Ethiopia Adventure Journey Tips

In November 2010 my husband and I travelled all over Ethiopia for three months by public bus with a personal guide. Vacation (specially bus vacation) is a true experience and not for the faint hearted as there is extended travel days (even longer if the bus breaks down) on badly managed roads. But it is an exceptional way to get up close and personalized and experience the existence and culture of the locals.

Addis Ababa
We arrived at the airport at 3.30am. We experienced not booked any accommodation because of to our early arrival so we stayed at the airport until about 7am. A taxi agreed to just take us into the metropolis for USD$10. We went to the Ras Resort exactly where we had to wait until 9am to see if they had a home.
Journey Tip: We stayed at the Ras Resort 3 moments owing to its central location. The price consists of breakfast which is dreadful but lunch and meal are excellent.

Bahir Dar
We stayed at the Ghion Resort on Lake Tana and did a boat cruise to the islands to see the painted church buildings. The Blue Nile Falls space is very but not really worth the very long bumpy journey to get there. Considering that damming the river, the waterfalls are certainly nothing like the posters present.
Journey Tip: Look at if a manual is included with your Lake Tana boat cruise. There was 9 of us on our boat. No guide accompanied us on the boat besides for our personal guideline Samson. The 1st island we visited Samson acted as intrepreter if not we would have not recognized what we ended up wanting at. The second island we visited the church manual spoke English.

Gonder
The deserted castles are very exciting and it is value choosing the guides inside the gate.
Vacation Idea: We stayed at the Belgez Pension which was low-cost, thoroughly clean and quiet but the rooms were incredibly compact and cramped. They do your washing for a quite modest fee – give to the cleaners in the morning.

Simien Mountains
We did a a single day 4WD working day journey with one more traveller and our tutorial Samson.
Journey Idea: We would have preferred to have stayed overnight even nevertheless we are not trekkers, as the surroundings is gorgeous.

Lalibela
We put in 2 nights in Lalibela exploring the awesome rock church buildings.
Vacation Idea: Continue to keep your entrance ticket useful as they will be checked at each individual church entrance.

Arba Minch
Arba Minch is a overnight bus cease involving Addis Ababa and Jinka.
Journey Tip: Commit an excess night on 1 of the stopovers and do the lake tour.

Jinka
We employed a 4WD locally to tour the key 3 tribes in the region (Mersi, Hamer and Karo tribes). We shared this price tag with 3 other travellers who have been on the bus and stayed at the very same lodging as us.
Journey Tip: Buy your bus ticket to Addis Ababa early (at least 1 working day in progress) so you can attain a far better seat selection otherwise you will find you stuck at the back again of the bus on the 2 working day journey. Invest in good ear plugs so that you can block out the sounds of the loud audio video clips playing.

Transport
We employed a assortment of transportation that provided: general public bus, minivan, 4WD and boat.
Vacation Suggestion: If you uncover that really a couple of you are heading in the very same direction, it will be far more inexpensive and at ease to hire a minivan and driver like we did from Bahar Dar to Gondar (7 people).

Tour Guide
We made use of the companies of a private tutorial. This was the first time we have employed a guidebook for the entire vacation by way of a new country. The tutorial proved a must have in keeping the touts away (value the cash by yourself), working with local tour operators and obtaining lodges.
Journey Suggestion: Use a private guide’s extensive understanding and knowledge to appreciate Ethiopia as a result of the eyes of a neighborhood.