Air Hef
Travel during the months of July and August, and over Easter, Christmas and New Year should be booked well in advance. Eritreans living abroad tend to visit their families during this time and most flights are more expensive. The information in this section is particularly vulnerable to change. Check directly with the airline or a travel agent to make sure you understand how a fare and ticket you may buy works and be aware of the security requirements for international travel. Shop carefully....
Genuflect At Kulubi Gabriel
Every year in December, tens of thousands of pilgrims converge on the little town of Kulubi and its cathedral, Saint Gabriel, perched on a hill above town. Pilgrims come to express thanks after the fulfilment of a wish, or in the hope of a miraculous cure. If you're in the area during the festival, it's well worth a stop. Frequent minibuses and Peugeot contract taxis connect Kulubi with Dire Dawa Birrl0, T 2 to two hours . but the food shines out at this sprightly outfit. Besides tummy-filling...
Getting There Away Dnx
Unless you've got your own boat, you'll need to hire one. The journey from Massawa to most of the islands takes between 1 x i and two hours by motorboat. Boats can be hired for picnic excursions, fishing, snorkelling or diving trips to the islands. It's worth shopping around, as prices vary from company to company and also depend on the season low season is from October to February . If you come in the low season, you should be able to get a discount. Boat operators advise reservations of one...
Sleeping Yog
It's best to avoid the hotels on Massawa Island bar the one we've included. They are noisy and decrepit and none of them can be seriously recommended. Though less central, Taulud is much quieter and offers better standards in more polished surroundings, but prices are fairly high for Eritrea. A brief reminder though most hotels are close to the shore, there's no beach where you can cool off. Red Sea Hotel 552839 fax 552544 s d Nfa420 480 Ji This Italian-designed hotel is regarded as one of the...
Arthur Rimbaud A Multifaceted Genius
In 1875 an unhappy young man made a decision. Discouraged both by the reception of his poetry in Paris and by increasing financial worries, Arthur Rimbaud, the great French poet, came to a bitter conclusion to turn his back on poetry forever. He was just 21 years old. In 1876 Rimbaud set out to see the world. In the winter of 1879, in the service of a coffee trader in Aden Yemen , Rimbaud achieved a different kind of fame. He became the first white man to travel into the Ogaden region of...
Massage Steam Bath Sauna
The new Boston Day Spa Map pp80-1 I 0116 636557 Bole Rd 8am-7pm has already gained a great reputation. A 30- 60-minute massage costs Birr75 100. A session in the sauna, steam bath and Jacuzzi is BirrlOO and includes a free hand and foot massage. A sublime half- full-body massage at the Sheraton Hotel Map pp80-1 S10115 171717 Itegue Taitu St 5am-11pm will set you back Birrl20 200. Use of the sauna and Jacuzzi is a steep Birrl85. Sliding into the sauna, steam bath and Jacuzzi at the Hilton Hotel...
Around Addis Ababa
The cacophonous sounds of traffic can chase the most ardent Addis Ababa adorer into the hills occasionally. Lucky for them, the hills contain some historic churches one hewn from rock in the 12th century and some remote wilderness. For those too tired to tackle the hills, there's always an escape southward to the verdant Bihere Tsige Recreation Centre. As well as the places listed here, sights further afield outside Addis Ababa that can still make good day trips include the crater lakes of...
Next Stop Hargeisa Somaliland
We did it, and we won't forget it. If you want to impress your peers, go to the bus station in Jijiga and hop on a bus to Wajaale, at the border with Somaliland. Every morning a handful of rattling buses and minibuses trundle along the gravel road from Jijiga to the border. It takes about V i to two hours depending on the number of punctures two, the day we were here and costs Birrl 5. Be prepared to be the focus of attention foreigners still very rarely cover this route using public transport....
Sleeping Wpa
Most commendable places are outside the walled town. Tewodros Hotel 0256 660217 new town d BirrSO-70 Room with a hyena view No joke - you won't believe your eyes At night, from the windows of rooms 15, 16, 117 and 18 if not renumbered by the time you pop in , you can watch hyenas rummaging in a garbage dump behind the hotel. It's your very own hyena show and a memorable experience. Oh, and the rooms are well kept and serviceable some have hot showers. Ship out if offered the grotty rooms...
Afewerk Tekles Home Studio
A member of several international academies and with a drawer full of international decorations - about 100 at last count, including the British Order of Merit -Afewerk Tekle is considered among Africa's greatest artists. A 90-minute tour of Villa Alpha Map p76 0 0113 715941 www.afewerktekle.org admission per person US 25 closed 1 Jul-15 Sep , Afewerk's home and studio, is offered by the artist himself by appointment only . Besides gazing at his most famous paintings, The Meskel Flower, Mother...
Madonna Of The Baobab
Close to Keren's market area there stands an ancient and gnarled baobab tree. Long venerated by the locals, it is believed to mark the spot from which fertility springs. In the late 19th century, the Sisters of Charity built a small chapel in the tree, in the place where the city's orphans played, and it became known as St Maryam Dearit -the Madonna of the Baobab. In 1941 some Italian soldiers took refuge in the tree from British planes. Though the tree was hit, it, the Italians and the shrine...
Alcoholic Drinks
In the capital and towns, all the usual favourites are available, including whisky, gin, vodka and beer. As many are imported, they tend to be expensive. Local varieties include Asmara gin also known as ouzo , which is a bit rough around the edges as you will be the morning after drinking it , but it is soon knocked back. A shot of gin about NfalO is only slightly more expensive than Coke or mineral water Nfa6 to Nfa8 . The local beer, called Asmara Beer, is popular among both Eritreans and...
Harar O
Canal Internet Cafe see 27 Commercial Bank 1 B3 Internet Cafe Ras Hotel see 23 Speedy Laundry 2 A4 Tourist Office 3 B3 Emir Nur's Gidir Magala Main Market 6 D3 Handicraft Hyena Feeding Site 9 D3 Hyena Feeding Site 10 C2 Jamia Medhane Al em Cathedral 12 C3 Oromo Ras Makonnen Statue 14 B3 Ras Makonnen's Palace see 7 Ras Tafari's House 15 C3 Recycling Market 16 B3 Rimbaud's House amp Museum 17 D3 St Mary Catholic Church 18 D3 Sheikh Abadir's Tomb 19 D4 B3 Tomb of Said Ali Hamdogn 21 C3 Belayneh...
FILWOHA HOT SPRINGS ffly
Fancy a dip Head to the Filwoha Hot Springs, in the far north of the park, around 40km from the park headquarters. You can swim in the turquoise-blue pools. They're not as refreshing as they look temperatures touch 36 C In the cooler areas of the springs, as well as in the Awash River, crocodiles are found but they are not present in the hotter areas . Hippos also haunt the Awash River, though they are shy. Around the springs, look out for the doum palms, much appreciated by the local Afar...
Getting There Away Eyg
Teseney is situated 119km west of Barentu. The road is entirely tarred from Asmara. Teseney's bus station lies about 500m east of Shuk al Shab. Six buses run daily to Barentu Nfa29, three hours . Two buses go every morning to Asmara Nfa85, one day . Teseney is a jumping-off point to Sudan and the border was open at the time of writing. A handful of minibuses and shared taxis leave every morning to Adi Bara, at the border Nfa30, one hour , from where you can find transportation to Kassala, the...
Mt Zuqualla
Debre Zeyit also makes a good base from which to explore the extinct volcanic cone of Mt Zuqualla. Though only rising to just over 600m, the mountain dominates the landscape for miles around. On a clear day, the views from the top are stunning. You can see the Rift Valley to the east and the lakes to the south Addis Ababa and the Entoto Mountains are just discernible to the northwest. The crater, measuring 2km across and over 60m deep, contains a lake that has long been held holy by the monks...
Debre Zeyit
Commercial Construction amp Business Bank 2 C1 Technology Service 4 C1 3 Commercial Construction amp Business Bank 2 C1 Technology Service 4 C1 3 Babugaya Ethiopian Air Force Officers' Club.7 B3 Hotel Kiroftu Resort amp Spa 9 A1 Seven E Dreamland Family Resort 11 C2 Eshet Pastry amp Fast Food 12 C2 Family Restaurant amp Bar 13 B2 Genet Restaurant 14 C2 Man Restaurant 15 B2 can get a bit noisy, but it's easy enough to escape the crowds just follow the footpath around the lake as it winds through...