Travel guides —Ethiopia

Short, practical guides to help you plan a trip and pick the right place to stay. Use the globe in the top bar to switch region.

• Getting around Addis Ababa

  How to get from Bole airport into the city and move around Addis Ababa — ride-hailing apps, minibuses, the light rail, and what to budget.

• The best time to visit Ethiopia

  Ethiopia’s seasons, weather and the festivals worth planning around — from Timkat to Meskel — so you can pick the right month.

• Where to stay in Addis Ababa: a neighbourhood guide

  Bole, Kazanchis, Piassa or Old Airport? A quick guide to the main Addis Ababa neighbourhoods and who each suits.

• Visiting Lalibela and the rock-hewn churches

  What to know before visiting Lalibela’s rock-hewn churches — the highlights, when to go, and how long to stay.

• Gondar: a guide to the royal castles

  A guide to Gondar’s castles at Fasil Ghebbi, the painted church of Debre Berhan Selassie, and Timkat at Fasilides Bath.

• Bahir Dar, Lake Tana and the Blue Nile Falls

  What to do in Bahir Dar — boat trips to Lake Tana’s island monasteries and the Blue Nile Falls at Tis Abay.

• Visiting Aksum: obelisks and ancient history

  A guide to Aksum (Axum) — the granite stelae, the Church of St Mary of Zion, and the Queen of Sheba legend.

• Harar: Ethiopia’s walled city

  A guide to Harar — the old walled town of Harar Jugol, its mosques and markets, and the famous hyena feeding.

• Trekking the Simien Mountains

  A first look at trekking the Simien Mountains — the gelada baboons, dramatic escarpments, and how to plan a trip.

• Exploring the Danakil Depression

  A guide to the Danakil Depression — the Erta Ale lava lake, the neon springs of Dallol, and the salt flats, all from a base in Mekelle.

• A guide to the Omo Valley

  How to visit southern Ethiopia’s Omo Valley — its peoples and markets, where to base yourself, and how to travel respectfully.

• The Ethiopian coffee trail

  Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee — a guide to Yirgacheffe, Sidama and Harar, the coffee ceremony, and visiting the growing regions.

• Trekking the Bale Mountains

  A guide to Bale Mountains National Park — the Sanetti Plateau, the rare Ethiopian wolf, the Harenna Forest, and how to plan a trip.

• Ethiopia’s Rift Valley lakes

  A guide to the string of lakes south of Addis Ababa — Ziway, Langano, Abijatta-Shalla, Hawassa and the Arba Minch lakes.