pulses, flowers, vegetables, sugar and
foodstuffs for animals. There is also a thriving livestock sector,
exporting carrel on the hoof and hides and skins. 25% of the populations
grow coffee and it accounts for 55% of Ethiopia's exports.
A volcanically
formed central plateau, isolated on three sides by low- lying desert
dominates the Ethiopian landscape. The central plateau, often referred
to as the Ethiopian highlands, has an average altitude of above 2,000m
and includes 20 peaks of 4,000m or higher. The Ethiopia highlands are
dramatically mountainous, no more than where hey are bisected by the
Rift valley, which starts at the Red sea, then continues through the
Denakil depression and through southern Ethiopia to Mozambique in
Southern Africa. The part of the Rift valley, south of Addis Ababa, is
notable for its string of eight lakes. The most extensive mountain
ranges on the highlands are the Semien, which lie directly north of
Gondar, and Bale, which lies in the southern highlands to the east of
the Rift Valley. Mount Ras Dashen in the Semien is at 4,620m, the fourth
highest peak in Africa. The highlands also form the source of four major
river systems. The nest known of these is the Blue Nile or Abbay, which
starts at Lake Tana in the northwest and supplies nine- tenths of the
Nile's water, which eventually reaches Egypt's Nile valley.
Ethiopia shows a
wide climatic variation, ranging from the peaks of the Semien and Bale,
which receive periodic snowfall, to regular daytime temperatures of over
500 C in the Denakil Desert As a rule, the highland has a temperate
climate and average day time temperature of 160C. Due to their proximity
to the Equator, the eastern lowlands and far south is dray and hot. The
western lowlands are moist and hot, making them one part of the country
that feels truly tropical. The southern rift valley, much of which is at
the relatively high altitude of 1.500m, is temperate to hot and
seasonally moist. The general precipitation pattern is that the bulk of
the rain in the highlands and Rift valley falls between mid-June and
early October. The rainy season in the Rift Valley generally starts and
ends a few weeks earlier than in the highlands. The northeastern
highlands have a less reliable rainy season than other highland parts of
Ethiopia. In normal rainy season the highlands receive an average
rainfall of 1,000mm. From a tourist's point of view, rain tends to fall
in dramatic storms, which end as suddenly as they start a situation that
is infinitely easier for travel than are days of protracted drizzle.
Ethiopia follows the
Julian calendar, which consists of twelve months of thirty days each and
a thirteenth month of five days (six days on leap year). You can see the
sun every day of the year That is why we call our country- a country
where the sun shines thirteen months. You will be seven years younger
when you arrive in Ethiopia because the calendar is seven years and
eight months behind the western calendar.
Ethiopia has a
different time calculating system and three hours ahead of Green witch
Mean time (GMT). The Ethiopian day is calculated in a manner similar to
that in many equatorial countries, where day and night is always the
same length. Time remains constant through the year counting starts from
western 6 and 6 Western 7 is there fore one o'clock, noon is 6 o' clock
and 6 is 12 o'clock. In Addis Ababa, then sunrise and sunset at around
6:30 and 18.45 respectively.
Ethiopia can be
visited at any time of the year. People are often advised against
traveling during the rainy season, which normally runs from June until
early October. But it has its own advantages. The scenery is
particularly wonderful green in September and early October. At this
time the whole country will be a riot of wild flowers. The ideal time to
visit Ethiopia is between October and April, when the rains are over but
the countryside is still green.
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