Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
»Recently a new breed of bus has taken to the roads of Ethiopia and these ones actually
are pretty plush (air-con, reclining seats, on-board toilets, TVs and even free snacks). The
biggest company is
Selam Buses
( 0115 548800;
www.selambus.com
)
, but
Sky Buses
Offline map
Google map
( 0111 568080;
www.skybusethiopia.com
)
is fancier and the one
to opt for if possible. These bus services are mentioned under the relevant towns.
»In most cases when you arrive at the bus station there'll only be one bus heading in your
direction, so any thoughts about it being private or government are a waste of time - get
on and get going!
»Once on the road, you'll realise that all buses are slow. On sealed roads you can expect
to cover around 50km/h, but on dirt roads 30km/h or less. In the rainy season, journeys
can be severely disrupted. Thankfully, new roads are spreading rapidly across the land and
turning many troublesome dirt sections into slick sections of sealed road. Unfortunately
this has seen an increase in road accidents due to speed (though the rate is still low by
African standards).
»Although most long- distance buses are scheduled to 'leave' at 6am or earlier, they don't
typically set out before 7am as most are demand-driven and won't leave until full. To be
safe you should make an appearance at the prescribed departure time. Remember that the
Ethiopian clock is used locally (
Click here
)
, though Western time is used when quoting
bus times in this topic.
»In remote areas long waits for buses to fill is normal - some may not leave at all. In gen-
eral, the earlier you get to the bus station, the better chance you have of catching the first
bus out of town.
»The major drawback with bus travel is the size of the country. For the Historical Circuit
alone, you'll spend a total of at least 10 days sitting on a bus to cover the 2500km.
»On those journeys quoted in this topic with durations longer than one day, there are
overnight stops en route (Ethiopian law stipulates that all long-distances buses must be off
the road by 6pm). In many cases you won't be allowed to remove luggage from the roof,
so you should pack toiletries and other overnight items to take with you in a small bag on
the bus.
»Smaller and more remote towns are usually served by minibuses or Isuzu trucks.
Costs
Buses are very cheap in Ethiopia. Both government-run and private buses work out at
around US$1.50 per 100km.
