INTRODUCTION:
Eritrea lies in the Horn of Africa and is officially known as the State of Eritrea. The country shares its eastern border with the Red Sea while to the west and southeast, Sudan and Djibouti come to share borders with Eritrea. The longest border is in the south and disputed rather than shared with Ethiopia.
War with Ethiopia has however come to a halt. The Eritrean side seems much more peaceful than the Ethiopian side of the border. Eritrea’s promising attitude is taking it to grow more peaceful and stable and hence better than before. This has accounted for tourists’ confidence in visiting the country.
The country has undergone face uplift where it saw construction of new asphalted roads, upgrading of ports and railway lines. The roads and bridges damaged by war with Ethiopia have also been largely repaired and re-built.
Eritrea has especially been successful in keeping its tourist attractions safe from any destructive effects of war and the economic instability caused by the war. However, travel outside the capital, Asmara, becomes somewhat risky. Water sport, beach and art-loving travelers are guaranteed to enjoy what Eritrea flights have to offer.
MAJOR CITIES:
Asmara: is the capital city of Eritrea and the largest in the country by area. It is the safest and most attractive spot for tourists in Eritrea.
Massawa: must be visited during a trip to Eritrea. The city has fantastic beaches and is filled with colonial buildings dating back to Italian, Ottoman and Ethiopian reigns.
Keren: is the second largest Eritrean city after Asmara. The Art Deco buildings in the city should be of great interest to most travelers.
Nakfa: was completely destroyed in a series of attacks until just a Mosque managed to survive in the city. It is a remote village and, visited mainly for its scenic beauty.
Assab: sits in the south of Eritrea sharing a border with the Red Sea. It is the main port of the country and known for its nightlife and beaches.
Mendefera: was an important town of a civilization that lived here around 5th century BC. The civilization is known as Aksumite. Excavations have dug out tombs, ancient buildings, roman coins and much more to be enjoyed. Much of the city is left to be explored.
Agordat: is an important market town popular for its little eateries, bars and an Italian hospital.
GET IN:
Visa:
Before boarding on flights to Eritrea, all nationals are required to obtain a visa but Kenyans and Ugandans. Visas must be applied for, only at the Eritrean embassy in the home country or the nearest embassy accredited to nationals of home country. If there is no Eritrean diplomatic representation in the home country, foreign office or foreign ministry need to be consulted to get information regarding the nearest accredited Eritrean embassy.
All nationals require passports and return tickets along with the visas. Passports are expected to remain valid up till 3 months after the visa has been applied for. Transit passengers do not need to have a visa unless they have valid documentation for following journey and their plan does not allow them to leave Eritrea within 6 hours.
Business visas require processing time of 5-10 working days while others including tourist visas can be processed within 48 hours. Single entry visas of all kinds remain valid up to 3 months. Extensions can be made after arriving in Eritrea by registering with the foreign ministry in Asmara.
In order to move outside the capital Asmara, a travel permit needs to be acquired. This rule is followed even by government or other higher officials residing in Eritrea. The rule has been enforced due to tensions over Djiboutian and Ethiopian borders and the security lapses of UN deployed peacekeepers.
Flying:
The airport at Asmara, also known as Asmara International Airport is the major international airport of Eritrea. Using Lufthansa from Frankfurt is the safest and most reliable way to travel to Asmara. Although a number of other airlines also serve this airport from which cheap flights to Eritrea can be found. Saudi Arabian Airlines connect Asmara with Jeddah, Yemenia connects it with Sana’a and EgyptAir connects it with Cairo.
There are two more international airports in Eritrea at Massawa and Assab where no airline has agreed to land its aircraft up till now. Nasair, the Eritrean carrier serves both the airports with scheduled flights. Internationally, only Pakistan International Airlines is serving Massawa International Airport and that too, for local VIPs and foreign leaders only. President of Yemen uses Pakistan International Airlines for voyages to Eritrea.
GET AROUND:
Flying:
The airports in the cities of Asmara, Agordat, Massawa, Assab and Teseney combine to form Eritrean aviation infrastructure. Nasiair has scheduled flights to Asmara International Airport, Massawa International Airport and Assab International Airport. The domestic Teseney Airport and Agordat Airport receive no scheduled commercial flights by far.
Car:
Driving in Eritrea is done on the right-hand side of the road and an international driving permit is required to be able to drive. Tourist agencies provide cars with drivers who can converse well in English. Roads in and around the major cities of Asmara, Barentu, Massawa, Keren and Adi Quala are in a good condition where saloons might work well. Roads in other parts of the country are either gravel or poorly maintained, if paved, thus they require a 4x4.
Bus:
Buses are cheap almost everywhere in Africa but what is surprising in Eritrea is that here the buses are very comfortable too. These only run when full and have no set schedules but travelers are advised to reach early to grab their seat.
Between the major routes of Asmara, Massawa and Keren, buses run at least twice a day while for smaller towns, they leave once a day. Anyhow, traveling in buses is advisable.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS:
Archeological Sites:
History aficionados will have a very good time in Eritrea for sure. The wonderments hidden in Red Sea for such travelers are the sites of Adulis and Dahlak Kebir. Adulis was an important seaport during the Aksum civilization. The civilization fell in the 8th century but left much to be explored about it. The island of Dahlak Kebir in Red Sea is home to some ruins, a necropolis and fossils. No wonder why the place is totally enthralling.
Matara is located near the capital city, Asmara and it remained an important city during the Aksum period. Its thousand year life has left many memories for modern man to take a look at.
Massawa Island:
This is a worth visiting place, however of interest primarily to those who have some knowledge of and are interested in arts and architecture. The old neighborhood in the city of Massawa is home to Turkish and Egyptian constructions as well as those that portray a mixture of Italian and Moorish architecture. Buildings built with coral rock and adorned with wooden screen windows, known as Mashrabeya remain the highlight of the city of Massawa.
National Museum of Eritrea:
The museum opened up in 1992 to present the history of Eritrea to the people of this country. The museum conducts activities such as exploring archeological sites and more on Eritrean history. The museum was first housed in the former Governor’s Palace but later moved to its present day location at Comboni Sisters School for Women in 1997.
Dankalia:
Dankalia, a volcanic desert by the coastline is, of course, a worth visiting place especially for sightseers and photographers. The views of desert give the area, a feel of a different planet as shown in the sci-fi movies of Hollywood. The land is home to the Afar group.
Qohaito:
The site of pre-Christian ruins, Qohaito was an Aksumite city. The Romans gave it the name of Koloe. According to historical evidences, the city remained inhabited until 6th century AD and its importance lied in its being a stop over for trading in Africa. Some historians also assume that that city used to be the administrative hub in summer months. Whether or not it was the capital, the city was important and although much of it remains to be excavated, it is a place to be checked out.
LANGUAGES:
Eritrea has a number of ethnic groups residing within its vicinity and the constitution maintains equality for all. To symbolize equality, no officially languages have been set for the country and every Eritrean speaks whatever they have inherited and whatever they like to.
The languages, most commonly spoken in Eritrea are Tigrinya and Arabic and these are used for official matters too. English and Italian are also spoken and well understood by the locals, bringing tourists at an ease.
80% of the country’s population speaks Tigre and Tigrinya as their first language. Nara, Kunama, Afar, Dahlic, Blin, Saho, Beja and a number of other native languages are spoken by different ethnicities of the country. Most Eritreans speak more than one native language.
WEATHER:
1ST Quarter:
For the first quarter of the year, rainfall is scarce initially which rises to 1cm by the end of February and 2cm by March. A good 9 hours of daily sunshine are experienced in the month of January and February but this time reduces to 8 hours in March. Humidity levels, in a decreasing trend, change from 53% in January to 50% by the end of February and 49% in March. Temperature ranges for the months of January, February and March are; 6oC-23oC, 7oC-24oC and 9oC-25oC respectively.
2nd Quarter:
Precipitation increases to 3cm in April and 4cm by mid-May but drop back to almost 3cm in June. 3.5 hours of daily sunlight are seen in April, which increases to 5 hours in May to reduce back to 3.5 hours in June. 55% of humidity level in April falls to 48% in May and touch 50% in June. Temperatures in April can range from 10oC to 25oC and in May and June it does not seem to rise higher than 26oC. In the last two months of the second quarter, temperatures can be as low as 11oC and 12oC.
3rd Quarter:
Rainfalls are highest in the month of July and can measure up to 17cm which drops to 15cm in August and remains just 5cm by September. Humidity is highest in August at 81% which in July is 80% and 62% in September. The month of July sees no more than 5 hours of daily sunshine but the time increases to 6 hours for August and 8 hours for September. In July and August, temperatures do not fall below 12oC while the lowest average temperature in September remains 10oC. Highest temperature in July is 22oC which lowers to 21oC for August to rise to 24oC for September.
4th Quarter:
Precipitation reaches 1cm by October but rises to 2cm in September to fall back to lower than 1cm in December. 9 hours of daily sunshine are experienced in this quarter of the year. Temperatures do not exceed 22oC throughout the quarter but can fall as low as 9oC in October, 8oC in November and 7oC in December. Humidity level is same in the months of October and December at 62% which increases for a short time in November to reach 66%.
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