Ethiopia Travellers’ Handbook Reviews

As Globetrotters we all have our preferences when it comes to guidebooks. We all remember when our guidebook was our greatest friend or almost ruined our day when we needed it most, especially when under pressure. So I got very excited when I received a copy of ‘Ethiopia Travellers’ Handbook’ by Trevor Jenner and decided to put it through its paces during my three week trip to this country.

Trevor Jenner is a former operator of tours to Ethiopia, who has spent two decades in travel and exploration of the country. The guidebook comes highly recommended by Anne Parsons, secretary of the Anglo – Ethiopian Society, Joanna Lumley and includes a foreword by Colonel John Blashford-Snell.
I dreamt about visiting Ethiopia since being at secondary school when I read “The Emperor” by Ryszard Kapuscinski but it took me almost 25 years until I finally decided to pack up and go. The final push was given to me by Sam McManus from the Yellow Wood Adventures who gave a talk on Ethiopia at the Globetrotters Club earlier in the year. My plan was to visit the tribes in the Omo Valley in the south of the country and Christian churches in Lalibella, so I only used part of the book.

In my experience I found that ‘Travellers Handbook’ helped me through most of the confusing situations while traveling due to its extensive, up to date and in-depth information on history, people, myths, the political situation, topography, religion, language and all the practicalities you need to know before you go and when you get there. It even has a whole chapter on fauna! All the sections in the book are very clearly laid out and straight to the point. It has advice for every occasion. First time in Omo Valley? No problem! It provides a great schedule as a suggestion for the first time traveller. All this is based on Trevor’s own experience so I learned very quickly to trust his judgment and rely on his opinion.

I was travelling independently so I used the maps from the ‘Travellers Handbook’ for general guidance and supported these with a more detailed map of the country for general travelling and higher level view. For those who need one, Trevor provides a handy list of the best maps available which you can buy separately. As for Addis and Lalibella, maps in the book were very detailed and extremely helpful. The book is printed on glossy paper to get the best quality for over 650 colour images. The pictures are great quality; they not only show how Ethiopia looks but also how it feels.

The book provides extensive lists of places to stay and I used them throughout my journey but you will have to do some internet searching to get more details of what those places are like. I treated this list as a good database to choose from. I also found it very easy and straightforward to use. It is a very high quality publication and I am planning to take it again to Ethiopia during my next trip!