Highlights:

Ethiopia is a land of a unique and diverse history, present-day culture and environment.  It offers sites that will engage and intrigue travelers of all interests:

• From world-renowned discoveries in physical anthropology, like Lucy at the National Museum in Addis,
• to present-day churches of the ancient Ethiopian Orthodox church,
• to the breath-taking wildlife in the Simien Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
• to Aksum ,center of the powerful ancient Aksumite kingdom (400BC-200AD), where pre-Christian tombs underlie splendid 1800-year-old stelae.  

Christianity was introduced in Ethiopia as early as the beginning of the 4th Century.  The Ethiopian Orthodox church possesses a set of unique rituals and iconography that reflect an ongoing ancient practice.  Cruise north and visit the 12th- and 13th-century rock-hewn churches in Lalibela, and the 17th-century castle ruins in Gonder.  

The natural beauty of Ethiopia amazes the first-time visitor. Ethiopia is a land of rugged mountains ( some 25 are over 4000 meters high) broad savannah, lakes and rivers. The unique Rift Valley is a remarkable region of volcanic lakes, with their famous collections of birdlife, great escarpments and stunning vistas. Tisisat, the blue Nile falls, must rank as one of the greatest natural spectacles in Africa today. With 14 major wildlife reserves, Ethiopia provides a microcosm of the entire subsaharan ecosystem. Birdlife abounds, and indigenous animals, from the rare Walia ibex to the shy wild ass, roam free.  Ethiopia, after the rains, is a land decked with flowers and with many more native plants than most countries in Africa.

Don’t forget to pay a visit to the Learning Village while you are in Addis Ababa.  Our students will welcome you with smiles!  Contact us if you are interested in visiting or in volunteer opportunities.

Fast Facts:

• Population: 73 million
• Life Expectancy: 48.83 years
• GDP per capita:  US $800
• Biggest Annual Export:  coffee (US $335 million)
• Average number of plaits in the Tigrayan shoruba hairstyle: 38
• Average time taken for coffee ceremony: 28.3 minutes
• Number of world records broken by Ethiopian runners: 31
• Literacy rate: 38.5%
• Children who attend primary school: 52%
• Children who attend secondary school: 12%
• Ethiopians who gain their livelihoods from agriculture:  85%
• Ethiopia was the only nation in Africa to successfully fight off colonization.

Travelers' Tips:

• Health:  Update your vaccinations before the trip.  Check the World Health Organization (www.who.int/en) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov) recommendations, or speak with your physician.  You will also be advised to take antimalaria pills while you travel outside of urban Addis Ababa.  Prepare a medical kit that includes ciprofloxacin (a prescription antibiotic) in case of gastro-intestinal sickness, antidiarrhoeal drugs (like immodium), DEET insect repellent, etc.
• Weather:  Although Ethiopia has beautiful, sunny weather all year long, the rainy season in the highlands (including Addis Ababa and the Learning Village) lasts from mid-March through September, during which it usually rains part of each day.  Come prepared for rain if you plan to visit during these months.
• Electricity:  The electrical current used in Ethiopia (220V, 50 cycles AC) is the most common in the world, used throughout most of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.  Sockets are either the European continental two-pin, earth prong (two round prongs, 600W) or the South African/Indian-style plug with two circular metal pins above a large circular grounding pin.  If your appliances are from the States, you’ll need a converter to plug them in.  Unless your device has an AC adaptor built into the cord (as most laptops do), you’ll also need an adaptor.  Bring a flashlight and batteries for frequent power failures.
• Cell Phones:  Call your cell phone service provider before you leave home to ask whether you will have service in Ethiopia.  If not, you may be able to use your phone, or one bought fairly inexpensively upon arrival, with a SIM card that can be bought at many locations in Addis Ababa.  If you use an Ethiopian SIM card, it is free to receive phone calls (even from the States), but you will need to recharge your card with minutes from time to time if you are placing calls. 
• Food:  Ethiopian food provides one of the most delightful and delectable eating experiences on the planet.  Eating is a tactile experience.  Your hosts will give you the opportunity to wash your hands before and after eating; you'll need clean hands!  The staple of every Ethiopian meal is injera, which is a spongy pancake-like flat bread made from a grain called tef. One large round plate of injera topped with saucey, spicey dishes is shared among many people, who use pieces of injera to pick up and eat their food with their right hands.  Feeding one another hand to mouth is a sign of great friendship.  If offered, don’t refuse food from another’s hand; try to take it without coming into contact with the person’s fingers, or letting any food fall.  Orthodox Ethiopians fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, on which days all animal products (except for fish) are prohibited.  If you’re vegetarian or vegan, ask for fasting food, and watch out for fish.  If no fasting food is available, shiro (chickpea puree) is a common safe bet.  After your meal, your hosts may honor you with a coffee ceremony.  Watch green coffee beans be roasted to perfection, and when it’s offered to you, draw the fragrant smoke towards you and inhale.  Enjoy the freshly-roasted coffee, especially the third cup, which is considered to bestow a blessing.
• Airfare:  Lion of Judah Travel offers excellent customer service and very competitive prices on flights to Ethiopia.  You can book tours through them as well. 
• More Info:  The Lonely Planet: Ethiopia & Eritrea guidebook will be useful on your journey, especially for locating hotels, restaurants, and must-see spots as you travel throughout Ethiopia.  Check Amazon.com.

We have had volunteers from all over the world visit us at The Learning Village.  Often they are amazed by the breathtaking beauty and serenity of the campus and our surrounding land.  We encourage you to contact us if you are planning a trip to Ethiopia and would like to pay a visit to The Learning Village, or if you are interested in staying for a few days or more to volunteer.  Our needs are diverse.