Uncategorised
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08 May 2024
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Ethiopia
Ethiopia is the second-most populous nation on the African continent with over 102 million inhabitants. Its capital city, Addis Ababa has many attractions, which includes the Ethnological Museum, St George Cathedral & Museum, the National Museum, home to the most important collections in sub-Saharan Africa. The best time to travel to Ethiopia is October to February as it marks the beginning of the dry season - one of two only climate seasons in Ethiopia, the other being wet season.
Ethiopia is a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic country, full of vibrant and colourful festivals. The biggest, Timket, is a three-day annual festival that honours the baptism of Jesus Christ in the river Jordan. There are a number of festival across the country, such as:
- Enkutatash - Ethiopian New Year (September 11th)
- Fasika - Easter
- Kullubi, Feast of Saint Aregawi
- Maskal - Finding the True Cross
- Buhe - Feast of Transfiguration
Ethiopia is the only African country never to have been brought under colonial control and its official language is Amharic, but you will often hear the locals speaking Oromifa and Tigrinya. Its people are predominantly Christian.
Ethiopia is a vast country and its road infrastructure, though greatly improved in recent years, is still elementary by most standards. Because of this, the most efficient way to move about is through aeroplanes. For intercity or intra-city travel, the main form of public transport is buses. Ethiopia is ranked among the top 10 safest countries in Africa. Most of Ethiopia is relatively trouble-free. But for visitors coming to Ethiopia, it is advised that they avoid the Ogaden region and parts of the south. These are a couple of areas where trouble does flare with worrying frequency.
Axum happens to be one of the oldest cities in Africa and home to the Akusumite Empire. There are ruins around the entire city and if you choose to explore the city, you will find some of the best relics and artifacts in the center of the city. Other places you can visit are:
- Bahir Dar and Lake Tana
- Bale Mountains National Park
- Harar - Islam’s fourth holiest city in Ethiopia
- Rift Valley Lakes
- Simen Mountains.
Ethiopia has a different calendar to the Western Calendar. The Ethiopians believe that one more is always better and have been counting 13 months to their year ever since. This means that 2018 is still 2010 there.
There are a lot of comfortable and luxurious accommodation in Ethiopia.
