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Suzie's Blogs ...Traveling & Living Abroad Hints & Tips |
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Suzie's Blogs ... Traveling & Living Abroad Hints & Tips |
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Welcome back! Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a final, comprehensive peace agreement on December 12, 2000, ending their two-year border conflict. Travel near or across the Ethiopia/Eritrea border should be avoided. Ethiopia is a developing East African country. Tourism facilities, although available in larger cities, are limited. A visa is required, as well as evidence of yellow fever immunization. Travelers must enter Ethiopia by air, either at Addis Ababa or Dire Dawa. Individuals entering overland risk being detained by immigration authorities and/or fined. Airport visas may be obtained if 48 hours advance notice has been provided by the traveler’s sponsoring organization to proper authorities within Ethiopia. Visitors must declare hard currency upon arrival and may be required to present this declaration when applying for an exit visa. Upon departure, travelers should remember that antiquities and religious artifacts require export permission. There is a black market for hard currency, although the official and unofficial exchange rates continue to converge. Black market exchanges remain illegal and visitors are encouraged to exchange funds at banks or hotels. Domestic and international air services generally operate on schedule. Internal travel is usually safe along major arteries. However, in rural areas and at night, bandit attacks are common, especially along the border with Somalia. Additionally, not all land mines have been disabled and cleared, especially in rural and isolated areas. Pickpocketing is rampant, and there have been numerous reports of thieves snatching jewelry. Although physicians are well trained, medical facilities are minimal. Hospitals in Addis Ababa suffer from inadequate facilities, antiquated equipment and shortages of supplies, particularly medicine. Certain buildings and public places may not be photographed. U.S. Embassy Web Site : http://www.telecom.net.et/~usemb-et/ Embassy of Ethiopia Web Site : http://www.ethiopianembassy.org Happy traveling and stay prepared. See you here tomorrow. Suzie's Travel and Informational Weblogs Posted: Sunday 6th March 2005, 12:09 AM |