My name is Dawit Deggu Mohis. I am an Ethiopian travel enthusiast, I live in Addis Ababa, and I have been running EthiopianInfo.com since 2018. I have spent years exploring and learning about my country’s history, its many cultures and its landscapes, and this site is where I write it down.
The site started for a simple reason. Friends abroad kept asking me the same questions before they flew to Ethiopia — how much money to bring, whether the visa could be done online, what the strange thing on the plate was called. The answers they found online were either years out of date, written by someone who had spent four days in the country, or buried in a tour operator’s sales page. I started writing the answers down properly.
That is still what this site is. Practical, checked, written from Addis Ababa.
What makes these guides different
They are written locally. When this site says a taxi from Bole to Kazanchis costs a certain amount, that is because I take that taxi. When it says which banks give the better rate this month, it is because I stood in the queue.
They are dated and updated. Every article carries the month it was last checked. Ethiopia changes quickly — the birr was floated in July 2024 and the exchange rate has moved every month since; the 90-day tourist e-visa was withdrawn; regional travel advice changes with the security situation. An undated travel article about Ethiopia is worse than no article. When information on this site goes stale, I rewrite it rather than leave it.
They tell you the uncomfortable parts too. You will find pages here about scams, about power cuts, and about the risks of changing money on the street. A guide that only tells you Ethiopia is beautiful is not a guide, it is an advertisement. Ethiopia is beautiful — it also has queues, altitude headaches and pickpockets in Merkato, and you will enjoy it far more if somebody told you in advance.
What you will find here
Planning your trip — visas, money, health, packing, and what happens in your first 24 hours.
Places to visit — from Lalibela and the Simien Mountains to the crater lakes an hour from the capital.
Culture and people — greetings, hospitality, the 13-month calendar, the six-hour clock, and the languages you will hear.
Food and coffee — injera, the dishes worth ordering, fasting food, and the coffee ceremony as it is actually done.
Nature and climate — seasons, wildlife, birds, and the best month to come.
How this site is funded
EthiopianInfo.com is free to read and is paid for by advertising. Some pages may also contain links to booking or travel services that pay a commission if you use them; that never costs you more, and it never decides what goes on a page. If I recommend a hotel, a tour operator or a bank, it is because I would send a friend there.
I do not accept payment for a positive review, and I do not publish sponsored articles disguised as guides.
Corrections and contact
The most useful email I get is the one that says “I was there last month and this has changed.” Ethiopia moves faster than travel publishers do, and readers on the ground often know before I do.
If you find something wrong, out of date, or simply confusing, please contact me. Corrections are made quickly and the updated date on the article is changed so everyone can see it is current.
If you are a tour operator, guesthouse or guide in Ethiopia and would like to be considered for a listing, get in touch — but please read the funding paragraph above first.
A note for visitors planning their first trip
Ethiopia is not a difficult country to travel in, but it is an unfamiliar one. The calendar is different, the clock is different, the alphabet is different, the food is eaten with your hands from a shared plate, and the year is 2019 here. None of that is a problem — it is most of the reason to come. It just helps to know before you arrive.
