For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to visit Addis Ababa. Mostly because it is the political capital of the African continent. For this reason, Addis is a fitting place to start a trip to explore the African continent. Equally as important.  I was encouraged by the stories shared by friends who have visited Addis Ababa. The main thing they repeated was “try injera” and “attend a buna ceremony”. Finally, am in Addis Ababa immersing myself in the culture, eating as much injera as possible and enjoying the coffee. I have made my first month here worthwhile; I am learning Amharic from my interactions every day and learning the history and various cultures of Ethiopia. Some of the awesome things I have gotten up to in the past couple of weeks, I have photographed the Great Ethiopian Run, learnt to get around Addis on the local minibuses and tried as much food and beer as I could. 

Getting around Addis

Transport in Addis has been one of the most exciting, I have been getting around the city using Ride, Blue Taxis and minibuses. When I first arrived at Bole International Airport,  I got a private taxi, which is comfortable, well maintained and safe but often costs anything from 200bir(U$6.30). The most pleasant thing about Addis Ababa has been how easy it is to find a market or a small shop within walking distance. Which makes walking in Addis one of the best ways to explore the city. If the altitude makes walking intolerable, it might be best to use the Ride app, Ethiopia’s biggest ride-hailing service. It is fast and easy to get a ride within 5 minutes and it costs a lot less than the regular taxis. 

On the evening of my first day in Addis, I was invited to the Divali celebrations at the new Indian embassy. Our trip cost about 186 birr, which comes up to about $6 or 60 pula for an 8km journey. Ride is the largest ride-hailing service with 7,000 drivers and there are some lesser-known competitors as well. If you like haggling with the driver to get a good price the blue taxis might be an option. Most times it's difficult to get a good deal and the taxis are usually old Soviet-era Ladas, which can be very uncomfortable. 

The most budget-friendly option for getting around Addis Ababa is the local minibus network which is common across the African continent. We call them Kombis in Botswana, in Kenya they are called matatu. During peak hours, however, the taxis can be full and that is an uncomfortable experience. The big plus for the minibuses is that they are cheap and reliable, once you know where you are going. A short trip costs between 2 to 3 birr (0.03 - 0.10 USD), while longer trips would cost 9 birr (0.28 USD). 

One thing though that I can not miss when covering transportation in Addis Ababa is the maddening traffic. Which I guess seems to be a feature of any growing city. Addis Ababa’s construction boom might be an indication of what is in store for the transport needs of Africa’s Capital. 

Addis Ababa’s light rail train system has been the topic of much discussion across the internet. I figure it deserves its own YouTube video and dedicated article. Which will cover the 2 existing lines, the new proposed lines and the greater impact it has on transforming Addis Ababa’s transport systems as the city and economy of Ethiopia continue to grow.

A taste of Addis

The true adventure in Addis Ababa has been sampling the cuisine. I have had my fair share of delicious Ethiopian dishes. My top picks so far would have to be Tibs, bayonet, Shiro and of course, injera. Since I am staying with a family on Workaway, I have had the pleasure of trying some Ethiopian breakfast foods. Sometimes I like to get my injera from a restaurant in Bole called Mehdin Shiro. They serve the best bayonet in Addis and their manager is always courteous and helpful when we visit. You’d think the best thing about Ethiopian cuisine would be the food itself, but there is a custom called Gursha. Gursha is an act of friendship and love that involves feeding food to ones friends or family.

Now that I got the food out of the way, it is time for my favourite section, the beer. I try to sample as much of the local beer as possible when I travel. I've been sampling the beer selection in Addis Ababa and so far it has been great. My favourites are Bedele and Habesha, for their taste for the most part. Bedele reminds me of a South African beer popular back home in Botswana, Black Label. Habesha, however, is a combination of their cool Habesha angel logo and their tagline “Cold Gold”. Of all the beers I have tasted, Anbessa has an awful aftertaste that turned me off of the beer the very first time I tasted it. Some other locally produced beers worth mentioning are St Georges and Castel Lager, and no it is not the same as the South African produced Castle Lager.

 I have tasted the locally produced wine and none of the ones I tried was good enough to write about. I am yet to taste tej however which I have heard great reviews about.  What has been a pleasant surprise though, is the locally produced gin, which almost always cost  100 birr (3.15USD).

The best-tasting coffee I have had is from Ethiopia. From the Indian chai walla to espresso on the French Riviera, nothing compares to the wondrous taste of Ethiopian coffee. To top it off the Buna ceremony makes the coffee experience 10 times better because you realise that coffee in Ethiopia is more of an experience than anything else. You smell it, you taste it and you want to take some with you when you head back home. Little known fact coffee is originally from Ethiopia.

Running is a way of life in Addis

One of the best things you can do for yourselves is enjoy the running scene in Addis Ababa, it is insane. On any morning around the Entoto mountains, you will see people running, jogging and training. It is fitting since Ethiopia is the land of long-distance and mid-distance running in the world. Within the first few weeks in Addis, I got a chance to photograph the Great Ethiopian Run which is organized by Haile Gebrselassie.  I don't have a lot of groupie moments, but meeting Haile Gebrselassie has to be one of them. The 10km annual marathon pulls a whooping 45,000 people every year. The run always starts in Meskel Square in November. The race draws running enthusiasts from around the world as well.

My stay in Addis Ababa has been made great by volunteering for, Run Africa, an athletics club and high-altitude training tourism operator. Filming and photographing their training sessions and hikes has given me a glimpse at the running culture in Addis. It is great to run and keep fit with elite athletes in Addis Ababa. 

Startup Addis

Addis Ababa has a budding startup scene made up of a few startups that have made it to the big leagues already. Ride, Ethiojobs, Deliver Addis and Sheger Gebeta are just some of the largest users. 

Ride is a ride-hailing service similar to Uber and Taxify, with close to 7000 drivers already serving customers in Addis Ababa. The service is easy to use, reliable and cheaper than traditional taxi services in Addis. Ethiojobs is Ethiopia’s largest online job portal that connects recruiters and job seekers. Ethio Jobs also connects job seekers with courses and career advice. Deliver Addis provides home delivery service for a handful of restaurants in Addis Ababa. Sheger Gebeta is a hyper-local guide and restaurant discovery community built on a 100,000-follower Telegram channel.

 Since I have been in Addis, I have visited the 2 main startup hubs operating in the city, IceAddis and Bluemoon. IceAddis is a collaborative community founded in 2011 that fosters collaboration between tech founders and creatives in Addis Ababa. The incubator offers consultancy services, a coworking space, workshops and networking events. 

Blue moon is IceAddis’ better-funded competitor which is larger and when I visited they had 1 office under renovation and a 2-floor office housing their coworking space and dedicated office space. Bluemoon focuses on investing and incubating startups in the agribusiness space. However, they do offer coworking spaces for other startups as well.

A bonus space to include is a coworking space hosted in a guesthouse, restaurant and rooftop lounge called Ambience.

I will be doing a full review of these hubs individually once I have spent time with the different teams learning about their operations and the startups they host in their incubator or coworking spaces. 

My first impressions of Addis Ababa revolve around the food, the drinks, the atmosphere, getting around town and the buzzing tech scene. This is one of many blog entries that will focus on everything Addis Ababa. There are a lot of other fascinating topics that deserve to be covered on their own. For now, I'm just glad that I'm here and I get to explore the city for myself. I plan to visit some monuments, museums and the beautiful churches while I am still here. 

If you have been to Addis or you would love to visit feel free to comment and share any tips or suggestions about Addis Ababa.