Eritrea borders the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan, with a long disputed border with Ethiopia.
Understand
Eritrea was conquered in 1890 by Italy, who hung onto it until World War II, when they were expelled by the British. Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a federation. Ethiopia’s annexation of Eritrea as a province ten years later sparked a 30-year struggle for independence, which ended in 1991 with Eritrean rebels defeating Ethiopian and Ethiopian-backed forces. Independence was overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum, administered by the UN.
Hopes were high when the new state was born but a new border war with Ethiopia erupted again in 1998 and ended only under UN auspices in December 2000. Eritrea briefly hosted a UN peacekeeping operation that monitored a 25 km-wide Temporary Security Zone on the border with Ethiopia. An international commission, organized to resolve the border dispute, posted its findings in 2002. However, final demarcation is on hold due to Ethiopian objections, and the border remains very tense to this day. Eritrea has since expelled the peacekeepers due to lack of support from the UN in having the border ruling enforced.
Climate. Hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 610mm of rainfall annually); semiarid in western hills and lowlands; rainfall heaviest during June-September except in the coastal desert. Massawa, the tropical beach area is usually a very humid and hot atmosphere. Asmara highs to 32 °C lows to 21 °C usually followed by rain in the winter.
Landscape. Bordering Ethiopia, there are north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to rolling plains.
Eritrea is relatively small), about the same size as Pennsylvania or England.
The highlands in the center and south of Eritrea, the western lowlands, the Sahel in the north, the subtropical eastern escarpments, the northern coast and archipelago and the southern coast.
The highlands, with Asmara, 1500 – 3500m asl has a Mediterranean and dry climate, with little seasonal variation in temperature. Rainy season May – September, dry season December to April. The landscape essentially consists of valleys, hills and vast expanses of plateaus interrupted by dramatic chasms and gorges. The dry season has red-brown, rusty, beige or black landscape, vegetation consists of shrubbery, eucalyptus, aloes, cacti and colorful bougainvillea, jacaranda or other ornamental plants. The rainy season brings verdant, emerald and grassy landscape in the post-rain months from August to October.
Rural highlanders live a lifestyle, which resembles Biblical times: villages with stone houses, small plots, ancient temples (both Christian and Muslim), people farming and herding with traditional means using little technology, and transporting their goods (as well as themselves) with mules and camels. A good place to explore the highland landscape is in the outskirts of Asmara, the capital. Near the village of Tselot is the Martyrs National Park, inaugurated in 2000. It is a mountainous forest and wildlife preserve at the ridge of the highland plateau where the capital was built.
Tessenei market town by the Sudanese border lies between the dry and green parts of the lowlands. Place of trade for the nomadic peoples of the desert and the sedentary farming communities of the Savannah. It is accessible by asphalt road from Asmara via Keren 10 hours. Buses run daily from Asmara. It can also be reached by dirt track from the Sudanese city of Kassala only 40 km (25 mi) away. Considering the border bureaucracy, this short distance could however prove to be a whole day’s endeavor.
The Sahel in northern Eritrea consists of a narrow chain of mountains 1000 to 2500m high. The landscape is very arid and fit for only the most tenacious of nomadic herding communities. The central and northern core consists of impenetrable and hair-raising mountain passes, gorges and valleys. This was the main base for the Eritrean rebels (who now make up the country’s government) when they fought against Ethiopia for Eritrea’s independence. The best place to explore the Sahel is the town of Nakfa,
Dahlak islands. The beaches are clean, white and pristine, with lagoons of clear turquoise water. The only way here is to charter a boat in Massawa. The biggest island Dahlak Kebir, which features one modest resort-hotel is only 90 km away.
Southern coast is dramatic and inhospitable with volcanoes, quicksand, bubbling sulfuric mud pools, salt lakes, coastal cliffs and inland depressions. The elevation ranges between 2000 to 100 meters below sea level. Temperatures reache 55°C with high humidity. keeps the temperatures high all throughout the day and seasonal variations are the same as on the northern coast. The northern inland areas of mountains to the west and coastal desert to the east. mountain goats and ostriches. Situated between the port cities of Massawa and Assab. about 500 km apart best visited on a journey between
Dahlak Archipelago the Red Sea’s largest archipelago of which just four islands are inhabited; ruins from the early Arabic/Islamic settlers of the 8th century have been found and Ethiopian weapons and vehicles dumped into the sea during the war have created large artificial reefs great for diving.
Debre Bizen; is a hilltop Orthodox monastery founded in 1361; women are forbidden but men can hike to the top to enjoy beautiful scenery and visit the monastery’s centuries old library.
Matara; ruins dating from the Aksumite Empire, partially destroyed in recent conflicts.
Nakfa; was home to the resistance movement against Ethiopia for 30 years and namesake of the currency, it was leveled in 1983 bombing raids; surrounded by trenches and remnants of the war, there is a sizeable population but it is considerably smaller than pre-war.
GET IN.
Visa. Most nationalities must apply for a visa in advance. When you apply for a visa to Eritrea, you must do it at an Eritrean diplomatic mission in – or accredited to – the country where you are a citizen and nowhere else.
Visas are supposedly available on arrival in Eritrea, on condition that you have a local sponsor and that s/he has filed a letter of sponsorship with the Eritrean Immigration Authority 48 hours before your arrival. It would be best to get a visa before arriving in the country. Journalists may struggle to get a visa.
There’s a travel agency based in Asmara called Asmara Grande (www.asmaragrande.com) to to help with a visa on arrival for tourism purposes, hotel bookings, airport pickups, transport and permits to travel to Massawa,Keren etc.etc. You can contact Mr.Tekeste Asghedom at faidex@gemel.com.er or asmaragrande@gemel.com.er
By Plane. EgyptAir serves Asmara daily from Cairo. Eritrean Airlines – the national airline – fly from Jeddah and Milan. flydubai fly from Dubai. Nova Airways and Sudan Airways fly from Khartoum. Turkish Airlines flies from Istanbul.
By car. From Sudan (Kassala border crossing) with a valid certificate of ownership, passports and visas in order and a customs declaration. The roads on the borders are very poor so you should be driving a 4WD.
The border with Djibouti has been indefinitely closed as of December 2008.
By bus. Sudanese pickup taxis running from Kassala to the Eritrean border and Eritrean taxis to Tessenei (45kms).
By boat. Ports and harbours: Assab, Massawa. Massawa – Jeddah is mainly Muslim pilgrims
GET AROUND
Villages like Embaderho and Tselot are well worth visiting for their scenery and traditional lifestyle.
Renting a car is insanely expensive and fuel prices are higher than in Europe. Renting a cab to drive you around town is also quite expensive, but affordable. Be prepared to pay around 3000 – 6000 Nakfa for a weekend with a driver. It is perhaps better to take the bus or contact one of the national tour agencies (ask at the information desk at the airport upon arrival).
By train. A vintage train line from Asmara to Massawa takes 2 hours.
To travel anywhere outside Asmara (other than Martyr’s National Park), you need to get permits from the Ministry of Tourism. They are issued usually the same day. Without a permit no hotel will accept you.
Talk. Eritrea has no official language. Tigrinya serves as the de facto language of national identity. Other national languages of the various ethnic groups of Eritrea include Tigre, Kunama, Saho, Bilen, Nara, and Afar.
Arabic and English serve as de facto working languages. Italian, the former colonial language, is widely used in commerce, with a few elderly monolinguals.
SEE
Asmara clean, tranquillity and architectural style, what it makes it unique and so lovely are the public buildings, villas, and mansions of Art Deco (or Decorative Art). They were built from different architectural styles ranging from Art Deco to Futuristic and Rationalist .
Art Deco built in the first four decades of the 20th century by mass labor force of its native people, and with few Italian lire and engineers. Most Art Deco buildings in the world are found in few cities. In Asmara, they are intact, preserved and old.
Asmara Cathedral – with a bell tower that reaches high into the sky, the Cathedral of Asmara is a sterling piece of Lombard-Romanesque architecture and a useful bearing point for lost travelers.
Enda Mariam Orthodox Cathedral (St. Mary) – The ancient church is located at the center of the city and symbolizes the four directions of the earth (east, west, north and south) the four gates on each direction haver an equal number of worshipers passing through them every day.
At the compound of this church you will find a tree called “Berberestelim” long ago priests use to wash dead bodies by adding these tree leaves into the water and the body stays as it is for years.
Asmara Theatre and Opera House – Constructed in 1920, the Asmara Opera House is an amazing Italian Architectural piece.
Al Khulafa Al Rashiudin Mosque – Is one of the most elegant Mosques in Africa. The architecture is eclectic a mix Italian and local Moorish styles.
Fiat Tagliero – One a very few futuristic architectural pieces ever built in the World. It is an old service station designed to look like an airplane. It has two ~70 ft cantilevered wings, acting as a cover for each side.
DO
Asmara thin dry air at 2,600 meters (8,530 ft). Sunscreen and a sweater as cold at night
Hikng, rock climbing and mountain biking outside of town. No rental bikes
Money. Eritrean Nakfa pegged 15 Nakfas to the USD.
The black market used to offer much better rates, but the difference between the official and the black market rates has narrowed and more difficult outside Asmara. Eritrea is all cash – foreign credit and debit cards are not accepted anywhere.
Sleep. Some hotels have one price for foreigners and another for locals. In most smaller towns, the lodging is quite modest and priced accordingly – shared bathroom, no room-service, a common room TV, no air-conditioning and no change of sheets or cleaning throughout occupancy. In a hot place like Massawa, recommend a mid-range hotel with air-conditioning
Stay safe. Eritrea is generally safe and you can walk about at night and anywhere in the cities and not worry about crime.
Health. Do not drink the tap water. Practice safe sex, adult HIV/AIDS is currently 0.8%, so not an issue.
Respect. Eritreans are polite, hospitable and soft-spoken but nowhere near as friendly, vivacious and open as most other Africans. Instead, they are generally reserved, sometimes even a little bit aloof.
Using the black market to change money may be unavoidable given the unattractive official rate, but it is not without risk. A) People offering to change money could be undercover government agents, who can land you in severe trouble with the zero-tolerance Eritrean justice system, or B) Even if they are not, you run the risk of not receiving a fair trade or getting caught by the law, which is something you must avoid at all costs in Eritrea.
It is rude to take pictures of people or their property without asking for permission.
NM Eritrea
Experiences
Ashenda. A festival celebrated in northern Ethiopia among Orthodox Christianity that commemorates the heavenly ascension of the Virgin Mary following her Dormition. It is typically celebrated between 16-26 August every year. Its length varies from three days to one month depending on the locale (shorter in urban areas, longer in rural areas). Though it originates from the Tigray region, the holiday is mainly celebrated by Tigrayans throughout the Tigray Region, some Amharas in the bordering Amhara Region of Lasta and Agaws in Wag Hemra.
Meskel. A Christian holiday in the Ethiopian Orthodox and Eritrean Orthodox churches that commemorates the discovery of the True Cross by the Roman Empress Helena (Saint Helena) in the fourth century. Meskel occurs September 27 or September 14.
The feast is held in Meskel Square, named after the festival, in the capital city of Addis Ababa. Religious and civil leaders preside over the celebration, and public figures give speeches and reference biblical themes and stories. Many Ethiopians who live in cities return to their villages to celebrate the national event. When it gets darker, the Demera is burned.
NOMAD MANIA Eritrea – Highlands – Maekel, Anseba, Gash-Barka, Debub (Asmara)
World Heritage Sites: Asmara: A Modernist African City
Tentative WHS: Qoahito Cultural Landscape (02/03/2011) Vestiges of the Past; Qohaito
Borders
Eritrea-Ethiopia
Eritrea-Sudan
XL: Akhran border zone
World of Nature
Gash-Setit Wildlife Reserve
Semenawi Bahri National Park
Yob Wildlife Reserve
Rivers
Barka River
Mareb River
Tekkeze/Setit River
Festivals: Festival Eritrea
African Cities
MENDEFERA
TESENEY
KEREN
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Keren Fort
ASMARA World Capital, World Cities and Popular Towns
World Heritage Sites: Asmara: A Modernist African City
Airports: Asmara (ASM)
Museums: National Museum of Eritrea
Religious Temples
Church of Our Lady of the Rosary
Enda Mariam Cathedral
Great Mosque of Asmara
Modern Architecture Buildings
Fiat Tagliero Building
Governor’s Palace
World Bank Building
Markets: The Shuq
Urban Legends: Fiat Tagliero
Monuments: Sandal Monument
The Dark Side: Tank Graveyard
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++NOMAD MANIA Eritrea – North and South Red Sea (Massawa, Assab)
M@P: Assab Bay islands
Islands: Dahlak Kebir
Borders
Eritrea (sea border/port)
Eritrea-Ethiopia
Eritrea-Sudan
XL
Dankalia southern (Assab)
North (Nakfa)
DAHLAK ARCHIPELAGO Islands, M@P
World of Nature: Dahlak Marine National Park
Villages and Small Towns
MASSAWA OLD TOWN
Museums: Massawa: Massawa Museum
Religious Temples: Massawa: Massawa Central Mosque