Why Honeymoon in Bishoftu
Most couples who come to Ethiopia arrive tired. The flight from Washington is around 13 hours and Addis is noisy, high and busy. Bishoftu gives you water, birdsong and a lounger within an hour of landing.
The lakes are the draw. Lake Bishoftu is the one closest to the main road, a near-perfect circle with resorts perched on its rim high above the water. Lake Hora is greener and holds deep spiritual meaning for the Oromo people. Lake Kuriftu, Bishoftu Guda and seasonal Cheleklaka round out the set.
It is also cooler and calmer than the lowland lake resorts farther south in the Rift Valley, which lie in zones the advisory currently restricts. Emperor Haile Selassie kept a palace here, so the town has long been a weekend escape for the capital's elite.
Safety Before You Book
Read the latest State Department advisory for Ethiopia before you commit, since it changes. The State Department rates the country Level 3, Reconsider Travel. The Oromia region is Do Not Travel with two exceptions: Bishoftu and Bale Mountains National Park.
In practice that means a few rules. Arrange your transfer with your hotel or a reputable driver and travel the short highway from Addis in daylight. Do not wander off on side trips to monasteries, hot springs or other lakes outside town, however close they look on a map, because they sit in restricted parts of Oromia. Keep your phone charged and know that mobile data can be cut during unrest.
Bishoftu is home to the main Ethiopian Air Force base, so never photograph aircraft, soldiers or military buildings.
When to Go
Bishoftu follows the highland pattern. The dry season from October to May brings sunny days with highs around 75 °F and cool evenings that call for a sweater on the terrace. October through February is the sweet spot, when the hills are still green from the rains and skies are clear.
The main rains, kiremt, run from June to September. Afternoon storms are heavy and the roads get muddy, though the lakes look lush and resort prices may soften. March to May is warmer and dustier, with the odd shower.
Irreecha, the Oromo thanksgiving festival, is held at Lake Hora at the end of the rainy season, usually in early October. Huge crowds gather in white clothes carrying fresh grass and flowers to the water. It is a remarkable sight, but the crowds are enormous, security is heavy and roads close. Most couples will be happier on a different weekend.
Where to Stay
The best places to sleep are on the crater rims, where rooms and terraces look straight down onto the water. Lake Bishoftu and Lake Babogaya both have a handful of resorts with lake views, gardens and outdoor pools. Kuriftu Resort and Spa is the best-known name in town, a stone-and-thatch property with lakeside rooms, a spa and boats for guests. It is the default choice for honeymooners from Addis.
When you book, ask three questions. Does the room face the lake? Is the airport transfer included or arranged by the hotel? Does the property have its own generator? Power cuts happen and a backup keeps hot water running.
Avoid the cheaper hotels along the main Addis road. They are fine for a night, but you lose the whole point of coming, which is the view from your own balcony.
Romantic Things to Do
Life in Bishoftu is pleasantly slow. Start the day early on a guided paddle across your resort's lake, when the surface is flat and herons stand along the reeds. Many resorts rent kayaks and pedal boats. Some can arrange a short boat ride for two.
In the afternoon book a massage or a steam at the spa, then walk part of the crater rim as the light turns gold. The shores attract pelicans, cormorants, kingfishers and ibis, so carry binoculars.
Evenings are about the terrace. Order a bottle of Ethiopian wine, ask for a traditional coffee ceremony and listen to the frogs start up below. On a clear night the stars over the dark crater are bright enough to make you forget Addis is so close. Keep outings inside town and save excursions for after you have checked current guidance.
Getting There and Around
Fly into Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD). Ethiopian Airlines flies nonstop from Washington Dulles. From the airport Bishoftu is about 30 miles southeast on the toll expressway toward Adama, roughly an hour by car when traffic is light.
The simplest plan is a transfer booked through your resort, timed to arrive before dark. Avoid public minibuses, which US Embassy staff may not use. Note that the expressway between Addis and Bishoftu passes through Oromia, so check the advisory's map and travel only in daylight.
In town you will mostly stay put. Resorts are walkable within their own grounds. Staff can call a trusted driver for short trips to another lake rim or a restaurant. Three-wheeled bajajs buzz everywhere, but a hotel car is safer for couples carrying cameras and phones.
Food and Drink
Resort restaurants mix Ethiopian dishes with grilled fish, pasta and pizza for visitors from Addis. Try the tilapia, often fried whole or served as a spicy stew. Order a shared platter of injera topped with shiro, a silky chickpea stew, alongside tibs, sautéed beef or lamb with rosemary and chili. On fasting days, usually Wednesdays and Fridays, menus lean vegan and the lentil and greens dishes are excellent.
Ethiopian coffee is the real treat. Beans are roasted in front of you, ground by hand and brewed three times in a clay pot called a jebena, served with popcorn and incense. For something stronger, try tej, the local honey wine, or a cold St. George beer. Drink bottled or filtered water and skip salads at cheaper places.
Honeymoon Tips
Use Bishoftu as a bookend. One or two nights here after landing helps you adjust to altitude and jet lag before flying on to the Bale Mountains or another country.
Carry cash. Larger resorts accept cards, but terminals fail and smaller places want birr. Change money at a bank in Addis and keep the receipts.
Pack layers and sunscreen. At over 6,000 feet the sun is strong at noon and nights can dip into the 40s °F.
Tell your resort it is your honeymoon. Many will add a flower arrangement or a lakeside dinner. Ethiopia is conservative, so keep kisses for your balcony. Finally, buy insurance with medical evacuation and enroll in STEP so the embassy can reach you if conditions change.
