Africa - Travel To Ethiopia

 

Ethiopia is truly a land of contrasts and extremes; a land of remote and wild places. Because of the size of the country, and the great variety of its landscapes and climate, Ethiopia is a microcosm of all that Africa has to offer. Comparable to none, picturesque Ethiopia holds all combinations of peerless geological formations varying from 116 meters below sea level at the radiant sulfuric inferno Danakil depression in the Afar region to the alpine moorland peaks rise to 4620 meters at Ras Dejen in the ruggedly carved Simien mountains. The worlds most phenomenal Great Rift Valley cuts Ethiopia into two parts, forming a series of thrilling lakes, around which many of Ethiopia's national parks are centered. The widely varying habitats, which includes mountains, lakes, deserts, savannahs and everything in between, host an astonishing array of wildlife, many of which are endemic; unique to Ethiopia.

Best Time to Fly Ethiopia

Book cheap flights to Ethiopia just after the rainy season to see the land in all its lush greenness.

Peak Season: Most travelers book Ethiopia flights between October and May to capitalize on the dry season and to take advantage of the sunny skies.

Off-peak Season: June through September is when the country sees the most rain, but you’re likely to find deals on accommodations and cheap flights to Ethiopia during these months. Just pack your bags and pray for sunshine.

Visitors booking flights to Ethiopia arrive in a place situated in North Eastern Africa and that borders Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya. The country is home to nearly a hundred different tribes, each with its own language and religion, and a vast array of wildlife.

Travelers booking flights to Ethiopia will be awestruck by the country’s natural beauty and landscape. Lake Tana is Ethiopia's largest lake and the source of the Nile River. The Simien Mountains National Park is located in Northern Ethiopia and offers amazing hiking and wildlife adventures for outdoor enthusiasts. The medieval city of Gondar welcomes tourists on Ethiopia flights to a land of castles, palaces and churches. Travelers on a spiritual mission will find Ethiopia flights to the ancient city of Axum, where the original Ark of the Covenant containing the Ten Commandments is presumably located. The churches of Lalibela are among the top tourist destinations in the world and are the sight of many of Ethiopia’s religious festivals.

Ethiopia is indeed a country of contrasts. Despite its lush landscape Ethiopia is home to some of the poorest people in the world. Many travelers today book flights to Ethiopia for special survival missions, bringing much needed medicine and nutrients to the country’s homeless and hungry. Regardless of its poor conditions, the people of Ethiopia remain determined to live longer and healthy lives, and the country’s tourism helps support this reverie.

Ethiopia Airports

Flights to Ethiopia may arrive at either Addis Ababa (ADD) (Bole International), which is 5 miles southeast of the city, or Dire Dawa (DIR) (Aba Tenna D Yilma International Airport) which deals with smaller airlines serving domestic Ethiopia flights.

Ethiopia Climate

Ethiopia’s climate is predictable most of the year.. Half the year (June – September), it rains, and the other half (October – May), it doesn’t. The temperature simply depends on the altitude. If you’re booking flights to Ethiopia and plan to stay in the lowlands, you’ll experience hot and humid weather, while the highlands offer cooler, milder temperatures.

ADDIS ABABA

Addis Ababa (sometimes spelt Addis Abeba) is a diverse and riotous capital city of nearly three million souls, with roughly 80 different nationalities, and a multitude of religious and language groups making up its colorful population.

Nestled at the foot of Mount Entoto, the city was founded in the late 1800s by Ethiopian emperor Menelik II and was later occupied by the Italians during the second Italo-Abyssinian War. When Ethiopians regained control, Emperor Haile Selassie immediately set about rebuilding the capital and formed the Organization of African Unity, replaced by today's African Union, which has its headquarters in the city.

Addis Ababa is also home to the world-renowned early hominid Lucy - her fossilised skeleton, as well as a replica, are housed in the Ethiopian National Museum. The city also boasts the largest open market in Africa (in the Merkato district), several interesting mosques and cathedrals, as well as the world's largest prefabricated building, Shengo Hall, and Menelik's old Imperial Palace, which is the official seat of the Ethiopian government.

Addis Ababa is an interesting mix of poverty and wealth, urbanization and nature (the city is surrounded by forests and cultivated land). It is a dynamic capital, but has its fair share of unemployment, petty crime and destitution. Addis Ababa, however, is well worth exploring, as there are plenty of 'diamonds in the rough' to be uncovered. Like any other capital in the world, there is more than enough for anybody to do in Addis. There are numerous restaurants offering various exotic dishes.

Addis Ababa is as cosmopolitan as any of the world's great metropolises, and the architecture is as varied as the city itself. Tall office buildings, elegant villas, functional bungalows, flat, fashionable hotels, conference halls, and theaters - gleaming in their marble and anodized aluminum - vie for attention alongside traditional homes of wattle and daub, surrounded by cattle, sheep, goats, and chickens. There is no designated 'city centre' because, until very recently, there was no urban planning. Addis Ababa simply grew in a natural, organic way, and its present appearance reflects this unforced and unstructured evolution.

Best Time to Travel to Addis Ababa

The most pleasant time to travel to Addis Ababa is during the dry season, between October and May. Between June and September the city is awash with rain, which makes a holiday in Addis Ababa during this period a wet affair.

Flights to Addis Ababa(ADD) are available with bmi and Ethiopian Airlines, flying to Bole International Airport.