The man motioned for me to follow him down the stairs. I hesitated. Moments earlier he had opened a trap door in the red carpeted floor. It seemed like the beginning of a budget-traveler horror b-movie where the character stupidly walks into a dark dead end of doom rather than running for freedom. I looked over at my travel companion – a former soldier – his eyes were wide with alarm and he motioned his head from side to side in the international signal of “hell no.” I walked down anyway. It was the crypt of Menelik II – Emperor of Ethiopia, and it was the absolute last place I expected to be when I checked in for my flight to Tel Aviv just a mere 10 hours earlier in Bangkok. How did I end up here? Ethiopian Airlines Free Stopover Program.
“Here is your transfer ticket, and hotel voucher in Addis Ababa” the attendant at the check-in counter at Bangkok Airport chirped nonchalantly. I was checking in for my Ethiopian airlines flight from Bangkok to Tel Aviv, and while my trip transited in Addis Ababa; I certainly had not booked an actual stay there. “What?” I said, bewildered. “I never booked a hotel in Addis Ababa” I said perplexed. “It’s included in your airfare as your layover is over 8 hours” the attendant replied. “Oh?!?” I murmured, not certain about how to feel. “I guess I’m going to visit Addis Ababa?” I said in a tone reflecting someone who was just told they would be dropped off in a surprise destination in Africa in less than 10 hours. This is the story of how I accidentally got a free trip to Africa through Ethiopian Airlines Free Stopover program; and how you can be more prepared for such a lucky coincidence than I was.
This post includes affiliate links. If you make a purchase via one of these links, I may receive a small percentage at no extra cost to you.
Content:
- What is Ethiopian Airlines’ Free Stopover Program
- What about Entry Visas?
- Things to do before leaving the airport
- What Does the Stopover Program look like
- Things to do in Addis Ababa
- Final Thoughts on Ethiopian Airlines’ Stopover program
What is Ethiopian Airlines Free Stopover Program:
Ethiopian Airlines Free stopover program is available free of charge for Ethiopian Airlines passengers transiting through Addis Ababa. The program provides free round-trip transportation, meals and hotel stay for passengers with layover greater than 8 hours, but less than 24 hours. You are not obligated to participate in the stopover program, but you will likely be given vouchers and information about the program upon check-in for your departing flight. If you meet the criteria for the free transfer program and are not provided information about it at check-in you can inquire about it. They may direct you to talk to the transit program desk upon your arrival in Addis Ababa, if you are interested in participating. If you’re not eligible for the free stopover program, your options are unfortunately limited to staying in the airport, as you would generally otherwise will have needed to arrange for an entry visa beforehand. If you’re unable to leave the airport, I would recommend getting access to a lounge at the airport which will include food, drinks, comfortable seating, reliable wifi and comfortable seating. If you have Star Alliance Gold access, the Ethiopian Airlines lounge is excellent. Otherwise, you can obtain access to the Plaza Premium lounge (and many other lounges around the world) with a Priority Pass membership.
What about Entry Visas?
Normally, an entry visa arranged before arrival in Ethiopia would be required for entry into the country. The interesting thing about Ethiopian Airlines Free Stopover program is that they provide the necessary documents for entry and exit from the country without you having to go through the often arduous and costly process of applying for a visa beforehand. In my case, I just walked to immigration with my passport and Ethiopian Airlines transit vouchers and tickets, they took a brief scan of my documents, waved me through.
If you’ve ever fancied crossing a normally difficult to visit part of the world off your list for free, it’s worthwhile to know about the free transfer program in advance to make the most of your visit! There are stories of people who actually went through the cost and trouble of arranging visas for their layover in Addis Ababa before hand and are choked to find out that they could have just gotten everything for free. #TheMoreYouKnow
Things to do before leaving the airport:
Double-check with the Ethiopian Airlines staff that you are not to pick up your checked baggage. For my experience, I was told that I did not need to pick up my checked-baggage in Addis Ababa, however, my bags did not end up getting delivered to my final destination – and neither did anybody else’s who participated in the stopover program. It made me wonder if we were meant to pick up our checked bags in Addis Ababa and re-check them when we came back to the airport – so best to double-check. If participating in the stopover program, I would recommend having everything you need in your carry-on baggage, and placing an AirTag in your checked baggage if you have one – so if it gets lost, you have an idea where it might be. My checked bag was eventually delivered to me at my hotel at my final destination one day after my arrival.
Ensure you are clear on your return transfer before you leave the airport, the hotel you are assigned will generally know when your transfer back to the airport will leave; but it’s always good to double check with the staff and driver beforehand.
I would suggest getting some local currency before you leave the airport – as it may be difficult and/or costly (with ATM fees) to obtain the small amount of money you may need for souvenirs. My recommendation is just to exchange a small amount of currency (US$ and Euros work well) at the currency exchange counter at the airport before leaving in order to have what you need to buy things while visiting Addis Ababa. I exchanged $20USD for local currency and it was more than what I needed for my 1 day visit to the city. Note that Addis Ababa is very cash-forward, and your credit cards may or may not work in the city.
Having a SIM card to navigate and get information is a good idea. SIM cards are available for purchase at the airport – this would be the best place to get one – as eSIMs are not generally available in Ethiopia. Note also that most global roaming plans also do not cover Ethiopia – so getting a SIM card at the airport is your best bet – note they do cost around $18 – $20USD, a bit steep for just a day, but could be worth it for peace of mind. If you’re not going to pick up a SIM card or book a guided tour, please make sure to download offline maps on Organic Maps so you can at least navigate the city without data.
What does the Stopover program look like?
You’ll get your stopover documents (transit and hotel vouchers) at check-in at your origin airport. Upon arrival in Addis Ababa, follow the signs for the “Ethiopian Airlines Transit program” or ask someone at the airport who will direct you. You’ll pass customs with your Ethiopian Airlines transfer documents along with your passport, also handy to have your flight itinerary (they did not ask me for this – but not a bad idea to have this). My passport was not stamped. The customs process took 2 minutes. Continue out of the customs area. At this point you should see some currency exchange counters – I would recommend exchanging some currency to use for your day in Addis Ababa – as that will save you time and banking fees later on trying to find an ATM. Once you leave the customs area, there should be signs directing you to where to wait for your bus to the hotel. If you don’t see any signs – just ask someone.
The bus will take you directly to your hotel. Your hotel type is correlated to your class of travel. Economy class passengers were put up at the Debere Damo Hotel (see map). It’s a clean 3 star hotel – I had no complaints. Note: the hotel will likely try to dissuade you from leaving its premises. They made me sign a waiver clearing the hotel of whatever could happen to me in the outside world if I were to step outside its doors. I did not find Addis Ababa to be any more or less dangerous than any other big city.
If you prefer to have the services of a guide you can pre-book a guided tour before you arrive. Make sure you verify what your transfer pickup time back to the airport is and ensure you are back at the hotel with your bags ready before that time. The transfer will take you directly back to the hotel, and when I travelled there was actually a special line for stopover program participants to enter the airport. Then you just went through a checkin procedure with your documents and passport, security, and then you’re into the airside departure area ready to board your outgoing flight.
Things to do in Addis Ababa:
As I was totally unprepared for my trip to Addis Ababa, I had not made any plans for my time there. I ended up wandering around the city with a young Israeli man on the same flights, who was also completely unprepared for being dropped off in Addis Ababa.
If you know in advance you’re eligible for a free stopover in Addis Ababa, you can book a guided tour of the city, or head further afield on a day tour to the Nile Gorge and the Portguese bridge area.
My companion and I ended up walking from the Debere Damo hotel to Unity Park, and then to to the Beata Church where we visited Menelik II’s crypt, and also where we ended up getting bamboozled by a young man telling us he was a “student” who ended up taking us into the church for what was an admittedly pretty cool tour. We gave him a tip afterwards but were not completely thrilled over the deception. Especially because the guy inside the church was asking for some exorbitant amount of money, for showing us around. We did not pay him as we asked repeatedly before going into the church if there was any cost for what he was going to show us, and he waited until the end to tell us some crazy price. He let us go without too much drama but we were not happy about what happened. Please note that while the experience ended up being ok, I would not recommend doing what we did. Be aware of people coming up to you posing as “students” – they inevitably want to show you around and get a tip out of it. If you want to roll the dice and go with it, it may or may not end up alright; otherwise, either pre-book a tour before-hand, or get a SIM card at the airport, or at minimum download an offline maps on Organic Maps and take yourself around town.
Other major sights around Addis Ababa include the Miyazya 27 Victory Statue, the National Museum of Ethiopia, the Yekatit 12 Monument, the Ethnological Museum, Holy Trinity Cathedral, the Derg Monument, and the Merkato – the largest open-air market in Africa.
Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee. It is said that coffee was discovered when a young goat herder named Kaldi saw his goats acting differently after eating the berries off coffee bushes. The young man told others about the discovery, and the drink soon became popular for its energizing properties; and the rest, as they say, is history. Before heading back to the hotel we stopped at Tomoca Coffee (see map) – one of Ethiopia’s most popular coffee companies. A worthwhile stop to taste some home-grown and roasted Ethiopian coffee, in the birthplace of coffee. You can also buy a bag or two to bring home.
Final thoughts on Ethiopian Airlines Free Stopover program:
Ethiopian Airlines Free Stopover program is a rare “freebie” to world travellers that is a rarity in an airline industry that is going in the direction of charging you for air if they could get away with it. Just for booking a flight with Ethiopian airlines, I was given a 3 star hotel room, free round-trip transportation, and had my entry visas taken care of in order to explore a brand new city. During my free day in Addis Ababa, I got to immerse myself in Africa’s diplomatic hub city; see the clash and integration of rural and urban that are often side-by-side in a rapidly developing city; savour coffee in the birthplace of coffee; and even come face-to-face with an Emperor! Ethiopian Airlines free stopover program is a great way to get a taste of Africa if you have a 8 – 24 hour layover in Addis Ababa. Is 8 to 24 hours enough time to really get to know a city or a country? Absolutely not. However, it certainly is a better option than spending 8 – 24 hours in Addis Ababa airport!