Ethiopia
by Philip Briggs
Ethiopia travel guide: expert travel tips and holiday advice on everything from Addis Ababa hotels and restaurants to ancient rock churches and archaeological sites. Also included are natural history and wildlife, Bale Mountains National Park, South Omo, Tigrai, Lake Tana and Lalibela churches, Axum’s stelae, Gondar and the Danakil Depression.
Size: 135 X 216 mm
Edition: 8
Number of pages: 672
About this book
This new, fully-updated 8th edition of Bradt’s Ethiopia remains the most comprehensive, detailed and thorough guide available, particularly known for its strength of background information, coverage of off-the-beaten track areas, and in-depth details of hotels and other tourist facilities. It also contains far more maps than other guides. Bradt’s Ethiopia is also the longest serving English-language guidebook dedicated to the country, with a history of 25 years of research and expertise.
This new edition has been updated by the original author, Philip Briggs, the world’s foremost writer of Africa travel guides. Recent years have seen a notable rise in domestic and foreign private investment in the development of new hotels and national parks; this new edition includes all the most up-to-date details reflecting all the most recent changes, from development of tourist facilities to improved road infrastructure.
Bradt’s Ethiopia is ideal for visitors of all ages no matter the interest, whether travelling independently or part of an organised group, from adventurous and active travellers interested in cultural, historical, and wildlife sightseeing to international conference visitors, spa tourists and community-based visitors looking for activities such as trekking and horse-riding in the Rift Valley and Simien Mountains. Wildlife and birding visitors who come for Ethiopia’s wealth of endemics are also catered for and this new edition includes a dedicated full-colour chapter on wildlife and birds.
Of all the African nations, Ethiopia is most prone to misconceptions. The 1985 famine and the cracked barren earth of the Danakil Depression are not images quickly forgotten. But this fully updated guide refocuses the lens to reveal an ancient country that continues to surpass all expectations: from the ancient Judaic cultures of the fertile highlands to the Animist people of the South Omo Valley, from the Afroalpine moorland of the Bale Mountains National Park to the thundering Blue Nile Falls. This book also leads you further off the beaten track, so travellers can see more of this expansive and beautiful land, believed to be the cradle of humankind.
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About the Author
Guidebook writer and Africa expert Philip Briggs first backpacked through East Africa in 1986. He undertook a pioneering 4-month trip to Ethiopia in 1994, only two years after the end of the civil war that brought about the fall of the oppressive Derg dictatorship, to research the first edition of the Bradt guide to this fascinating and but then little-known country. He has since returned to Ethiopia on several occasions to research subsequent editions of the Bradt guide, in the process documenting the country’s transformation from one of Africa’s most challenging travel goals to a bona fide tourist destination. Ethiopia aside, Philip has written and co-authored more than a dozen Bradt guides to other destinations, most of them in Africa, and he has contributed to many other books, travel and wildlife magazines.
Reviews
‘Essential reading for anyone with the remotest interest in Ethiopia…a complete reference book to Ethiopia as well as an excellent travel guide.’ Travel Africa
‘An indispensable handbook for anyone wishing to visit Ethiopia.’
The Guardian
‘Thorough and reassuring, it provides all the practical and background information to make readers leap from their armchairs and visit this vast, magical country.’
The Daily Telegraph
‘The Bradt Guide has almost everything you need to read about the country’s history, tourist attractions and hotels, and proves itself to be an invaluable companion while in the country.’
SX News
‘Highly personal and informative guidebook … his enthusiasm is reflected in every chapter.’
Business in Africa
‘Readable, practical and authoritative’
Bird Watching
‘Offers an excellent and thorough overview of the country’
The Times
‘This guide gives detailed information on wildlife, national parks and trekking routes.’
Trek & Mountain
Recommended reading by National Geographic Traveller
‘The best guidebook is one of the two editions by Philip Briggs; other options contain lots of mistakes.’ The Sunday Telegraph
‘Worth its weight in birr.’ Mail on Sunday
Additional Information
Table of ContentsPART ONE GENERAL INFORMATION
Chapter 1 Background Information
Geography, Climate, History, Government and politics, Economy, Population, Language, Religion, Education, Music
Chapter 2 Wildlife Guide
Mammals, Reptiles, Birds, Ornithological Itineraries
Chapter 3 Practical Information
When to visit, Suggested itineraries, Tour operators, Tourist information, Red tape, Getting there and away, What to take, Money, Budgeting, Getting around, Accommodation, Eating and drinking, Public holidays and festival days, Shopping, Nightlife, Media and communications, Local interaction, Responsible tourism, Safety, Women travellers, LGBT travellers, Health, Preparations, Medical problems, Other safety concerns
PART TWO ADDIS ABABA AND SURROUNDS
Chapter 4 Addis Ababa
History, Getting there and away, Orientation, Maps, Getting around, Where to stay, Where to eat and drink, Nightlife, Cinema, Shopping, Other practicalities, What to see and do
Chapter 5 Around Addis Ababa
East towards Bishoftu and Adama, South towards Butajira and Hosanna, West towards Ambo and Mount Wenchi, North towards Debre Libanos and the Blue Nile Gorge
PART THREE NORTHERN ETHIOPIA
Chapter 6 Bahir Dar & Lake Tana
Dejen to Bahir Dar, Benishangul-Gumuz Region Bahir Dar, Lake Tana, Monasteries of southern Lake Tana, Bahir Dar to Gondar by road, Gorgora and northern Lake Tana
Chapter 7 Gondar & the Simien Mountains
Gondar, Debark, Simien Mountains National Park, Addis
Chapter 8 Axum & Surrounds
Shire Inda Selassie, Axum, Adwa and surrounds
Chapter 9 Northeast Tigrai & its rock-hewn churches
Adigrat, Rockhewn churches between Adigrat and Wukro, Wukro and surrounds, Hawzen and the Gheralta Escarpment, Abiy Addi and the Tembien
Chapter 10 Mekele & the Danakil
Mekele, Danakil, The Djibouti-Awash Road
Chapter 11 Lalibela and surrounds
Through routes to Lalibela from Tigrai and Western Amhara, Lalibela, Around Lalibela,
Chapter 12 Dessie & Southeast Amhara
Hayk, Dessie, Kombolcha, Bati, Dessie to Addis Ababa via Debre Berhan, The Dessie-Gundewein Road
PART FOUR SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA
Chapter 13 Awash National Park, Harar and Eastern Highlands
Awash National Park, Awash to Harar and Dire Dawa by road, Dire Dawa, Harar, Jijiga
Chapter 14 Bale and the Southeast
Towards Bale Mountains, Bale Mountains and surrounds, Southeastern birding route, South towards Moyale
Chapter 15 The Southern Rift Valley Lakes
Ziway, Lakes Langano, Abijatta and Shalla, Lephis Forest, Shashemene, Hawassa, Sodo, Arba Minch and surrounds
Chapter 16 Konso and South Omo
Travel practicalities, Karat-Konso, Along the Konso-Jinka road, Jinka, Hamer country: Dimeka, Turmi and Arbore, Omorate and the Omo River
Chapter 17 Southwest Ethiopia
The Western Highlands, Gambella region, Benishangul-Gumuz region
Appendices
Language
Glossary
Key historical and legendary figures in Ethiopia
Some Ethiopian transcriptions of place names
Further info
Index