Visa applications may be obtained at Ethiopia’s diplomatic missions overseas. However, national of 33 countries are now allowed to receive their tourist visas on arrival in Ethiopia at the regular charge. The list includes Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greek, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Citizens of United Kingdom and United States. For China including passports issued in Hong Kong (SAR China) and MACAO (SAR China), Visa is available on arrival.
Throughout most of the country there are two seasons: the dry season prevails from October through May; the wet season runs from June to September. Temperate in the highlands; hot in the lowlands.
Air : Ethiopian Airlines has an extensive domestic network flying to 43 airfields and an additional 21 landing strips. Roads : There are some 4,100 kilometres of asphalt roads with a further 19,000 kilometers of gravel and dry-weather roads.
Railway : There used to be one railway between Addis Ababa and Djibouty covering 778 Km but currently not in use.
The local currency is Birr, and 1 USD is approximately equivalent to 14 birr. Information of foreign currency by visitors is unlimited; but declaration must be made at the point of entry. Foreign currency may only be changed at authorized banks and hotels. The currency declaration form must be retained as this will be required by customs on departure.
Prior to entry, visitors should be in possession of a valid health certificate for yellow fever. Vaccination against cholera is also required for any person who has visited or transited a cholera-infected area within six days prior to arrival in Ethiopia. Malaria: lower lying areas of Addis Ababa (around 2000 meters) are now said to be potentially malarial, but essentially the city is malaria free, although non-malarial mosquitoes can be nuisance in some areas at night.
For traveling outside Addis Ababa it is advisable to consult travel agencies on malarial protection for specific areas. Also it is always good to take a simple first aid pack. In most of the larger towns there are now private clinics, but these and local pharmacies may be short of drugs and medical supplies. In Addis Ababa there is range of private hospitals and clinics.
