Most visitors to landlocked Ethiopia arrive by air in the capital, Addis Ababa. First impressions are of the well-run modern airport (Bole International), broad avenues, rapid urbanisation and a generally pleasant ambience. Away from the main roads, however, this can change rapidly. Pavements/sidewalks are rare, road names and traffic signs are few, and much of the development is patchy and foreign-aid-related.
Addis Ababa is like many African capitals in that there was nothing here before piecemeal Western-style development in the 1880’s. Consequently there is no ‘old town’ to act as a focus for visitors, and points of interest are very spread out. Those in search of Ethiopia’s real antiquities quickly move north to towns like Gondar and Lalibela.
In spite of many international and home-grown initiatives, Ethiopia is still among the 15 poorest countries in the world (GDP per Capita lists from the World Bank, IMF and CIA). Most of the development that has taken place in the last ten years has been in Addis Ababa, but there are still signs of heart-breaking poverty even in the capital.
Tips for Addis Ababa
- Strolling around during the day can be interesting and is generally safe enough.
- With considerable distances between places of interest, it’s advisable to target preferences and combine walking with taxis.
- Some travellers use the local shared taxi minibuses, but these only go when they are full.
- Language and recognizing features can be a problem, but looking lost often attracts too many would-be helpers.
- Becoming familiar with the town’s layout from a street map before setting out is a help, but be aware of changes because of on-going construction work.
- The Mercato (one of Africa’s biggest indoor markets) is best tackled with a guide. It is a chaotic warren, dirty, noisy, difficult to negotiate and holds some distressing sights.
- Be careful of taking photos of people directly without permission, especially women, and expect to pay a small amount for anyone ‘dressed for the tourists’.
Watch Out for This Well-Known Addis Ababa Scam
A personable young man hails a single tourist (even a couple) leaving a hotel about half an hour before sunset, claiming he is the bellboy/waiter just coming off duty. He has been tipped off on his cell phone by hotel staff, and will offer his services as an escort for taking pictures of local dancing, a festival or trying local food.
What follows can get quite scary, especially after dark. It’s basically the old-fashioned ‘clip joint’ scam. The victim is landed with a huge bill for hundreds of dollars/euros in a ‘traditional restaurant’ in a badly-lit part of town that includes entertainment, music or similar. The Addis guilt-trip twist is that it is the innocent-looking guide who gets ‘threatened’ with a beating if the victim refuses to pay. One solution: without discussion, throw a couple of notes on the table that you think is a fair price ($10-$20 or whatever), then run out and hail a taxi back to the hotel, where they will, of course, deny all knowledge of him.
Tips for Other Ethiopian Tourist Towns
For Lalibela, Gondor and Bahir Dar, taking on an ‘official’ local guide may be preferable to wandering around with a guide book because he will keep the other hopefuls away, act as translator and have up-to date information about erratic opening hours, church service times and closures for restoration.
- Negotiate a price for any tour or taxi journey before starting.
- State target sites, how long the tour should be and what is included.
- Keep a lot of small change handy for tips. A little goes a long way.
- Many hotels are not set up for early morning alarm calls. Even with those that are can’t always be relied upon.
- Strong walking shoes are essential almost everywhere.
Ethiopia is a fascinating country and its people are generally friendly and relaxed about visitors, but its very charm and courtesy can lull the unwary into traps set by the unscrupulous few.
