Hylton Hotel

Electric Supply; Ethiopia uses 220 volts 50 cycles AC.

People; the population is estimated over 65 million, over 50 per cent are under 20 years old. The average number of inhabitants per square kilometer is 49.

Hotels; Addis Ababa has hotels that cater for all pockets, from the luxurious Sheraton and Hilton hotels to the tourist class hotels. Outside Addis, mainly in the 'Historic Route', there are best available standard hotels. However, to visit the remote and the people of the wilderness, our camping equipments are of high standard.



Other important things to remember

·  The rain season in Ethiopia is July to September
·  Note of 2005: after the 1998-2000 war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, Ethiopia forbids all travel from its territory to Eritrea. So it is not possible to enter Eritrea from Ethiopia (no, not even by air). One has to fly to Djibouti (not the best place for a stop over) and then on to Asmara.
·  Most meals in Addis Ababa cost $3-4. A reasonable hotel with private bathroom is $10-15 (Baro Hotel near Piazza: 50 birr). The only expensive things are air fares.
·  People are generally very friendly, but a multitude of beggars pester foreign tourists. They are not violent, but very persistent. Crime is very low everywhere and never violent. Pickpockets abound in Addis.
·  The natives use a different measure of time, which is six hours off from western time. So 2pm is 8am for them. This can be confusing when taking buses (remember that buses always leave early in the morning).
·  Ethiopian Airlines is a fine airline, but you have to check every day if your flight still exists and what time it leaves. In most cases your flight is simply delayed, but sometimes it might leave earlier.
·  $1=8.75 birr
·  Visa for Ethiopia at the airport: 315 birr ($40).
·  Taxi from the airport to downtown Addis: 40-60 birr ($6). Minibuses occasionally enter the parking lot and take you downtown for 1 birr ($0.10).
·  Many embassies are on Bole Rd near the airport
·  Flight Addis-Axum-Lalibela-Addis $582
·  Airport to Axum 30 birr
·  +Hotel Kaleb in Axum (75 birr). ++Abissinia restaurant (excellent shuro)
·  Access to stele and museum in Axum 50 birr, St Mary 60 birr
·  Pentaleon monastery is a 30 minute walk from town (entrance 20 birr)
·  Lalibela: ticket for all 11 churches 100 birr ($11) but you also need a guide or you will not find the various tunnels.
·  Bus Addis-Dire Dawa leaves at 6am, takes 12 hours. The train to Djibouti (75 birr) does not run every day and may take as long as 17 hours (it breaks down very often and border procedures take about 2 hours). Hotel in Dire Dawa: National (44 birr). Restaurant: +Burger & Chicken. From Dire Dawa to Harar it's about 1.5 hours by minibus (15 birr).
·  The Lalibela airport is quite far from town. Taxis ask 40-50 birr per person.
·  For a country always on the verge of starvation, Ethiopia enjoys an amazing rate of night clubs and brothels. Every town has a "red light" district.

Page 1 Page 2

Check out our Places of interest section for more information.