General Information
The national language in Ethiopia is Amharic.
English isn’t understood in most cases, except hotels, touristic shops and tourist areas.
Ethiopia standard time is GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) + 3 hours. * No daylight saving time.
However, almost all Ethiopians use a local 12-hour clock system on a daily basis.
You need to make sure which time system −local or international− is used when you ask the time.
Currency:
The unit of currency is the Ethiopian Birr (B), which is divided into 100 Santioms (C or Cent).
Birr are issued in notes of 5, 10, 50, 100 and 200. Coins are issued in 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50C, and1 and 5B.
Exchange:
Major foreign currencies like US dollar and Euro may be exchanged to local currency through major banks or hotels or approved currency exchange offices. The money exchange at private currency exchange office isn’t recommended.
It’s often possible to pay in US dollars. Carrying small US Dollar notes is often convenient.
Credit Card:
Visa and MasterCard are accepted, but a handling fee may be sometimes charged. Beware of card fraud like skimming.
Please note that credit cards may not be accepted due to communication infrastructure issues.
Standard voltage in Ethiopia is 220V, and standard frequency is 50Hz.
Sockets take the standard continental European dual round-pronged plug (Type C or BF).
Tipping is not compulsory in Ethiopia but it’s needed in some occasions.
Please consider the following as a guide:
Restaurant/Cafe:
It is customary to add about 10% to the bill in restaurants.
Porter at Hotel/Airport:
It is customary to tip 5B per luggage.
Some vaccines are recommended or required for Ethiopia:
Yellow Fever:
Vaccination is required if you are traveling from a region with yellow fever (e.g. Egypt).
It’s recommended for all travelers over 9 months of age.
Generally it’s not necessary for Afar and Somali provinces.
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