Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Wonder if you're still in Ethiopia while making friends with the Nuer and
Anuak peoples of Gambela (
Click here
)
Stare steadily at the striking scenery moving past your window while driv-
ing from Jimma to Weliso (
Click here
)
and from Metu to Tepi (
Click here
), the
birthplace of coffee
Getting There & Around
Ethiopian Airlines
(
www.flyethiopian.com
)
connects Addis Ababa with both Gambela
and Jimma three times a week.
Most people who enter western Ethiopia overland are travelling by bus from Addis
Ababa, which provides access to the southwest via Jimma and to the northwest via
Nekemte. On the southern route the road is sealed from Addis to Jimma, after which it
continues as a dirt road of varying quality as far as Metu. The northern road is sealed as
far as Ambo. Afterwards it's a mixture of dirt roads and patches of sealed tarmac as far as
Metu. The road from Metu to Gambela and onward to the South Sudan border is excel-
lent. Like elsewhere in Ethiopia, Chinese-led construction crews are in the process of up-
grading many roads within this area.
It's possible to reach Jimma from Sodo in the south and to reach Nekemte from the Ad-
dis Ababa-Bahir Dar road in the north by public transport, thus allowing you to connect
western Ethiopia with both southern and northern Ethiopia without backtracking to Addis.
With the exception of the remote southwest Omo region, most areas are covered by reg-
ular bus services. However, during the wet season, roads and schedules can run equally
amok.
WALK THIS WAY
There is something peculiar afoot in Ambo. If you look carefully you'll notice that locals use one side of the street
for walking east and the other side for walking west. This way, they say, they can easily spot out-of-towners who in-
sist on battling the tide of human traffic.
