Tips for Travellers - Geting to Ethiopia

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To Get Ethiopia

· By Air

Flights to Ethiopia are served by the national airline, Ethiopian Airlines (www.flyethiopian.com), which has regular flights to Addis Ababa from all of the major European capitals including Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Milan, Paris, Rome, and Stockholm. There are also routes from Toronto and Washington in North America.

Apart from Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com), which has direct departures from Frankfurt Airport, flying with any other European or North American airline requires a stopover. Regional airlines which have direct flights to Addis Ababa include Egypt Air (www.egyptair.com) from Cairo, Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dubai, Kenya Airways (www.kenya-airways.com) from Nairobi, and Turkish Airlines (www.turkishairlines.com) from Istanbul.

  • Flight prices
    Flight prices are highest during the Easter, Christmas and New Year holiday periods as well as during the month of August.
  • Air notes:
    Addis Ababa Bole International Airport is Ethiopia’s only international hub. It is located 6km from the capital Addis Ababa.
  • Flight times:
    The flight time from London to Addis Ababa is 8 hours. From Washington DC a direct flight takes 15 hours.
  • Departure tax
    There is an airport departure tax of US$20 (payable only in US dollars) at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.
  • Airport guides
    • Addis Ababa Bole International Airport
    • Airport Code: ADD. Location: Addis Ababa Bole International Airport is located in Bole, 8km southeast of Addis Ababa…
    • Money: A bank and bureau change desk is available at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.

· Travel by Rail

A rail line between Djibouti City (in Djibouti) and Dire Dawa (in Ethiopia) is available

· Driving to Ethiopia

Ethiopia borders Sudan and South Sudan to its west, Kenya to its south, Somalia, the self-proclaimed separatist territory of Somaliland, and Djibouti to its east and Eritrea to its north.

You cannot enter Ethiopia by road from Eritrea, Somalia or South Sudan at the current time.

Driving from Kenya, the main border crossing is Moyale on the main A2 highway, 800km (500 miles) from Nairobi.

If crossing by land from Sudan, you can only use the Gallabat/Metema border crossing, 548km (340 miles) from Khartoum.

Djibouti has two border crossings with Ethiopia. The Galafi border is 187km (116 miles) from Djibouti City on the N1 and N8 highways. The Gelille border on the N5 road runs via Ali Sabieh, 105 km (65 miles) from Djibouti City. The route via Galafi is sealed the entire way on both sides of the border so is the easiest route if you are self-driving.

The Somaliland border crossing is at Wajaale/Togo-Wuchale, 93km (58 miles) from the capital Hargeisa.

  • By road note:
    A border crossing between South Sudan and Ethiopia at the town of Jikiwo may open in the near future.
    Visas for Ethiopia are not available at any of the land borders mentioned above so must be procured in advance from an Ethiopian Embassy or Consulate.
    Travellers should note that the road between Nairobi and the Moyale border is unsealed for most of the way and should not be undertaken without a 4WD. Although banditry along this route is no longer a regular problem, incidents of robbery do still occur. Sporadic incidents of inter-tribal fighting also occasionally break out in the area around Moyale (on both sides of the border). Before travelling along this route it is recommended to pay attention to current government travel advisories.

 

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