Other Sites in Ethiopia
Travelers often arrive in the capital city of Addis Ababa, which means "new flower" in Amharic. Addis is a pleasant city with museums, open-air markets, and avenues of jacaranda trees. "Lucy" resides here, the 3.5 million-year-old skeleton excavated in 1974. The more modern part of the country, Addis is only the gateway to mind-blowing areas little-known outside of Ethiopia.

Another popular destination is the town of Bahir Dar, which sits on the shores of Lake Tana. Visitors can take boat rides to the islands and peninsulas to view old monasteries and churches filled treasures and biblical paintings. On the outskirts of Bahir Dar is Blue Nile Falls, which can reach as high as 147 feet depending on the season and water flow from Lake Tana. Travelers will encounter child vendors, working locals, wandering livestock, and young street musicians providing entertainment along the way. On Saturdays—market day—thousands of locals haul their goods with their cows, sheep, and goats many miles down the road. Bus service connects Bahir Dar with Addis, which is 348 miles away and may take more than a day of traveling, depending on the service. Hour-long flights are also available.

Adventure-driven travelers will head for the Simien Mountains, designated a national park in 1969 and a World Heritage site ten years later. One of Africa's largest ranges, it's filled with an extensive network of trails that make it ideal for trekking anywhere between a day and a week. Some even travel with mules.

Logistics
Budget travelers will feel at home in Ethiopia; everything is relatively cheap considering Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world. But that doesn't make it easy. Though English is widely spoken and making your own plans is certainly doable, tour operators, such as Greenland Tours (www.greenlandethiopia.com), are the only practical way of getting the highest dose of what this country has to offer in the shortest time.

Even with the best guides, touring Ethiopia is not without challenges. Lack of paved roads makes it difficult to travel by car or bus to different sections of the country. Most of the hotels are considered sub par for what travelers would hope for, and there aren't enough in some towns to support the growing number of tourists. At the hotels, hot water is often available only during certain hours. Most places in the country do not accept credit cards, and ATMs are virtually impossible to find. In fact, in the smaller towns it may be difficult to exchange dollars printed after 1996. While crime is low, beggars, swindlers, and pushy vendors will crowd around travelers, hoping for a score (this behavior will likely worsen as more tourists arrive). As for the Internet, carve at least a half-hour out of your day just to get access to your e-mail. It's that slow.

As Ethiopia continues to make strides at alleviating these inconveniences, it's bound to only get better for tourists in the coming years (bird-watching groups, in fact, have been flocking in for years). A symbol of this is the construction of a luxury hotel on the shores of Lake Tana, and it's already got a five-star Sheraton in Addis.

Getting There and Around
While many airlines (see list: http://www.tourismethiopia.org/pages/searchairlines1.asp) fly to the capital city of Addis Ababa, the country's national carrier is Ethiopian Airlines (www.ethiopianairlines.com), which offers packages for domestic flights when booked in conjunction with flights into the country. The domestic packages are typically for flights between Lalibela, Gonder, Bahir Dar, and Addis, and may average out to $50 a ticket for three or more.

Best Times to Visit
There are two distinct seasons in Ethiopia. The dry season lasts from October through May, while the wet season runs from June through September. For tourists, it should be noted that rain often falls in sudden bursts, not lengthy drizzles, and there's little about the wet season that should discourage anyone from visiting.

Vaccinations and Health Requirements
Prior to entry, visitors should be in possession of a health certificate for yellow fever. Vaccination against cholera is also required for people who have visited a cholera-infected area within six days prior to their arrival. However, it's unlikely anyone will check.

Electricity
Ethiopia's voltage is 220 volts, like Europe, so break out the converters if you're coming from North America.

Paperwork
A valid passport is required to enter Ethiopia, and travelers from North America (and most other countries outside of Africa) must purchase a visa at the airport for about $30.

Safety
Anyone who watches the news may conclude that Ethiopia is entrenched in conflict, and therefore, it isn't safe to travel there. While there is tension on the border with Eritrea and Somalia—areas certainly not recommended for travelers—the cities and travel areas recommended here are hundreds of miles away from conflict zones.