Préparez-vous pour la meilleure excursion d'une journée à Addis-Abeba

We watched a YouTube video of Gashaw doing a transit tour of Addis Ababa, and decided that's exactly what we wanted to do during our layover. However, we landed at 2:30pm in the afternoon and that meant it's almost 4pm by the time we got around to clear immigration, took the shuttle bus to the Skylight hotel and got a room. We were not sure how much of the city we could see before it got dark, and then it started raining and that probably meant it's only going to be a driving tour, and the traffic getting out of the hotel was horrific. But Gashaw made good use of every minute, we never imagined we could see and experience so much of the city in the limited time we had. We first drove by an area with lots of Chinese supermarkets and restaurants, we had not realized there were so many Chinese doing business in Ethiopia. Then the rain subsided and Gashaw took us to the Entoto Park up in the mountain, and we marveled at the panoramic view of the huge city below. There were some mushroom-shaped structures, and they look like the supertrees in the Garden By The Bay in Singapore, and Gashaw joked welcome to Singapore. We then took some photos and videos of the "E HIOPIA" sign, and also the Covid-19 memorial monument. We then came back down to the city, and Gashaw pointed to us a lot of the blue and white Soviet manufactured cars we passed by, also known as Blue donkeys. These cars were used as taxis but were also getting phased out with more modern vehicles. We then made a coffee stop at Tomoca Coffee, the oldest coffee shop in Addis Ababa which opened in 1953. We had the signature coffee, Italian expresso made with local Arabica beans and they were so good. We bought two bags of coffee beans to bring back as sovenirs. Then came the most intense part of the tour, a visit to the Addis Merkato, Africa's largest open-air marketplace. The streets around the market were packed with people, goods and cars. We certainly appreciated Gashaw's driving us into the heart of the market, and there's simply no better way to see what everyday lives of the working class are like in Addis. The porters were walking amazingly fast and carrying heavy loads of goods on their heads, but it's the loading of goods onto trucks that would take it to a next level. Heavy and big sacks or boxes were passed from one worker to another onto the trucks and got piled up like building a house, and the trucks would not move till floors high of goods were stacked. We then moved to the modern part of the city and drove by the impressive Tiglachin Monument, a tall pillar monument topped with a red star. The monument honors the Ethiopian and Cuban soldiers who fought for Ethiopia during the Ogaden War between Ethiopia and Somalia. We also saw several new landmarks in the city, including the tallest building in Addis, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. It has a glass and steel facade with jagged crystalline angles, which creates a stunning rippling visual effect ! Then there's the giant ring statue at the Ghion Riverside fountain. The urban transformation of the city is simply massive. Our last stop for the evening was the Friendship Park. It's a very nice park in the heart of Addis Ababa, and many couples came here for taking wedding photos. Gashaw took us uphill to a spot in the park with magnificent skyline view. And the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia building really stood out when it's lit up in green, yellow and red, the Ethiopia flag color. Then the water fountain show that combined music and dancing water jets in vibrant lights started, and we took a stroll down to the fountain plaza, joining the many families and tourists there to enjoy the show. We drove through the Bole neighborhood on our return to the hotel, it's a busy, modern and luxurious part of Addis with shopping malls, restaurants, coffee shops, bars, etc. It's such a big contrasts to the hustle and bustle of the market. We had such a blast touring Addis Ababa with Gashaw, and Gashaw scheduled all the stops cleverly to allow us to experience both the daytime and nightime scenery of the city. There are of course a lot more to see in Addis Ababa, and we would certainly want Gashaw to take us to the places we missed in this short layover, as well as other parts of the country on our next trip to Ethiopia.

If you want a real Ethiopian local experience, take this tour—it's a must. Be prepared for the best local tour. My guide, Gashaw, was highly knowledgeable and able to explain in thorough detail the history of Ethiopia and answer all my questions. I was treated to a local meal, a coffee ceremony, and a nice walk in the biggest African market. I was given a wide cultural variety to experience and I am very grateful to have met my guide and experienced this trip. Thank you.

Addis Abeba is an amazing city and I couldn’t have a better tour guide as Desale and Kulen as a great driver. Desale was very knowledgeable and explained me a lot about the history and the culture of Ethiopia. He ensured that I enjoyed every moment and ensured that I didn’t missed all the important sights. He is very professional and was very flexible to adjust the program to my needs. I was astonished on his presentation & explanation at the museum and in all other places we visited

If you’re looking for a tour of Addis, look no further. Gashaw was the best guide we could have imagined! He is insanely knowledgeable on everything Ethiopia, from current events to ancient history, and clearly has a passion for sharing that knowledge. He was super open to changing around the itinerary throughout the day based on the things we showed interest in, and could tell when we were getting tired and were ready to call it a day (but he totally would have kept going if we wanted to). He also generously got us lunch which wasn’t supposed to be included in the tour price, and went out of his way to take us extra places that weren’t part of the original plan. He was also totally open to me filming for my travel vlog YouTube channel and would give me a heads up when we were coming up on something that would make good video content so I could get the camera rolling. This experience exceeded every expectation we had, and we’ll be recommending him and Aspire Ethiopia Tours to everyone we know.

Attractions in Addis are interesting. The National Museum deserves more investment, but it's worth it. Visit Orthodox churches, the old palace, a traditional restaurant and a café as well. As it was fiery, we could not visit the Merkatto. The only thing I didn't really like was the guide's behavior. At a certain point, he began to weave indiscrete comments and ask questions about personal topics, including whether I had ever had relationships with black men and whether I knew about women doing sex tourism in Africa. I found it extremely disrespectful and nothing professional.

I spent one of the most wonderful day in my life with Gashaw (the guide), he was completely devoted to his job and his passion to make you understand and discover the Ethiopian culture and lifestyle. I totally recommend Aspire Ethiopia Tours for all your tours in Ethiopia, they are the best and Gashaw make fall in love of Ethiopia and you will want to be back. Do not hesitate, visit Ethiopia with Aspire Ethiopia Tours.

There are a TON of walking Ethiopia tours to choose from. Quite frankly it’s overwhelming. After reading through a ton of them and selecting this one, I feel as if I couldn’t have made a better choice. Gashaw was a fantastic tour guide. Very informative and knowledgeable and takes you to all of the hot spots. More importantly he took his time and I never felt rushed. Often with these tours it’s just rush from place to place, get you in and out and seems robotic. He answered every question (I had many), offered suggestions, advice and provided anything that I needed. I asked him where I could get my beard cut and he even took me to the barber shop! Also asked if I should need anything else after the tour, to not hesitate to reach out. Although there are endless people offering the same tour, please do this one. You won’t regret it. We all need to support exceptional service when we receive it and that’s exactly what this tour and Gashaw is. Look no further! The best city tour in Ethiopia is here!

Our tour guide was wonderful. He picked us up on time at our hotel and took us to the National Museum, Entoto Park, St George’s cathedral, and the Mercato followed by some drive-by’s of other sites. He was very knowledgeable and helped us make the best of a rainy day. Highly recommended tour operation.

My experience with the guide was excellent. In addition to sharing stories and curiosities about the tourist attractions we visited, he made us feel safe throughout the tour. I highly recommend him, thank you!

I was the only participant. A guide and a driver attended me full day. Both of them were so kind and explanation from the guide was very professional. It was very nice experience. Especially mercato was superb!!