Welcome to EthiopianInfo.com. I’m Dawit Deggu Mohis, I live in Addis Ababa, and since 2018 I have been writing down the answers to the questions visitors ask me before they come to Ethiopia: how the visa works, how much money to bring and where to change it, what to eat, what the calendar and clock mean, and which places are worth the journey. Each updated guide shows the month it was last checked.
Start here if this is your first trip
- Before You Go: the checklist for the weeks before you fly.
- Ethiopia visa guide: the e-visa, what it costs and how to apply.
- Exchanging money: banks, rates and what to bring, and ATMs and cards.
- After you arrive: your first day in Addis Ababa.
- When to visit: the rainy season, the dry season and the festival months.
Explore by topic
- Plan Your Trip: visas, arrival, packing and getting around.
- Money: the birr, exchange rates, ATMs and costs.
- Destinations: Aksum, Addis Ababa, the lakes, mountains and the Danakil.
- Culture & People: greetings, hospitality, religion, languages and the Ethiopian calendar.
- Food & Coffee: injera, the dishes worth ordering and the coffee ceremony.
- Festivals: Meskel, Irreecha and the other celebrations worth planning around.
- Nature & Wildlife: seasons, national parks, birds and animals.
- History & Facts: Aksum, the old kingdoms and the facts behind the stories.
Readers’ favourites
The guides people come back to most: Ethiopia’s seasons, the coffee ceremony, Meskel, the Ethiopian calendar and clock, greetings and hospitality and things to do in Addis Ababa.
Latest guides
- The Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony, Step by Step
The Ethiopian coffee ceremony explained from the inside — the jebena, the roasting, the incense, the three rounds of abol, tona and baraka, what each part means, and where a visitor can experience the real thing. - Meskel: Ethiopia’s Festival of the True Cross (27 September)
Meskel, the Ethiopian Orthodox festival of the True Cross, is celebrated on 27 September with the Demera bonfire at Meskel Square. What it commemorates, what happens on the night, and how to see it. - Irreecha 2026: Ethiopia’s Oromo Thanksgiving at Hora Arsadi
- The Great Ethiopian Run
The Great Ethiopian Run (Amharic: ታላቁ ሩጫ በኢትዮጵያ) is an annual 10-kilometre road running event which takes place in late November in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. … Read more - Major Tourist Attractions
Ethiopia has a maginificent cultural heritage, seven of these are included in the world cultural heritage list: 1. The Simien National Park (North Gondar Zone) … Read more - Ethiopia’s HERITAGE SITES
It is an open secret that Ethiopia is endowed with some of the most unique sites on the African continent. Today, Ethiopia boasts of more … Read more
Found something out of date? Ethiopia changes quickly and readers on the ground often notice first. Please tell me, or read more about this site.
