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Guide to Ethiopia

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Getting There

Ethiopian Airlines runs a 15-hour flight from Washington, D.C., to Addis International Airport four times a week. More frequent flights are available from London, Rome, Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Frankfurt.

Getting Around

Hiring a driver and guide is essential, because road signs and house numbers are few and far between. Any hotel can arrange this for you, for $60 to $80 per day. Taxis are inexpensive, plentiful, and reliable, and some drivers do speak English.

Immunizations

A certificate of yellow-fever vaccination is required upon entry. For a complete list of suggested vaccinations, visit www.cdc.gov.

Where to Stay

Ghion Hotel A motel-like building with a retro style: thatched- roof tukul (huts) and a restaurant shaped like a mesop, or Ethiopian dining table. Ras Desta Damtew Ave.; 251-115/ 513-222; doubles from $68.

Hilton Addis Ababa Visitors love the reasonably priced rooms and mid- 20th-century African vibe. Menelik II Ave.; 800/445-8667 or 251-115/518- 400; doubles from $175.

Sheraton Addis Ababa The Western-resort atmosphere attracts high rollers, UN staffers, and soldiers of fortune alike. Taitu St.; 800/325-3589 or 251-115/171-717; doubles from $272.

Where to Eat

Gursha A homey restaurant named for the tradition of feeding your dining companion morsels of injera during a celebration. Bole Rd.; 251-115/632-545; lunch for two $10.

Habesha Restaurant Bole Rd.; 251-115/518-358; dinner for two $20.

Where to Go Out

Black Rose Bole Rd.; 251-115/217-712.

Gonder Tej Bet Luggage District, the Merkato; no phone.

Yewedal Asmari Bet An underground Ethiopian dance hall that’s tough to find unless accompanied by a local. Zewditu St., near the National Palace; no phone.

What to See

Asni Gallery The best contemporary-art gallery in Addis, housed in a 19th-century mansion. Past the French Embassy, off Arat Kilo; 251-111/238-796.

Mount Entoto Lookout Of the seven mountains that surround Addis, Entoto (10,000 feet) is closest to the city center.

Copyright © 2008, American Express Publishing. All rights reserved.