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Travel
Information
(What Visitors to Ethiopia Need to Know)
Visa Requirement
Visas are required for all visitors to Ethiopia with the exception of the
nationals of Djibouti and Kenya. Our agency, the CARAVAN Travel & Tour
Agency can process the entry visa for you from Ethiopia if you prefer it that
way.
In
addition nationals from the following countries can obtain an entry visa upon
arrival as it is believed that they are tourist generating countries.
| Argentina |
Germany |
Norway |
| Australia |
Ireland |
Poland |
| Austria |
Israel |
Portugal |
| Belgium |
Italy |
Russian Federation |
| Brazil |
Japan |
South Africa |
| Canada |
Korean Republic |
Spain |
| China |
Kuwait |
Sweden
|
| Denmark |
Luxembourg |
Switzerland |
| Finland |
Mexico |
United Kingdom |
| France |
Netherlands |
United
States of America |
| Greece |
New Zealand |
Customs
Duty free import are permitted for up to:
200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 1/2 lb of tobacco
1 liter of alcoholic
beverages
1/2 liter, or two bottles, of perfumes
Visitors
may export souvenirs with a value not exceeding Birr 500.00, although some
articles (such as animals skins and antiques) required an export permit.
Transport
Roads: There are some 4,100 kilometers of asphalt road with a further 19,000
kilometers of gravel and dry-weather road.
Railway:
A 778 kilometers long railway line links Addis Ababa with Djibouti, and carries
both freight and passengers.
Air:
Ethiopian Airlines has an extensive domestic network flying to 43 airfields and
an additional 21 landing strips.
Time
Ethiopia is in the GMT +3 hour's time zone. Ethiopia follows the Julian
Calendar, which consists of twelve months of 30 days each and a 13th
month of 5 or 6 days in the leap year.
Currency
The local currency is the Ethiopian Birr made up of 100 cents. Visitors may import an
unlimited amount of foreign currency, providing declaration of such currency is
made to customs on arrival. Foreign currency may be changed only at authorized
bank and hotels. The currency declaration form must be retained as this will be
required by customs on departure, visitors however, will be able to change back
any excess Ethiopian Birr to foreign currency at the airport before departure.
Climate
There are two seasons: the dry season prevails from October through May; the
west season runs from June to September.
Topography
Ethiopia has an elevated central plateau varying in height between 2,000 and
3,000 meters. In the north and center of the country, there are some 2 mountains
whose peaks rise over 4000 meters.
Economy
About 90 percent of the population earns their living from the land, mainly as
subsistence farmers. Agriculture is the backbone of the national economy and the
principal exports from the sector are coffee, oil seeds, pulses, flowers,
vegetables, sugar and foodstuffs for animals.
Language
Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic state with a great variety of languages spoken in the
country, of which there are 83 with 200 dialects. The main three languages are
Amharic, Tigrigna and Oromigna. English is also widely spoken.
Electric
Supply
Ethiopia uses 220 volts 50 cycles AC.
People
The population is estimated at 57 million, over 50 percent of who are under 20
years old. The average number of inhabitants per square kilometer is 49.
Excursions
Excursions within Ethiopia, whether for a day or for a month, may be organized
by our Agency the Caravan Travel and Tour Agency
Hotels
Addis Ababa has hotels for all pockets, from the luxurious Sheraton and
Hilton hotels to the tourist class hotels.
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