Eritrea

Eritrea Trip Planner

Plan your customized trip plan for Eritrea. Choose from Top Toursim cities and tourist attarctions of Eritrea using trip planner.

Eritrea Overview

It seems fit to describe Eritrea as one of Africa’s best kept secrets. With wilderness right out of your dreams and magical scenes created in front of your eyes- you will be amused at how beautiful this country is and yet how unrated it remains. There is plenty of nature waiting to intrigue you and it is sprinkled by heaps of cultural magic dust.  There is also a sense of newness to the entire country in the sense that it has very recently come out of a long standing war with Ethiopia and only in the year 2000 won the battle for establishing its own identity.

Visa Procedure

Most citizens need to procure a visa well in advance. The only exceptions are Nationals of Sudan who can obtain a visa on arrival and citizens of Uganda as well as Kenya can enter visa free. Additionally, if you have a pre confirmation of a visa then you can obtain a visa on arrival provided you send a request to the Eritrean embassy about 48 hours prior to your arrival.

Most Eritrean embassies have their forms uploaded online where you can print and fill to save time. Remember when you are applying for a visa, you should definitely address it to an Eritrean diplomatic mission in - or accredited to a country where you reside and hold the citizenship of and nowhere else. If there is no Eritrean Embassy or any related mission operating from your country, then it’s the best to get in touch with the foreign office/ministry to verify the nearest location of the aforementioned. Also remember to mention the post you will be entering from and departing from to obtain a visa. Apart from this, you need to have a return ticket as well as a passport with minimum 6 months validity on it.

When to go

The best time to visit Eritrea is from the months of October to March. These months mark the dry season and are considered to be pleasant all across the country. Flight tickets and accommodation prices are also great during the months of November and the month of February right before the advent and ending of the festive season.

Destinations to cover

When you are drawing out your Eritrea travel guide, remember to include Asmara, Massawa, Keren, Tessenei and Assab. As far as things to do in Eritrea are concerned, definitely remember to visit the Dahlak Archipelago, of which only four islands have settlements. Experience tranquillity at Debre bizen and experience history at Nafka where many movements have taken place. Matara also has a lot of history associated with it. You will require a complete day for Asmara itself. Here remember to include the famous Cathedral, Fiat Tagliero, Liberation Avenue and Al Khalafa Al Rashiudin Mosque in your itinerary.

Get in and around

If you are thinking of how to reach Eritrea then Asmara International Airport is your best bet. Apart from this even the Massawa International airport has a lot of flights operating in and out of it. There is no international train connection to Eritrea but you can take a train from Asmara to Massawa. You can also enter through Sudan although you are strongly advised against it. The borders with Ethiopia and Djibouti have officially been closed. Remember to have a visa in place and a vehicle of ownership as you enter Sudan. You can also enter by bus or taxi from Sudan to the Eritrean border. There are ports as well that have ferry services and you can choose to enter by boat via Assaba or Massawa. You can also consider the Red buses and white mini vans along with taxis to get around.

Hotels and Food

There are plenty of budget accommodations that you can get and also various mid-range and luxury options that are available in Eritrea.  You will get basic food for 2-3 USD and also remember to try out the African delicacies while you are here. Their staple food consists of a flat and a spongy crepe. The most eaten bread is called injera, which is made out of a batter of fermented grains. Spicy stews with meat and vegetables are served along with it and traditionally are eaten with hands. Also remember to try out shahan-ful (bean stew) served with pitas.

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