There are two seasons: the dry season prevails from October through May; the wet season runs from June to mid September.

Ethiopia is a land of contrasts in terms of topography. The rugged Semien Mountains, Northern part of the country, go over 4,000 meters above sea level while the Danakil depression, Eastern part of the country, drops to 100 meters below sea level, which is known to be one of the lowest dry land points on earth.

The Blue Nile (or Abay), which runs 1,450 kilometers from its source in Lake Tana is one of the most famous rivers in Africa. Abbay joins the White Nile at Khartoum.

Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic state with 83 ethnicities having 200 dialects. Amharic is the working language of the Federal government while Oromigna, Tigrigna and Guragigna are widely spoken. English is the most used foreign language in the country followed by Arabic.

Ethiopia still follows the Julian Calendar which is seven years behind the Western or Gregorian Calendar. Ethiopian year consists of twelve months of thirty days each and a thirteenth month of five days (six days in leap year) the new year falling in the month of September.

The public holidays are:

The local currency, Ethiopian Birr (ETB) or simply Birr, is available in denominations of 5, 10, 50 and 100. Exchange transactions must be kept to show at exit if/when asked by customs officials. Any surplus Ethiopian Birr may be changed back to foreign currency in cash at the airport before departure.

Banking services, including foreign exchange services, are provided by more than 10 private banks and the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, the government owned and operated bank. Only Commercial Bank of Ethiopia and Dashen Bank have debit cards and ATM machines in main hotels like Sheraton and Hilton as well as prominent shopping centers in Addis.

Banking hours are:

• From 8:00am – 4:00pm from Monday to Friday and
• From 8:00am – 11:00am on Saturday. On Sunday all banks are closed.

Most banks work through lunch hours (12:00noon – 1:00pm) but foreign exchange service is not available during this time.

DHL, FedEx, UPS, TNT and EMS provide courier services in Addis Ababa and few other towns.

1. 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, or 1/2 lb of tobacco
2. 2 liters of alcoholic beverages
3. Half-liter or two bottles of perfume

Visitors may export souvenirs. But some, such as antiques, animal skin, etc require export permit from National Bank of Ethiopia.

The following services are available inside and outside the terminal:

Inside the terminal

• Foreign Exchange service
• Free luggage carts
• Paid uniformed porters (10-15 Birr/cart is common)
• Hotel stands of few of the top hotels (Sheraton, Hilton, etc). In this site, you will find the complete list of hotels which have a stand in the terminal.

• Paid parking,
• Taxis (Government owned National Tour Operator, Privately-owned yellow and blue cabs). While prices of NTO are fixed, visitors have to negotiate with the private cabs prior to boarding.