Ethiopia ✓ VISITEDEthiopiaROAMSUN

Ethiopia✨ 10 best things to do in Ethiopia

Things to do in Ethiopia

1. Explore Lalibela's churchesWalk through tunnels and trenches between monolithic churches carved down into solid rock, still used for worship.
2. Trek the Simien MountainsHike along dramatic escarpments where gelada monkeys graze and walia ibex cling to cliffs.
3. Join a coffee ceremonyWatch green beans roasted over charcoal, ground by hand and brewed three times in a clay jebena.
4. See Gondar's castlesWander the royal enclosure of stone castles and the painted ceiling of Debre Birhan Selassie church.
5. Marvel at Aksum's stelaeStand among towering carved obelisks that once marked the tombs of ancient kings.
6. Visit Lake Tana's monasteriesTake a boat to island monasteries decorated with vivid religious murals.
7. Feed hyenas in HararWatch the famous evening ritual outside the walls of this ancient, maze-like Muslim city.
8. Eat injera and tibsShare a huge platter of spongy injera topped with spicy stews, eating with your right hand.
9. Experience TimkatJoin crowds in white shawls as priests carry sacred tabots in colourful Epiphany processions.
10. Meet Lucy in AddisSee the famous fossil cast at the National Museum in the capital.

Ethiopia🗺️ Where to visit in Ethiopia

Where to go in Ethiopia

• 
  Addis AbabaCapital · cultureA fast-growing highland capital with museums, buzzing markets, jazz bars and the country's best restaurants.
• 
  LalibelaNorth · rock-hewn churchesEleven medieval churches carved from rock, often called one of the wonders of the Christian world.
• 📍
  Simien Mountains National ParkNorth · trekkingJagged peaks, deep gorges and unique wildlife on one of Africa's great trekking routes.
• 
  GondarNorth · royal cityThe 17th-century imperial capital with castles, palaces and beautiful churches.
• 📍
  AksumFar north · ancient kingdomGiant stelae, royal tombs and churches linked to legends of the Ark of the Covenant.
• 📍
  Bahir Dar & Lake TanaNorthwest · lakeA relaxed lakeside city with island monasteries and the Blue Nile Falls nearby.
• 📍
  HararEast · walled cityA walled Muslim city with colourful alleyways, markets and hundreds of small mosques and shrines.
• 📍
  Bale Mountains National ParkSoutheast · wildlifeHigh plateaus and forests that are a stronghold of the rare Ethiopian wolf.

Ethiopia🌦️ Weather & best time to visit Ethiopia

Best time to visit Ethiopia

Thanks to its high altitude, much of Ethiopia has a mild, spring-like climate, with warm days and cool nights in the highlands. The lowlands, such as the Danakil Depression and Omo Valley, are far hotter.

Typical daytime highs and rain in Addis Ababa (approximate averages).

Ethiopia🎉 Festivals & events in Ethiopia

• January (19th, or 20th in leap years)
  Timkat (Epiphany)Ethiopia's most colourful festival, with processions, chanting and blessings of water, especially spectacular in Gondar and Lalibela.
• January (7th)
  Genna (Christmas)Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas is marked by all-night church services, with pilgrims flocking to Lalibela.
• September (11th)
  Enkutatash (New Year)The Ethiopian New Year celebrates the end of the rains with flowers, songs and family feasts.
• September (27th)
  MeskelHuge bonfires are lit to commemorate the finding of the True Cross, with a major celebration in Addis Ababa.
• September/October
  IrreechaThe Oromo thanksgiving festival brings crowds to lakes and rivers to give thanks for the end of the rains.

Ethiopia🧭 Ethiopia itinerary ideas

How many days in Ethiopia?

Ethiopia🎒 Backpacking Ethiopia – tips & hacks

Backpacker budget: about $25–40 a day

• Ethiopia is very affordable – simple local hotels and guesthouses are cheap, and shared rooms are common in Addis Ababa.
• Long-distance buses run between major towns; buy tickets the day before and expect early-morning departures.
• Domestic flights can be much cheaper when booked with an international flight on the national airline – check before you book.
• Fasting food (vegetarian dishes like shiro and beyaynetu) is tasty, cheap and widely available, especially on Wednesdays and Fridays.
• Remember the local clock counts hours from dawn – confirm whether a bus time is in Ethiopian or international time.

Ethiopia🛡️ Safety & money in Ethiopia

Emergency: 991 police · 907 ambulance · 939 fire

Ethiopia🛬 Getting to Ethiopia

Addis Ababa's Bole International Airport is a major African hub with flights from around the world. Overland routes include the railway from Djibouti and the road crossing from Kenya at Moyale.

✈️ Cheap flights to Ethiopia: airports, flight times & best time to fly →

Ethiopia💡 Did you know? 5 facts about Ethiopia

• Ethiopia uses its own calendar of 13 months and is roughly seven to eight years behind the Gregorian calendar.
• Coffee is widely believed to have originated in Ethiopia's southwestern highlands.
• Ethiopian time counts the hours from sunrise, so 7 am is 'one o'clock' locally.
• Ethiopia was never colonised, apart from a five-year Italian occupation in the 1930s and 1940s.
• Addis Ababa hosts the headquarters of the African Union.

Ethiopia❓ Ethiopia travel FAQ

Ethiopia travel questions