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Ethiopian Airlines is one of Africa's largest and best airlines, with an extensive network of flights throughout Africa, as well as to Djibouti and Yemen. Departure tax is $10.

You can get to Ethiopia from Djibouti by road, but it's pretty exhausting - a bus-train combination tends to work better. Buses run between Addis Ababa and Nairobi, but the trip can be slow as you often have to wait for a convoy to assemble - it's necessary to travel in convoy through the more dangerous areas.

Money & Costs

Currency: Birr

Meals


• Budget: US$1-2

• Mid-range: US$2-5

• Top-end: US$5 and upwards
  
  Lodging
  

• Budget: US$2-5

• Mid-range: US$5-20

• Top-end: US$20 and upwards

If you want to live like a local, Ethiopia goes very easy on the wallet. If you're staying in small hotels, eating street food and travelling by bus, you can get by on about US$12 a day. Doubling that budget will allow you to stay in slightly classier hotels and eat in restaurants, but you'll still be restricted to bus travel. If you're willing to pay around US$70 a day you can stay in quite upmarket hotels, jet between towns, eat whatever you want and hire a guide.

US dollars travellers' cheques should do the trick just about anywhere in Ethiopia, although it's sensible to keep a bit of cash on hand to cover you in really out-of-the-way places. There's really no point taking a credit card with you.

If you use a guide while visiting one of Ethiopia's historic sites, they'll expect a tip - about US$1 an hour seems to be the going rate. Tips aren't expected in restaurants, but they will be happily received. Bargaining with taxi drivers and souvenir-sellers for a better price is quite acceptable.