Are there any roads you can drive on in Ethiopia? I heard that there are lots of trails you can only walk on.

Generally it is a good way to tour Ethiopia by car. One can take small airplanes to expedite the tour, but one will take in more of scenery if travelling by car.

Road conditions vary considerably around Ethiopia; some roads are smoothly sealed while others consist mostly of large stones.

There is a comprehensive network of cheap buses along the major roads, although these are slow and basic. Buses travelling shorter distances generally leave whenever they have filled up with passengers (in practice, these means once an hour or so); nearly all long-distance buses leave at dawn (6 am on the European clock; 12 am on the Ethiopian clock). Buses do not travel at night; they will stop before sundown in a town or village with accommodation for the passengers.

Between some cities, minibuses will run after the larger buses have stopped for the night. Everyone on the bus must have a seat by law - this prevents overcrowding, but often makes it difficult to catch a bus from an intermediate point on a route. If planning to travel by bus, keep in mind that the vehicles are old and very dusty and the roads are bad. Ethiopians do not like opening the bus windows, so it gets hot and stuffy inside by afternoon. If you like fresh air, sit as close to the driver or one of the doors as possible as the driver keeps his window open and the conductor and his assistant often have the door windows open.

The bus stations usually open somewhere around 5am. If you are catching an early morning bus, you should get to the station at 5am. They are very chaotic first thing in the morning, and many buses will sell out of seats before they leave at 6am. To make things easier and less stressful, you can often buy a ticket in advance.

Ethiopia is being researched by Ingrid, Tiefie and Petra.