Omo Valley What Should I Pack Before I Go?
January 27, 2022
Omo Valley Tours has compiled this list based on input from travelers. Make your own list using it as a rough guide, keeping in mind that each experience is unique. A vacation to a place as unique and inaccessible as Ethiopia’s lower Omo Valley may need you to carry stuff you hadn’t considered – or, conversely, some items you don’t need in Ethiopia.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Air tickets (or E-tickets) Passport
- COVID certificate
- Valid passport (check the validity and renew it if necessary)
- Visa (Ethiopia has launched online visa services for all tourists and visitors across the globe effective since 01 June 2018. This will make travel to Ethiopia super easy. Available at https://www.evisa.gov.et)
- One other picture ID, such as a driver’s license
- International Health Card (Yellow Card) with proof of Yellow Fever inoculation within the last 10 years.
- Expense money
LUGGAGE
- Duffel bag or sofi-sided suitcase, with small padlock (must be unlocked for air travel). Due to limited space in vehicles, all your clothing and gear must fit into this bag, without exception.
- Daypack for camera gear, water bottle and personal items needed during the day Small roll-up duffel if you are an avid shopperWEIGHT LIMITS
A 44-lb. weight limit applics on domestic flights in Ethiopia, with one carry-on item allowed in the main cahin.
CLOTHING
This list is meant as a grade line only, we encourage you to pack as lightly as possible,
- Lightweight rain jacket
- Fleece jacket for cool evenings
- Lightweight long pants or long skirt. Synthetic “travel” fabrics dry easily, jeans are
- slow drying and not recommended
- Walking shorts
- T-shirts
- Lightweight hiking boots or sturdy walking shoes, boots with Vibram type soles offer better ankle support on uneven ground: Running or tennis shoes
- Tevas, sandals, or nibher thongs
- Underwear socks; synthetics Bathing suit dry faster
Sleepwear (or a set of lightweight long underwear)
EQUIPMENT
- Good quality sunglasses with case. A spare pair is invaluable.
- Personal toiletries
- Flashlight, extra batteries
- Plastic bags to sort items in your duffel
Insect repellent
PERSONAL FIRST AID SUPPLIES
- Sunscreen of SPF #30 or higher
- Lip balm with sunscreen
- Hand sanitizers or wipes
- Mosquito repellent (e.g. Nobite, Autan, with the ingredient DEET or similar)
- Painkillers (e.g. ibuprofen, aspirin)
- Diarrhoea medication (e.g. Imodium, Akut, charcoal tablets)
- Wound cream (e.g., Bepanthen)
- Plasters and blister plaster
- Water filters or iodine disinfection tablets
- If necessary, tablets against travel sickness.
OPTIONAL ITEMS
- Gore-Tex jacket and/or extra sweater if you really feel the cold.
- Lightweight long underwear
- Camera, spare batteries or charger, spare memory cards
- Reading/writing material
- Converter/plug adaptor for appliance use in hotels. Ethiopia has 220-volt current.
- Binoculars
- Travel clock
- Money belt or neck pouch. Always carry your passport, credit cards, and cash with you in a money
- belt or neck pouch tucked down inside your shirt or blouse..
- Travel sheet or sleeping bag liner
