Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
The address and telephone number of the Ethiopian embassy in Egypt have changed and is now: 6 Adel Rahman Hussein Street, Midan Al Goumhouya Al Ettehadia; tel : 335 3696.
They need a letter from your embassy, one photo, a plane ticket and US$63 (price in May 98) . In July, the price of a tourist visa in Khartoun (Sudan), originally of US$63 was raised to US$163! Maybe because of the Eritrea/Ethopian conflict. I have no idea if the price in Cairo followed the same "rule".
Eric Boudin, France (Oct 98)
Overland travel south from Egypt is very difficult. I travelled with an overland truck safari and we were very lucky to secure a passage to Eritrea via Saudi. Basically the Sudan is shut and any ship south is not able to transport both passengers and vehicles at a price affordable to overland travellers. We got stung, but managed to secure a passage. But only after a nightmare, dealing with shipping agents, crooks, shipping Mafia and the Saudi embassy. To cut a long story short, the Saudi's don't want tourists and make it very difficult for you.
Many independent travellers and those in vans and small 4WD's were simply leaving Cairo in disgust, faced with growing expenses and little bureaucratic progress. Flying is by far the most feasible option. Preferably to Kenya as independent travel in Ethiopia while possible, requires a very patient outlook. Suited to hardy travellers only. Very pretty, but with a most objectionable people. While extremely poor, they are most demanding and can be very hostile.
Tony Stewart, New Zealand (Oct 98)
Anyone planning on driving the eastern route of Africa and planning to ship their vehicle from Egypt to Eritrea to Ethiopia - think twice. It is very expensive eg US$2000 for just one landrover, US$750 for one motorbike and US$5,500 for a Bedford Truck; passengers are extra. The vehicle has to go via Jeddah, Saudi Arabia which is a highly complex procedure due to the Saudi's reluctance to give out transit visas. We found many people had to be separated from their vehicle and had to fly separately in to Eritrea/Ethiopia. As a result we heard stories of equipment and vehicles being "lost". We tried for one month to get our vehicle on a boat for a reasonable price along with many other people staying on the same campsite. The solution is to try from Eilat, Israel and ship to Mombassa or Durban, this can still be very expensive. Many people we met turned back from Egypt and drove back to Europe and shipped directly from Germany, Holland and the UK for very reasonable prices and with good vehicle security.
Amanda Harvey - A Truck for Africa (May 98)
ETHIOPIA