The Ethiopia Experience

Ethiopia's currency is the Birr (ETB). Notes are printed in denominations of 100, 50, 10, 5 and 1. Coins come in 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 cent pieces, the former of which can be useful for small tips or donations. The Birr is one of the most stable and strongest currencies in Africa.

While there are plenty of major bank branches across Ethiopia that can exchange foreign currency into Birr, the easiest and most convenient way to get hold of your holiday cash is to withdraw it from a local bank on arrival in Ethiopia. With dozens of cash machines dotted around the city, Addis Ababa is the most sensible place to do this. We also recommend obtaining some US dollars before you travel as this currency is widely accepted and can be helpful at the start of your trip if you can't access a cash machine immediately. You'll also need dollars to pay for your entry visas.

Cash machines are now widespread across Ethiopia particularly in Addis Ababa so accessing a cash machine to withdraw funds should be your first port of call on arrival (maximum withdrawals tend to be restricted to around 4,000 Birr. Outside of Addis Ababa, the best place to withdraw cash in the Omo Valley is in the Arba Minch, other villages will not have cash machines or even banks so bear this in mind. When withdrawing money from a cash machine you'll be offered two exchange rates, one from the local bank and another from your UK bank. Make sure you opt to take your UK bank's exchange rate as it will be substantially better value. Please also note that most cash machines charge approximately £1.50 per withdrawal so use them sparingly.

While cash transactions are commonplace, most major credit and debit cards (Visa & Mastercard) have become more widely acceptable particularly in Addis Ababa and other major towns. While you're unlikely to have issues using your card to pay for drinks or dinner in places like Addis Ababa using your PIN number, most of the villages in the Omo Valley only accept cash and don't have cash machines available so do make sure you've got enough on you as well as small change for small purchases. It is always advisable to inform your bank that you're travelling abroad in order to avoid the frustration of having your card blocked.

All visitors to Ethiopia must obtain an entry visa. UK and other EU passport holders do not need to get hold of one before travel and the relevant one-month visa can be purchased on arrival at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa. The fee for a single-entry visa upon arrival is $50 and is valid for 30 days. For up to date fees and requirements, we highly recommend you consult the Ethiopian Embassy website.

In order to give you some direction on how much spending money to budget for your trip to Ethiopia, we thought it would be a good idea to offer some guidelines in terms of costs. Costs in Ethiopia are incredibly reasonable and as a general rule, you'll be able to have a good lunch for around £5 a head and will pay around £10 a head for a nice evening meal. Naturally, the type of establishment you choose to eat in and what you order will dictate the cost of your meals. Be aware that ordering imported drinks can cause your bill to sky-rocket so drinking local wines, beers or spirits is advisable. We reckon around £300 - 400 for meals, drinks and snacks for two people is more than enough. Please note that these are rough estimates and you can always choose to spend more or less depending on your budget and preferences.

The vast majority of the country is blessed with a fairly pleasant year-round temperature but like much of the rest of Africa, Ethiopia also experiences wet and dry seasons unlike our traditional autumn, winter, spring and summer seasons. In the north and in Addis Ababa, the rains typically fall between June and early October, while the wet season in the Omo Valley arrives around June and continues for a few months. The South is significantly warmer than the North where temperatures are more moderate with cold evenings.

Layers of clothing (light, loose and comforable); warm cardigan or woollen jumper (for evenings and cool termperatures in Addis Ababa); light waterproof jacket (protection against wind and/or rain); sunglasses and hat (sun protection); scarf or snood (to shield nose and mouth against Omo Valley dust); trainers or closed-toe shoes (comfortable and protective against dust); sandals or flip-flops; small day pack (for excursions); camera (with plenty of memory and battery); correct adapter plug; flashlight (power is erratic in the Omo Valley); ear plugs and eye mask (for sleeping); spare set of clothes (packed in hand luggage in case suitcases get delayed); medical kit; US dollars.

You will need to ensure that your passport it is valid for at least six months after the date of return and that it contains a minimum of two blank pages (opposite each other). We recommend packing two passport copies in your main luggage. Depending on where you're travelling from or to you may also need a yellow fever certificate.

You are highly advised to get yourself all the necessary vaccinations for your time in Ethiopia. Many need to be administered in advance (sometimes 8 weeks prior), so we recommend looking into this as soon as possible.

As Ethiopia is truly off-the-beaten-track, we highly recommend taking out a travel insurance policy that covers emergency assistance in case of injury or illness, personal liability, and lost and stolen possessions. This will need to cover you for the entire period you are away.

The basic components of almost all traditional Ethiopian dishes are meat and vegetables. This is usually in the form of rich, spicy stews called wat, combined with flavourful sauces and a medley of vegetables served atop the ubiquitous injera, a spongy, sour-tasting flatbread. The most popular wats (stews) are made from chicken (doro), lamb (yebeg) and fish (asa). Eat like the Ethiopians and dig into a shared tasting platter of assorted stews (beyaynetu), using your right hand to tear off strips of injera to scoop up bites of spicy meat and sauces.

In the unlikely event you experience any problems whilst travelling in Ethiopia with Untravelled Paths please contact our local Ethiopia manager, Shigo Ayele on +251 916 443 333. Alternatively, if you cannot get through call the Untravelled Paths office on +44 207 101 4061.