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Examples for travel durations between Ethiopian cities: Addis Ababa - Arba Minch: 7-10 hoursAddis Ababa - Awassa: 4-6 hoursAddis Ababa - Bahir Dar: roughly one day/ 3/4 dayAddis Ababa - Harar: night bus (a normal bus)Bahir Dar - Gondar: 4 hours by minibusGondar - Lalibela: 2 days in 2008, I do not know if that has changed (I decided that was to long and took a flight)Gondar - Debark (Entry to Simien Mountains): ca. 4 hours
We used a company called Senait Ethiopia to travel around northern Ethiopia. Just the two of us and a driver in a minibus...lots of room. Our driver just couldn't have been more helpful and accomodating. It was a bit of an endurance test because of the road surfaces and if you're looking for history, go straight to Lalibella and forget the rest, especially Axom which is miles from anywhere and claims to have the Ark of The Covenant. [Joke]. Would recommend this company if you want to plan a customised itinerary.
Ethiopian Airlines was our best international option because it had direct flights Paris – Adis Abbeba at a very interesting prices. Hélas, when we finally decided to go to Ethiopia these tickets were all sold out. Once in Ethiopia and talking to other visitors we found out that Ethiopian Airlines had more advantages than we thought: if you choose Ethiopian Airlines for your international flight then you have 50% of discount on the local flights!We flew with Ethiopian Airlines at the end of our trip from Aksum to Addis Abeba. Our time was tight and that avoided us 2 days of bad road for our bottoms and M. K’s bad humour during aaaall the trip. Even if the Aksum airport is not very busy (2-3 flights per day), the take off was delayed. Apart from this the service was good and M. K was happy :-) We booked our flight in the Ethiopian Airlines' office in Aksum, just one day before travelling....
Big buses cover the longest distances and main destinations. There are not a lot, maybe one or two per day per destination and they leave early in the morning, by 6.00 am, so you need to arrive even earlier to get a place. Buses only leave when they are more or less full (a book with you is a good idea for the waiting) and there are few or no stops during the trip. Although that I found it the best means of transportation around the country and of course the cheapest one.Buses are found in big Bus Stations, usually not far from the city centre, so it is easy to find them. More difficult is to find the right bus because they have written the destination only in Ahmaric (no way!). Fortunately many people speak few words of English so they will bring you to the bus that you want.Even if roads were quite good (Ethiopia is developing quickly!) when you move from one city to another one...
Hi there,Please read the information under here hoping that my answers would suffice your travel plan. Before making a choice for air or surface transport from Addis Ababa to Jimma, I want to raise some points which need consideration. They are:Purpose of travel, No. of days staying,Traveling alone or in groups and Quality of ServiceBased on these considerations, these are my proposed options:Option 1:Purpose of Travel – If you are travelling for leisure i.e. tour or visiting people, surface transport would give you the opportunity to discover the small towns and the views across the edges of the highway. The question, however, remains whether to use a public transport or hire a private car. I don’t advice on using a public transport because it is very slow, less comfortable, and highly suffocated. A hired car provides greater care, convenience and flexibility. If you are traveling for...
If you want to drive yourself in Ethiopia, there are a few things you need to know. First, you have to swap your National (or State) driving licence for an Ethiopian one and pay a fee of about $2. You can get your original licence back when you leave Ethiopia. Go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Yohanis Street (tel. 0115 506561)to get an official translation and stamp. This will cost you about $30. Then got with Transport and Communication Bureau on Equatorial Guinea Street with a copy of your Passport, 4 passport sized photos and some patience.Sound difficult? It is. Many tourists do not do this. I am not advising you either way. I would guess that any fine if you are caught would be as much as the fee for getting it done properly and probably quicker to rectify. Very important: Third-party vehicle insurance is required by law, a very good idea and is cheap. As little as $10 for a...
Bus travel in Ethiopia is a FUN experience! ( "servees" taxi, small (Lada) Taxi, or bus transport of various sorts)Many times the buses are old but definately full of character- and the small van types can fill many people ( I experienced 20 in my van!)- The fare is around 1 or 2 Birr to go across the city and a few Birr more to do further areas.Almost any type of person fills these forms of transport from elderly women and men to ladies in fancy dress and fashionable guys! Try one bus for yourself!Mind you that most of the buses have virtually no emission control so black smoke bellows out and flows everywhere- and into your nostrils and lungs!another aspect is that there is a ticket man who collects your fare for the ride so you are helping to keep locals employed!
The convenient tricycles, called “bajaj”, can be found anywhere in the cities and towns except for Addis Ababa. They are ridiculously cheap. It is usually 1-2 birr a person and sometimes go up to 5-10 if you carry your luggage. Most of the times they ask for many times more if they see “feretzi”, as they call us, the tourists, but you should explain to them you know the prices and negotiate hard. They always expect that.In Addis Ababa and a few other big cities the fastest and cheapest way to go anywhere in the city are the vans that take up to 10-12 people and cost 2.5-3b, which is about 0.40 dollar. The local people usually refer to them as "taxi" which confused me in the beginning.Click on photo..
Transportation is not easy yet in Ethiopia. The regular buses take a lot of time for a few kilometers, make a lot of stops and are usually packed with local people and their bulky bundles which can contain anything... They put them anywhere they can find space in the bus even under your legs. The aisles are never free and they all have to jump over bags and boxes to get out or into the bus again. It's really a mess...Legs always invade somebody else's space but nobody complains. In many cases I had to stay up all night because they were chewing chat and it was impossible for them to close their eyes and relax. So the best option is to take Sky Bus or Salam Bus if it goes to your destination.There are more photos...
Sky bus is the best bus company in Ethiopia. It is considered to be the fastest and this is true. Locals complain that they cause a lot of accidents in the countryside roads where a lot of people walk for long distances. They are the most luxurious in Ethiopia and the most expensive, too. Although they would assure you there is a bathroom in the bus, which is true, it is locked up in the whole journey... so carry a roll of toilet paper and be prepared to get used in using the countryside for your needs...You will be lucky if there are bushes around where the bus stops....For the long trips you will pay about 15US dollars. Their offices are housed on the groundfloor of Taitu Hotel.Tel (251 111)568080/568585Salam Bus has softer seats and this is very useful on the bumpy roads of the country...They are 2-3 dollars cheaper than Sky Bus but they do their job very well. Their offices are near...
Sheraton Addis Addis Ababa
10 Reviews and 164 Opinions While I didn't stay here, I called in to view the grounds and hotel. Impressive place, with bars,...
Mountain View Hotel Lalibela
74 Opinions
Kuriftu Resort and Spa Bahir Dar
42 Opinions
Reviews and photos of Ethiopia attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Ethiopia sightseeing.
More Cities in Ethiopia
Q: Hello, I am going to Ethiopia February 8th till 27th. I am going for a friend's wedding at the start of the trip, then free to...
A: Hi, im unfortunately not going for a while yet but when I had thought I was going to travel around I found that Ethiopian airlines internal prices were pretty good - have...
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