Destination · The capital · አዲስ አበባ
Open to us. FCDO reports increased crime in some districts (Bole Medhanealem, Bole Atlas, Meskel Square, Yeka Hills, Entoto) and possible drone attacks on military sites nationwide; we use vehicles after dark and avoid crowds. Checked 26 October 2026 against UK and US government advice.
01 · The place
A highland capital at 2,355 metres, founded in the 1880s and still being rebuilt: the start and end of every trip we plan.
Addis Ababa means "new flower". Menelik II and Empress Taytu settled here in the 1880s, below the Entoto hills, and the city has never stopped growing since. It is the seat of the African Union, a city of churches and cranes, of minibus calls and coffee on every corner.
Most visitors pass straight through. We give it two or three nights, at the start for the altitude and at the end for the music, and we time it to the calendar when we can: the Meskel bonfire in September, Genna in January, Timkat a fortnight later.
02 · Addis Ababa
The National Museum holds the remains of Lucy (Dinkinesh, "you are marvellous" in Amharic), found in Afar in 1974. Then the Ethnological Museum, in Haile Selassie's former palace on the university campus, the best single introduction to the country's peoples and crafts.
Merkato is one of the largest open-air markets in Africa: spice lanes, recyclers hammering oil drums into stoves, basket sellers. We go on foot with a guide who knows it, and leave valuables at the hotel.
The sound Mulatu Astatke made famous in the 1970s is alive in small clubs and hotel bars, alongside azmari houses where singers improvise verses about the audience. Venues change; we book what is good that month and drive you there and back.
Injera, made from teff, is the plate and the cutlery. On Wednesdays, Fridays and during the long fasts, Orthodox Ethiopians eat no animal products, so the vegetable cooking is superb. Tej, a honey wine, comes in round-bottomed berele flasks.
03 · When to go
Read across the thirteen months. For exact dates and festivals during your trip, use the calendar converter.
04 · Getting there
Addis Ababa Bole International is Ethiopian Airlines' hub, with direct flights from Europe, the Gulf, Asia and North America. Every domestic flight we use leaves from here too.
Inside the city we use our own vehicles with a driver. The FCDO reports more street crime in some districts (Bole Medhanealem, Bole Atlas, Meskel Square, Yeka Hills and Entoto) and recommends road transport after dark; we follow that.
Shaded by the UK FCDO zone list. Red: advised against all travel. Ochre: essential travel only.
05 · Sample journeys
The walled city of Harar after dark, then wolves on the Sanetti Plateau at first light. Two places that could not be more different, joined by short flights.
Two flights, short drives
Wild coffee in the Kaffa forest, then the washing stations of Sidama and Gedeo at harvest. A trip for people who care what is in the cup.
Two flights, one long drive
Dorze weavers, the stone-walled towns of Konso and the markets of the Lower Omo, visited with local guides and on community terms.
Two flights, daily drives
Addis Ababa timed to one of the great feasts, with the museums, Merkato and an Ethio-jazz night around it. Read our note on crowds first.
No flights inside Ethiopia
Before you write
Two nights at the start, to adjust to the altitude, and one at the end before your flight home. Add a night if your dates fall on Meskel, Genna or Timkat.
The FCDO lists both feasts as occasions with large crowds and a terrorism risk. We never put you in the middle of Meskel Square; we arrange a vantage point at the edge or from a terrace, keep a vehicle close, and change plans if the advice changes. Check the dates.
Most people feel a little breathless for a day. Drink water, go easy on alcohol the first night, and talk to your doctor if you have heart or lung conditions.
Next destination
Harar