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Travel and Tourism in Ethiopia
Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Ethiopia.
Practical Information
Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.
- Travel Alert Status
- Level 3: Reconsider Travel
- Time Difference
- UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Currency
- 23.25
- Climate
- The climate varies from temperate in the highlands to hot in the lowlands. Addis Ababa's altitude is above 8,000 feet. Addis Ababa has two primary seasons: a dry season from October to February, and for the rest of the year, a rainy season, divided into "small rains" and "big rains." The small rains, February through April, are generally intermittent showers. The big rains, June through September or longer, usually bring heavy daily precipitation. The big rains are rarely continuous, and sunny mornings or afternoons can be expected on many days. Average annual rainfall in Addis Ababa is 50 inches. Daytime temperatures are fairly constant throughout the year. The dry season has bright, sunny days with moderate to cool temperatures; nights are chilly. The average daily temperature in Addis Ababa is 62.9°F. Daytime temperatures are rarely above 80°F. Sharp drops in temperature occur in late afternoon, sometimes making outside entertainment uncomfortable after 5 p.m. Night temperatures drop to the low 40”™s from November to January and are warmer in the period from February to May.
- Language(s) Spoken
- Amharic, a Semitic language related to Hebrew and Arabic is the official national language and is used in commerce and administration. Tigrinya is the most widely spoken daily language and Orominga is also used. The liturgical language (Geéz) of the Ethiopian Orthodox church has produced a large and vibrant literature of considerable importance. English is taught in most schools, making it the most widely understood foreign language. The Amharic alphabet has thirty-three(33) root letters or constants with seven(7) phonetics (vowels) or 231 symbols or letters. Additionally there are 40 characters that are use as combinations or shortenings of the 231 characters.
- Ethnic Groups
- Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1%
- National Holiday
- Derg Downfall Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991)
- Geographic Coordinates
- 8 00 N, 38 00 E
- Location
- Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
- Airports
- 82
Destinations
Regions and cities, top sights, national parks, UNESCO sites, and festivals for visitors.
Aksum: The Holy City and Its Stelae
Axum (or Aksum) is the holiest city in Ethiopia, the ancient capital of one of the great empires of the ancient world, and the repository of what Ethiopians believe is the most sacred object in their religious tradition: the Ark of the Covenant. It is a small city by modern standards, but it wears its history with extraordinary density: every direction from the center reveals some trace of the ancient civilization that flourished here for nearly a thousand years.
The most immediately striking feature of ancient Aksum is the Stelae Park, a collection of giant granite obelisks that stand in the northern part of the city near the ancient royal necropolis. These stelae, which served as markers for the underground royal tombs below, are among the most impressive stone monuments in Africa. They range in size from smaller examples a few meters high to enormous monoliths that would have been among the tallest structures in the ancient world.
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Health and Safety
Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.
Health facilities in Ethiopia are very limited and are generally inadequate outside the capital. Even the best hospitals in Addis Ababa suffer from inadequate facilities, antiquated equipment, and shortages of supplies (particularly medicines). There is a shortage of physicians. Emergency assistance is limited. Psychiatric services and medications are practically nonexistent. Serious illnesses and injuries often require travelers to be medically evacuated from Ethiopia to a location where adequate medical attention is available.
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