Bradt Ethiopia (Bradt Travel Guide) Paperback – January 1, 2013

I used this guidebook during a month trip throughout Ethiopia in late 2015 and was for the most part very happy with it. I did the northern historical loop, spent time in Addis, and also traveled south to Arba Minch and South Omo region. Philip Briggs writes in an entertaining way, and I definitely became accustomed to his "voice" as I dug deeper into the book.A found the maps in this guide very good, and very intuitive. Landmarks noted on city maps just made SENSE, and made them easy to navigate. Plus, I found that the maps and hotel references were still reasonably up to date - which can be a major failing of some other guidebooks.A note: those accustomed to using Lonely Planet guides may need a bit of adjustment time to get used to using this guidebook, as it's not laid out in the same way. Important information is sometimes buried a bit in narrative sections of the book. Best practices of using this book involve actually READING it, rather than just strictly REFERENCING it. There's a lot of useful information in here but you have to find it in unlikely places/pages at times.All and all, recommended.

I just used this guide for a whirlwind 10 day trip through Addis, Lalibela, Axum, and Gondar. Some notes:- Prices for lodging were strangely outdated for a guide published within the past few months. They were often twice the listed price, with some managers laughing when I showed them the Bradt guide. That said, quoting the Bradt price provided a decent base to begin negotiations to pay something above the Bradt price but still reasonable.- Separate but related, more often than not the listed email for lodging listings would bounce back. Didn't matter in the end, since every place I showed up at had a room available or there was a room at another place nearby. But just a heads up that it isn't worth your time to bother.- I believe the book mentions this but really it should be put in bold capital letters: DO NOT BUY DOMESTIC AIRLINE TICKETS OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY. They are available for a substantial discount from a travel agent in the country. Google one and call them (I used Airlink) instead of booking through Orbitz, Kayak, etc. A one way flight from Addis to Lalibela was $170 on Kayak. Tickets from Addis to Lalibela to Axum to Gondar to Addis was $220 TOTAL through the travel agent.- In the write-up for every airport is the notice that flights on Ethiopian Air must be confirmed the day before at an Ethiopian Air office. This is simply not true. They issue the same e-tickets you are used to booking anywhere else and do not need any special confirmation.- Lalibela: The need for a tour guide was oversold. The book makes it seem like one is necessary, to ward off throngs of children if nothing else, but I roamed peacefully and had a great time. Also note the price for the churches increased recently from the $21 listed in the book to $50. But the ticket is good for four days, and if you ask around I bet you'll find someone with a day or two left willing to sell at a discount. Lastly, Lalibela Hotel was an excellent place to stay, even better than the good description in the book.- Addis: The book makes no mention of the fact that the Bolo Hotel is located next to a club that plays loud music until 5am. Unless you plan to be one of those dancing the night away I would choose somewhere else.Overall the book served me well. I bought the Kindle edition because I didn't have time to receive the guide in the mail. It was nice to save on baggage weight, but flipping back and forth to maps was a bit of a chore. Making bookmarks helped, but you still have to zoom and pan constantly.

I have spend a lot of time in Ethiopia over the last couple of years and as far as I'm concerned, this is the essential guide to Ethiopia.It's organized well - the chapters are ordered in a way for you to plan long or short itineraries around the country that really allow you to get a feel for the real Ethiopia (not that there's so much of an tourism industry that you'd miss it).It also gives great advice on hotels, restaurants and sights.I do think that there are a few shortcomings. Several of the restaurants in Addis are no longer open, and they miss a few great places. Part of this is the nature of the Addis restaurant scene, in which restaurants are constantly opening and closing. I have also found the prices to be a bit out of date - especially for hotels, but never underestimate how much the ferenji markup can be.Despite these shortcomings, the book is generally thorough, accurate, and pleasant to read. Finally, having owned several Ethiopia guide books, I can say with authority that this is by far the best. Unfortunately, Lonely Planet just hasn't gotten Ethiopia down.All in all - if you are headed to Ethiopia, this is the book you want.

This is the most recent and most useful of the small number of guidebooks for Ethiopia available in the U.S. Descriptions of places to see were clear and informative, and the sections on how to get around, where to stay, good places to eat, and other tips for each town were accurate and well-researched. This book also contains useful sketch maps of many towns; these are now FAR more accurate than those in older editions, and I found them easier to use than similar maps found in other guides. There is also a thoughtful section on general issues related to travel in Ethiopia. I found this far superior to the other commonly available guides I own for information on Addis Ababa, the so-called "historical circuit," and the lowland desert areas (information on this last region is pretty scarce, but this book has more than others). The book is focused on providing useful travel information and not on long descriptions or photographs; if an informative guidebook to use while travelling is what you're looking for, this one is your best bet. (Be sure to get the newest edition, though-- the previous ones weren't nearly as good!)