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A good way to save some time is to use Ethiopian Airlines when travelling between cities particularly on the northern circuit. There are daily services Addis - Bahar Dar - Gonder - Lalibela - Aksum. Tickets cost 80-130 USD. True that the planes are small and it can get a bit rough and unpleasant at times. Take pills particularly if you plan to fly with one or more stopovers.
There are alot of domestic Eithiopian airline flights if you have little time to move around. If you have pletny of time, I suggest you jump on a bus and or join a tour with good 4W jeeps or landcuisers desihgned for tourism. Ethipian touris services is becoming very sofisticated these days.
When taking off and landing make sure you have a window seat , and your camera in your lap. There are great views of Addis Ababa to be got, and more especially when flying to Bahar Dar. The town on the lake is great, but my bag with camera was at the front of the plane, while I was at the back, so I missed a wonderful photo opportunity.A good excuse to go back !
It might be useful to pay a small kid ETB2 at most to reserve a seat for you on the buses as boarding can be a nightmare! You'll need to wrestle each other off, even women AREN'T spared! There was this elderly lady who was shoved and it was shocking for me to see that male chivalry isn't at all common...As kids are smaller in size, it's easier for them to squeeze between the shoving crowd... and they really SHOVE and WRESTLE HARD!This is recommended for the more popular routes originating in Addis Ababa e.g. Addis Ababa > Bahar Dar.BUT they might be picked on by the older boys, who are larger in size. I've seen this young kid practically yanked off the seat which he was reserving for another traveler... and thrown off the bus. It happens...
private taxis here have a white top and blue bottom. they are cars, trucks or buses. the trucks and buses obviously carry a bunch of people, sometimes its to one spot only but many make stops along the way, if you take a car they can cater more easily to just YOU. there is also public transportation which is a big bus that is similar to the US Metro buses. the cost of riding this is equivalent to about 25 cents but they pack it as full as possible!!!
If you travel in the rainy season (I did, july-september) you will have a few incidents on the road, mud on the tracks, mountains that fall and cut the road, etc... In these cases, people go out of the bus and help the truck stucked to get out. All passengers help carrying stones, we put them under the stucked truck wheels and push to get it out. Nevertheless, it takes no longer than 30-40 minutes to solve the problem.
Travelling by bus in Ethiopia is a challenge and a real experience. Most tourists travel by plane, as it's not very expensive and definetly faster, but travelling by bus you get to know better the people and the landscapes, undoubtely.There are just 2-3 asphalted roads in Ethiopia, so travelling by bus (specially in rainy season) is slow and uncomfortable. Expect the bus stucked in the mud, wheels problems, smoke out of the engine and so.All long distance buses leave at 6am, when the sun is out. Most of them take 6-10 hours, if you do trajects such as Addis-Bahar Dar, Gonder-Axum and so.Buses are old and the seats are hard, but the worst is the heat: ethiopians are not very fond of opening windows, sometimes because wind bothers them, sometimes the windows are broken and it's just impossible.In mountainious trips is not unusual see people puking in the bus, as they get easily sick. There...
Travelling by bus in Ethiopia lets you enjoy the landscapes and know some local people. Long distance buses (6-12 hours) stop just once for lunch (except the 2-3 pissing stops). At those stops there is only very basic local restaurants. Expect nothing but injera there, or maybe some biscuits and water in the street stalls.In the pic you can see me sharing a lunch with my bus mate and his family.When the bus stopped they took me to the restaurant and shared their food with me. It was a giant inhera (fasting food) that I shared with his mother and brothers. I invited them at the end. Inviting in Ethiopia is a pleasure, as the whole meal was about 4 USD for all of us!!
Taking buses in Ethiopia is a memorable experience. Something to remember, not only for the neck and back pain, but also because there is always something unique on each ride: once you get stucked in the mud and have to push the bus out, the next a cow comes on the way and gets hit, the next a tyre is broken, or maybe the engine...Anyway, after all those hours and incidents you get to know your trip mates, in spite of the language barriers, and that makes the trip a real human experience.Warning: if you have back pains or claustrophobia, avoid the buses!
1. You can save a bit if you don't book the taxi from the airport taxi personnel. Instead, walk out of the terminal, and you'll see a row of blue taxis. The yellow or cream-colored ones are managed by agencies. These tend to be more expensive.2. Taxis are a lot cheaper if hired by the hour. Remember to negotiate before getting in. Ask around for the approximate price to know where you stand.
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Reviews and photos of Ethiopia attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Ethiopia sightseeing.
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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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