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ABOUT ETHIOPIA |
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Ethiopia is a land of stunning natural beauty that
hosts a cultural heritage which dates back to the very dawn of mankind.
The country is situated between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the “Eastern Horn of Africa” and it covers a geographic area of more than
1 million square Kilometers, twice the size of either Kenya or France.
Ethiopia offers tourists an enormous variety of landscapes: the traveler’s
adventurous eyes move from Ethiopia’s majestic mountains, with imposing
peaks and deep gorges, over crystal-clear crater lakes that run off into
thundering waterfalls, down into lush green tropical regions and on
through extensive savannah and semi-desert areas. Ethiopia’s recorded
history is no less imposing, dating back almost to the advent of writing
itself, to the time when the mighty Egyptian Pharaohs sent expeditions
down the Red Sea to trade for gold, ivory, frankincense, myrrh and slaves.
But the country’s importance for human history dates back even further
still; it is widely considered to be the land where mankind can trace its
origins. In its Afar region, located inside the Great Rift Valley,
anthropologists discovered the remains of Lucy, mankind’s oldest dating
relative that lived in that area more than three million years ago and
whose name, in the Amharic language, means “you are wonderful”
(Denkenesh/Birkinesh). She belongs to the Australopithecus Afarensis
Family, short, upright-walking hominids that had a small brain and
ape-like features. Her bones rest in the Ethiopian National Museum in
Addis Ababa.
The history of human civilization in Ethiopia begins with legends of King
Solomon and the Queen of Sheba who came from Yemen and stories of their
famous son Menelik dating around 100 BC. It is Menelik who triumphantly
carried the Ark of the Covenant back to Ethiopia with him where even today
this religious relic is still said to rest in Axum, the great capital of
the Axumite Kingdom. That Kingdom began its rule around 300 AD. During the
early years of the fourth century Christianity was introduced to the
Axumite Kingdom and it was later followed by the rise of Islam, around 600
AD, when the Ethiopian Emperors gave asylum to the followers of Mohammed
who were seeking protection from religious persecution at the hands of
their enemies in Mecca. Another important tap in the country’s history
took place during the rule of King Lalibela (1185-1210 AD). During
Lalibela’s empire eleven colossal churches were hewn out of solid rock;
these marvelous sites, considered to be the eighth wonder of the world,
are still standing today. In 1636 Emperor Fasilidas established Gondar as
the capital city of his Kingdom. There Fasilidas and his illustrious
successors constructed a network of imposing castles and beautiful
churches that seem to have been copied directly out of the pages of
fairy-tale books. Starting in the early 800s, the Emperor Menelik, after
adopting the name of his historic predecessor, led his country towards the
modern state of Ethiopia. It is here that the county’s passage to
modernization began. Ethiopia is very proud to be the only African country
that was not colonized by European colonial forces. It was briefly
occupied by Italian forces between 1936 and 1941 when it was finally
liberated by the allied forces of the Resistance Movement and the British
Army. After being restored to power, Menelik’s last successor, Haile
Selassie, who reigned from 1930 to 1974, attempted to implement a great
number of reforms aimed at modernizing the state. A coup d’etat, led by
Lieutenant Colonel Menghistu Hailè Mariam, ended the last emperor’s rule
in 1974. During its 17 years of military controlled government,
Menghistu’s regime tried to reorient the nation’s economy away from
capitalism and towards Marxism. In 1991 the Menghistu government was
toppled by the unified force of the Ethiopian people, known as the EPRDF.
Between 1991 and 1995 a transitional government led Ethiopia towards a
Federal Democratic Republic. Mr Meles Zenawi has been the nation’s Prime
Minister since 1995. |
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TRAVEL INFORMATION TIPS |
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LOCATION
Ethiopia is located in the Eastern part of Africa (Horn of Africa)
bordering Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti, Kenya. It is the 10th largest
country in Africa, its capital city is Addis Ababa with a population of
more than four million people.
CLIMATE
The majority of the country consists in high plateaus which give Ethiopia
its mild and sunny climate. There are four seasons: Spring begins in
September, Summer runs roughly from December to the middle of March when a
light rainy season begins. The heavy rain season runs from June through
September.
VISAS
Entry-visas can be obtained from all the Ethiopian Embassies abroad or
directly at the airport in Addis Ababa at a cost of about 35 USD.
CURRENCY
The local currency is the Ethiopian Birr which circulates in denominations
of 1, 5, 10, 50, & 100 Birr as well as five coins, 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 cents.
There is no limit on the amount of foreign currency imported into
Ethiopia. Foreign currency should be declared on arrival, when leaving,
visitors can change the local money back into foreign currency. Foreign
currency may be changed only at authorised banks and hotels. Banks are
present in all cities and towns, their working hours are: Monday to Friday
8:00 am – 4:30 pm, Saturday 8:00 am – 11:30 am.
HEALTH AND MEDICAL FACILITIES
Visitors must be in possession of a valid vaccination certificate against
yellow fever. Malaria precautions are strongly recommended for those who
visit the lowland parts of the country, vaccination against cholera and
Hepatitis are also recommended as precautions. It is also strongly
recommended that tourists come equipped with mosquito repellent,
long-sleeve shirts, long pants and sneakers to be used after sunset. Small
private clinics and hospitals are available in major cities and towns.
CALENDAR
Ethiopia follows the Julian calendar, instead of the Gregorian calendar
used in most other parts of the world. The year is divided into 13 months. TIME
Ethiopia is three zones ahead of GMT. Rather than beginning the new day
after midnight, Ethiopians begin of the new day at what is traditionally
considered by Westerners to be 6 am. Therefore when in Western time it is
7:00 am in Ethiopian time it is 1:00am, Western noon is 6 o’clock
Ethiopian time. Time remains constant throughout the year and it is
calculated in the same manner as that of many equatorial countries, where
day and night are the same length.
COMMUNICATION
Telephone, Telefax, Internet and Postal service are available throughout
the country. The mobile net is now working almost everywhere in the
country, therefore it is possible to call and to receive and send SMS text
messages.
FOOD AND CLOTHING
The Ethiopian food is very tasty. They eat “injera”, a sour pancake made
from a cereal called “teff”, combined with all kinds of sauces prepared
with meat, fish and vegetables. Visitors are strongly recommended to try
the local food, at least once during their trip; in Addis Ababa it is
possible to find a lot of ethnic restaurants.
Light clothing is recommended during the day and warmer clothing during
night time.
LANGUAGE
Amharic is the official language of Ethiopia, although English, Italian,
French and Arabic are widely spoken. There are over 80 languages and 200
dialects spoken throughout the country. |
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TERMS AND CONDITIONS |
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PRICES
Our tour prices are quoted in USD. Rates are subject to amendment before
the acceptance of your booking in the event of any change in tariffs or
rate of exchange. The correct current price will be confirmed at the time
of the booking. 15% local tax are added on all rates.
LIABILITIY
Lake Tana Tours assumes no reliability for injury, damage, loss, accident,
air schedule change, delay or irregularities which may arise from any
cause and in any manner whatsoever.
Our Company does not accept any liability in respect to lack of
performance affected by “force major”. Force major means any event which
the Company has no control over and that could not have been avoided or
foreseen ( threat of war, civil strife, adverse weather conditions.)
Lake Tana Tour’s liability to passengers carried in its own vehicles or in
subcontractors’ vehicles is governed in accordance with the law of
Ethiopia. Therefore any dispute is subject to the jurisdiction of the
Ethiopian courts
RESERVATION AND PAYMENT
A deposit of 50% of the total cost of the tour is payable 45 days before
the departure date; the balance is due 20 days before the departure day. A
full payment is requested if it is made after the due date (20th day).
CANCELLATION
Cancellation charges are payable as follow:
- 44 to 30 days prior travel date: 25% of the paid deposit
- 19 to 5 days prior to travel date: 50% of the total cost of the tour
- 4 to 0 days prior to travel date: 100% of the total cost of the tour
- 100% of the total cost if the client fails to join a tour or he leaves a
tour for any personal reason |
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General Tourist Brochure |
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Map of Ethiopia |
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