After the wonderful Pilanesberg Safari yesterday, our overnight flight ET 848 from Johannesburg to Addis Ababa landed around 6:00 AM. We were already given a Passenger Accommodation Voucher at Johannesburg airport and at Addis Ababa we also got the transit visa card.
We cleared immigration and were taken to the Ethiopia Hotel by bus. We each had a hotel voucher but needed only one room so they upgraded us to the suite for the two of us together. The room was basic but huge. It also had a small balcony. We went down for breakfast and then got ready for our day in Addis Ababa.
I had contacted Addis Ethiopia Tour about a week before. We were only going to be there for a day in transit and wanted to make the most of it. So we booked the full day Addis Ababa City Tour with them a couple of days before we were to arrive there. After breakfast, our guide and driver came to pick us up at the hotel.
Our first stop was a steep car ride up Entoto Hill for spectacular views over sprawling Addis Ababa from the top. The mountain was densely covered by eucalyptus trees imported from Australia. It got quite a bit cooler as we climbed higher. It was a pleasant drive and from the top we had a panoramic view of the capital and surrounding countryside. After spending some time there we headed back down.
Back in the city, our next stop was lunch and we went to Itegue Taitu for the vegan buffet. Our guide and driver left us there for the meal and were to pick us up an hour later.
We found that Ethiopian food had many similarities with Indian food: lots of fresh sliced and cubed greens, cooked vegetables and lentil soups/curries. The main difference was that Injera was a sour, fermented flatbread versus the traditional Indian roti made from wheat flour.
After lunch our guide took us to have some authentic Ethiopian coffee at Tomoca Coffee. What we liked about this was that it was a place where locals visited and wasn’t something touristy. The coffee itself was delectable and different, strong and sweet. Nice way to round off the lunch break.
Our next stop was The National Museum of Ethiopia. Our tour guide had arranged a special museum guide for us for an elaborate walk through.
The main draw was the fossilized remains of early hominids, the most famous of which is “Lucy”, the partial skeleton of a specimen of Australopithecus afarensis.
The basement was dedicated to archaeological and paleoanthropological exhibits.
The first floor had objects from ancient and medieval periods, as well as artifacts from former rulers.
The second floor displayed artwork including a painting depicting the meeting of Solomon and Sheba.
There was also a collection of arts and crafts, including traditional weapons, jewellery, utensils, clothing and musical instruments.
Our last stop for the day was the Holy Trinity Cathedral, built to commemorate Ethiopia’s liberation from Italian occupation.
It has a fantastic set of stained glass windows. And it was well worth the visit just for this.
We saw the Miyazya 27 Victory Statue and the Stone Lion in Addis Ababa as we concluded our day tour.
Back at the hotel, we relaxed for a while in our room and then went down to go to the airport.
Our bus picked us up from the hotel and drove us back to the airport for our flight ET 640 to Mumbai. We had some dinner at the Star Alliance Gold Lounge.
To celebrate New Year’s Eve, Ethiopian Airlines had arranged for traditional Ethiopian food and Ethiopian Coffee for all the passengers travelling that night. There was music and passengers were mingling, enjoying themselves. A fun way to ring in the new year at the airport.
