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There are no hunger in Eritrea, but the country faces some food security problems. Eritrea has rejected foreign assistance. I noticed lack of some kind of food. The assortment in the shops were not to good, and the menu content in the cafes shows more than they can offer due to unavailability. Local beer is a good example of this due to to shortage of ingrediens (malt and hops). Lamb meat is the most common meat.
The prices in eritrea are going up a little bit in the last years. There is only one way to get money in Eritrea: Western Union. The official rate is unrealistic and make the trip expensiv compared to other countries. also you have to screw.
COUNTRY INFORMATION:Visa: Visa must be arranged at the embassies before enter the country.Mobil phone: No roaming. Not possible to buy SIM cards for tourists.ATM: No ATM in Eritrea. Change currency at official exhange offices, and sign the transaction on a custom receipt.Recommended language: English.Infrastructure: Very poor.Friendliness by the people: Most friendly and polite people in the world.Attention by Police/military: Very suspicious, but polite. No corruption. Eritrea is a dictatorship, so don't talk negative about the government.Crime: Safest place in the world.Rainy period: Asmara: July and August.Price level: Just a little bit cheaper than Europe. But money exhange on the illegal black marked gives twice the rate. Then it's just as cheap as Ethiopia.
Internet in Eritrea is very slow and some sites are not available. Sometimes takes 5 minutes to load a page. People told me it was faster before. I even heard that the slow line is a part of the censor in the country. A slow line is easier to control than a fast one, and the line is too slow to send videos. Yahoo mail is OK and load much faster than Hotmail. There are some internet cafes in the the biggest cities.
It is not possible to get visa on arrival at Asmara airport. And of course not possible at other places in Eritrea either. I had to send my passport to the Eritrean Embassy in Stockholm two weeks before I left. Fill out the visa application form, add 2 pass photos. A tourist visa costs aprox 500 Swedish kroner (70 USD) incl. the postal fee. Payments must be made in a bank in good time. See http://www.eritrean-embassy.se
.TV:Eri TV is the only TV station in Eritrea. But it's possible to see other TV channels with a parabol antenna.Radio:Voice of the Broad Masses of Eritrea (Dimtsi Hafash) - state-run, in 11 languages Radio Zara - state-runNewspaper:Hadas Eritrea - government-owned, published three days a week Eritrea Profile - government-owned weekly, in English Tirigta - pro-government youth weekly owned by ruling party Geled - weekly youth paper
The military has a great influence on the society in Eritrea, and is the direct cause for Eritreas independence. Banners of the national symbols can be bought at different shops in Eritrea. The photos here are taken at the airport in Asmara.
When you arrive Eritrea you have to sign and declare all your money to the customs. Keep the paper, because you will need it when you shall leave the country. If you have changed too little money at official rate, the customs will ask to see your money.There are two ways to change forreign currency into Nakfa, the Eritrean money. 1) You can change it in the banks, hotels or exchange offices giving you a lousy official rate. But you will get a legal stamp in your customs paper.2) Or change it at the black market. But it is illegal.Forget about travellers cheques in Eritrea. US dollar gives you better rate than anything else. 1 US dollar is 29 Nakfa at the black market and 15 Nakfa at official rate (December 2008).Some price examples: An average hotel room in Asmara is about 300 Nakfa a night. Coke is 15 nakfa, a big glas of fresh juice is 15 Nakfa, lokal beer is 13 Nakfa (not easily...
There is only one mobile phone operator in Eritrea, Eritel (January 2009). To buy a sim card you need to have a residence in Eritrea. You can not buy credit as you can in other African countries. Roaming with other sim cards doesn't work. The country code is +291.
Given the dearth of information about Eritrea, we thought it would be useful to tell you about our experiences when we visited for 2 weeks in December 2008.Visas - As is well documented, the visa you obtain to visit Eritrea only lets you travel to Asmara. You need to visit the Tourist Office on Harnet Avenue and apply for a tourist travel permit for the other places you'd like to visit. This costs 20 Nakfa. When writing where you'd like to visit, be as extensive as possible (make a list before going in). They scored a few places off our list (Lake Badda and surrounds) due to security issues, but happily approved the others. To get a permit you need a photocopy of your passport and Eritrean visa (ideally bring with you, but there are stationary shops in Asmara where you can get copies). Once you have your travel permit, photocopy it a few times - you are asked to show it at large numbers...
InterContinental Asmara Asmara
3 Reviews and 13 Opinions Arrived at the hotel after a late night flight from Frankfurt. Staff was always pleasant especially...
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