What to expectWhat is the Adwa Victory Memorial in Addis Ababa and how do you visit it?
The Adwa Victory Memorial is a large museum and memorial complex in Piassa, central Addis Ababa, honouring Ethiopia's defeat of an Italian army at the Battle of Adwa on 1 March 1896. It was inaugurated on 11 February 2024 and opened to the public in March 2024. Inside are battle artefacts, statues of Emperor Menelik II, Empress Taytu and twelve generals, and Tsehay, Ethiopia's first home-built aircraft, returned from Italy in 2024. Foreign visitors pay a higher ticket price than residents; allow one to two hours.
Updated Sept 2026 · 6 min
EthiopiaWhat to do in Hawassa: lake, fish market and more
Hawassa, the capital of Sidama region roughly 270 km south of Addis Ababa, is a relaxed Rift Valley city on Lake Hawassa. The highlights are the lakeside fish market, boat trips to see hippos, colobus monkeys in Amora Gedel park, the view from Tabor hill and the Wondo Genet hot springs nearby. Safety (as of 28 September 2026): the UK exempts the main road from the expressway to Hawassa from its warnings, but the US lists the Oromia zones that road crosses as Do Not Travel, We drive this road regularly and can tell you how it is on the day.
Updated Sept 2026 · 6 min
What to expectWhere can you hear traditional Ethiopian music in Addis Ababa?
The best-known place is Fendika, the azmari house and cultural centre whose Kazanchis building was demolished in October 2024; since December 2024 it has run performances as Fendika@Hyatt at the Hyatt Regency on Meskel Square. For a dinner-and-dance evening, cultural restaurants in Bole such as Yod Abyssinia and 2000 Habesha stage live traditional music and regional dances. Many small azmari bars have closed in the city's redevelopment, so check what is on before you go, and travel door to door by car at night.
Updated Sept 2026 · 6 min
EthiopiaCan you take photos in Ethiopia? Rules, etiquette and drones
Yes, you can take photos in most of Ethiopia, but it is illegal to photograph military sites and personnel, police, government buildings, key infrastructure such as bridges, dams and airfields, and the area around the Presidential Palace in Addis Ababa. US advice says offenders can be fined, have equipment confiscated and be detained. Ask before photographing people or inside churches and mosques. Drones need prior approval to bring in and permission to fly, and can be confiscated on arrival.
Updated Sept 2026 · 7 min
EthiopiaWhy is Ethiopia 7 years behind? The Ethiopian calendar explained
Ethiopia uses its own calendar, which is seven to eight years behind the Gregorian one because its church dates the Incarnation of Jesus differently. The Ethiopian New Year, Enkutatash, fell on 11 September 2026 and began the year 2019, which runs until 11 September 2027. The year has 13 months: twelve of 30 days plus Pagume, a short month of five days, or six in a leap year such as 2019.
Updated Sept 2026 · 6 min
What to expectEthiopian Christmas (Genna): when is it and how is it celebrated?
Ethiopian Christmas, called Genna, is celebrated on 7 January (29 Tahsas in the Ethiopian calendar), the same day as other Orthodox churches that follow the Julian reckoning. The next Genna is Thursday 7 January 2027. For many Orthodox Christians it ends a roughly six-week fast, starts with an all-night church service on Christmas Eve and continues with a family feast of doro wat and injera. Lalibela, the famous Genna pilgrimage, is in Amhara, under UK all-travel and US Do Not Travel advice as of September 2026.
Updated Sept 2026 · 6 min
What to expectHoly Trinity Cathedral, Addis Ababa: what should you know before you visit?
Holy Trinity Cathedral (Kidist Selassie), near Arat Kilo in Addis Ababa, is where Emperor Haile Selassie and Empress Menen lie in granite tombs, and Sylvia Pankhurst and Meles Zenawi are among those buried in the grounds. Guidebooks rank it Ethiopia's second most important place of worship, after St Mary of Zion in Aksum. Foreign visitors pay an entry fee at the office by the gate (check the amount there), dress modestly, remove their shoes inside and should allow one to two hours.
Updated Sept 2026 · 6 min
What to expectHow does Ethiopian time work? The 12-hour clock that starts at dawn
Ethiopia's official time zone is East Africa Time (UTC+3, no daylight saving), but in everyday speech many Ethiopians count the hours from dawn, not midnight. So 7am international time is "1 o'clock in the morning" in Ethiopian time, noon is 6, and 6pm is 12. To convert, add or subtract six hours, and always ask whether a time is Ethiopian or international.
Updated Sept 2026 · 6 min
What to expectHow can you see Lucy at the National Museum of Ethiopia?
Lucy, the roughly 3.2-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis skeleton found at Hadar in 1974, belongs to the National Museum of Ethiopia in the Arat Kilo area of Addis Ababa. She is shown in the basement fossil gallery, but what visitors see is a high-quality replica; the original bones are kept in secure storage. The museum reopened on 23 May 2025 after a renovation, and recent guides list it as open daily from roughly 8:30am to 5:30pm, closing on major Orthodox holidays. Allow about two hours.
Updated Sept 2026 · 5 min
EthiopiaTipping in Ethiopia: who should you tip, and how?
Tipping in Ethiopia is appreciated for good service but never compulsory. In hotels and restaurants used to tourists, check the bill first: some add a service charge (often 10%), and Ethiopia's standard VAT rate is 15%; where service isn't included, about 10% is a fair tip. In simple local eateries tipping isn't customary, though rounding up is welcome. Guides, porters, drivers and trekking crews are commonly tipped; hand it over directly, in birr, with your right hand.
Updated Sept 2026 · 6 min
EthiopiaUseful Amharic phrases for travellers (with Ge'ez script and pronunciation)
The most useful Amharic words for a trip to Ethiopia are selam (ሰላም, hello), ameseginalehu (አመሰግናለሁ, thank you), yiqirta (ይቅርታ, sorry or excuse me), ishi (እሺ, OK) and sint new? (ስንት ነው?, how much is it?). Many phrases change depending on whether you speak to a man or a woman: 'please' is ebakih to a man and ebakish to a woman. Amharic is written in the Ge'ez-based script called fidel, where each character is a syllable.
Updated Sept 2026 · 6 min
What to expectWhat Ethiopian food should you try? Injera, tibs, shiro, kitfo and more
Start with injera, the spongy, slightly sour teff flatbread that doubles as plate and cutlery, topped with a beyaynetu platter of vegan stews. Then try shiro (a smooth chickpea or broad-bean stew), tibs (sautéed meat, often served sizzling), doro wat (the spicy chicken stew with egg, most common at holidays) and, if you are adventurous, kitfo (minced raw beef, also served lightly cooked). Eat with your right hand and expect vegan dishes everywhere on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Updated Sept 2026 · 7 min
What to expectWhat is Enkutatash, the Ethiopian New Year, and when is it?
Enkutatash is the Ethiopian New Year, held on 1 Meskerem, the first day of the Ethiopian calendar. It falls on 11 September in most years and on 12 September in the Gregorian year before a leap year. Enkutatash on 11 September 2026 began the Ethiopian year 2019; the next one, on Sunday 12 September 2027, begins 2020. It marks the end of the long rains and is celebrated with church services, yellow adey abeba flowers, children's songs, torches on the eve and family feasts.
Updated Sept 2026 · 6 min
What to expectWhat is Ethiopian Orthodox fasting and how does it affect travellers?
Members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church fast by giving up all animal products (meat, dairy and eggs), and devout people often skip breakfast or eat nothing until the afternoon. Most Wednesdays and Fridays are fast days, plus seven church fasting seasons; the longest is the 55-day Great Lent before Fasika (Easter), which falls on 2 May in 2027. For travellers it mostly means excellent vegan food and fewer meat dishes in traditional restaurants on fast days. Visitors are not expected to fast.
Updated Sept 2026 · 6 min
What to expectWhat is Meskel and when is it? Ethiopia's Demera bonfire festival explained
Meskel is the Ethiopian Orthodox feast of the Finding of the True Cross, held on 17 Meskerem in the Ethiopian calendar: 27 September in most years, and 28 September in the year before a Gregorian leap year. Its highlight is the Demera, a huge bonfire lit at dusk on the eve in Meskel Square, Addis Ababa. In 2026 the Demera was lit on 26 September and Meskel fell on 27 September; in 2027 Meskel is on Tuesday 28 September, with the Demera on the evening of Monday 27 September. UNESCO added Meskel to its intangible heritage list in 2013.
Updated Sept 2026 · 5 min
What to expectWhat is the Ethiopian coffee ceremony?
The Ethiopian coffee ceremony (buna) is a slow, social ritual in which green coffee beans are washed, roasted over coals, ground by hand and brewed in a clay pot called a jebena. The coffee is poured into small handleless cups over three rounds, abol, tona and baraka (the blessing), usually with popcorn or other snacks and burning incense. It can easily take an hour or more, and being invited to one is a mark of friendship and respect.
Updated Sept 2026 · 6 min
What to expectWhat should you wear in Ethiopia? Churches, mosques, Addis and the lowlands
Dress modestly and in layers. In Addis Ababa, jeans or long trousers with a T-shirt or shirt are fine, but shorts and sleeveless tops stand out and are not suitable for religious sites. The capital sits at about 2,350 m, so days are mild (typically 21–26°C) and nights cool (often 8–13°C), with heavy rain from June to mid-September. At Orthodox churches, cover shoulders and knees and take your shoes off; women should bring a scarf for their hair.
Updated Sept 2026 · 7 min
EthiopiaWhat should you buy in Addis Ababa, and what can't you take out of Ethiopia?
Good buys in Addis Ababa include handwoven cotton scarves, shawls and dresses from Shiro Meda market, fair-trade textiles from Sabahar, coffee (up to 2 kg per person when you leave), spices, baskets, leather goods and newly made crosses. Antiques, including old crosses and religious objects, need an export permit, and even new copies need a proper receipt and can still be confiscated. Ivory is illegal to buy or own, and khat cannot be taken out of the country.
Updated Sept 2026 · 6 min
EthiopiaWhere should you drink Ethiopian coffee in Addis Ababa, and where can you buy beans?
Start at Tomoca, the Addis roaster founded in February 1953, whose original café on Wavel Street in Piassa is a stand-up coffee bar famous for its macchiato. Add a branch of Kaldi's Coffee, Ethiopia's biggest local café chain, and try a traditional coffee ceremony at least once. To take beans home, buy roasted, sealed bags from a roaster; Ethiopian Airlines' customs guidance allows up to 2 kg of coffee per departing passenger without special authorisation (checked September 2026).
Updated Sept 2026 · 6 min
EthiopiaWhat are the best things to do in Addis Ababa?
The best things to do in Addis Ababa are the National Museum (home of the Lucy story), Unity Park in the old palace grounds, the Adwa Victory Memorial (open to the public since March 2024), Holy Trinity and St George's cathedrals, and the Entoto hills for views over the city. Add a coffee ceremony, a shared injera meal and an evening of traditional music. Two full days covers the highlights, because traffic makes it hard to see more than three or four sights in a day.
Updated Sept 2026 · 7 min