Ethiopia Tours & Holidays

Health and Vaccinations 

There are no mandatory immunisations for travellers to Ethiopia though you should be up-to-date with Typhoid, Tetanus, Polio and Hepatitis A. There is a risk of yellow fever transmission and Malaria is present in some parts of Ethiopia, so we recommend you seek advice from your local GP or travel centre as to the correct immunisations and preventative treatments. 

Currency 

In Ethiopia the official unit of currency is the Birr.   

To check out the latest exchange rate for the places that you are visiting you can go to www.oanda.com. 

Cultural Sensitivity 

On our tours you will frequently interact with local people, each with their own distinct customs and traditions. We therefore ask you to be considerate and to treat them with respect. Your tour-leaders and guides will always be able to advise you accordingly.  

In the churches and cathedrals women should cover their heads with a scarf or hat, while men should take their hats off. 

Language & Religion 

Ethiopia has 83 different languages with up to 200 different dialects spoken. The largest ethnic and linguistic groups are the Oromos, Amharas and Tigrayans.  Amharic is the official national language of Ethiopia. English, Arabic, Italian and French are widely spoken by many Ethiopians. 

The main religions in Ethiopia are Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Paganism. Ethiopia is a predominantly Christian country, and the majority of Christians are Orthodox Tewahedo Christians.  There are a minority of Christians who are Roman Catholic or Protestant. 

Time 

The Julian calendar is used in Ethiopia and their current year is 7 years behind us. Christmas is celebrated on 7th January and New Year on 11th September. Some Ethiopians set their clocks from dawn to dusk and there is a six-hour difference between Ethiopian time and Western time i.e. 6 o’clock can mean 12 o’clock. 

Ethiopia is 3 hours ahead of GMT. 

A useful website to check the time zone differences is www.worldtimezone.com.  

Food and drink 

Ethiopian food is an exotically spicy mix of vegetables, slow-simmered meat and grain stews. 

Dining in Ethiopia is characterised by sharing food from a common plate, signifying the bonds of loyalty, family, and friendship.  The traditional Ethiopian meal is served on a large platter that is draped with the crepe-like injera bread, with the selection of foods decoratively arranged around the centre dish.  To eat, you simply tear off a piece of injera, use it to scoop up some of the various dishes and pop it into your mouth.  Extra injera is usually served on the side.  A word of warning for those left-handed people amongst us, injera should only be eaten with the right hand! 

The Ethiopian Highlands are predominantly Orthodox Christian with ‘fasting’ each Wednesday, Friday and during Lent when only vegetarian dishes are available. The main hotels do not worry about this and therefore it should not be something that affects you. 

As far as alcohol is concerned everything is available but the quality is sometimes questionable. For a decent shot of Scotch at sundown it’s probably best to buy it duty free. Beer is very good and wine – of a reasonable quality – is available but will need to be carried in the vehicle – just let the guide know. If you fancy a G&T, tonic is not always so easy to get so again let the guide know to get a small supply in, reasonable local gin is widely available, and a bottle can be bought in most towns. 

Vegetarians or those with special dietary needs can also be catered for though the type of food can be limited.