Back again for the second time in Ethiopia and for the second time in Addis Ababa, I can assure you these are the 5 most fun things to do in the Ethiopian capital, before you travel around the rest of the country.

1: Africa’s Biggest Open Air Market

Mercato is the biggest outdoor market not only in Addis Ababa or Ethiopia, but in the whole of Africa. The must see parts of Mercato include the Spice Market, the hand made baskets market and the second hand items market. It’s closed on Sundays, but totally alive on most of the others days. You can meet different people who come from the more than 90 tribes of Ethiopia and communicate in Amharic language. You can buy some really cheap local stuff here, bargaining for a good price is how buying/selling goes here.

2: Tomoca Coffee

I’m not the biggest fan of coffee, but this place is a must-visit in Addis Ababa. Being the oldest Coffee Shop in the capital, Tomocca Coffee serves deliciously brewed different flavors of Ethiopian coffee. As Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee, you have to taste your delicious (even for me) cup of coffee in Addis Ababa here. You may also ask for “Macciato,” which is a great mix of coffee with milk. This place’s coffee is ‘black gold.’

3: Entoto Hills

Mount Entoto is the best spot to enjoy the great scenery of Addis Ababa. Mount Entoto is also where two of the oldest Ethiopian Orthodox Christians Churches are found at – St. Raguel (Elias) and St. Mary of Entoto. Hiking in the eucalyptus tree forest is a great experience and just in general a really nice place to go, to get away from the hassle in the big, busy city of Addis Ababa. Stunning views over the city!

St. Mary Church of Mount Entoto has a Holy Water which is widely believed in Ethiopia to have a miraculous healing power, including curing HIV.

4: Unique Dancing

Ethiopians are superb dancers. Regardless of age, all Ethiopians appear to relish the chance to dance, or on a night out in Addis Ababa hit the dance floor (or turn any location into a dance floor basically.)

Ethiopians love it when a foreigner joins in to dance, or at least tries to. At night – especially at the weekend – the city’s old central Piazza neighborhood becomes super alive with neon lit bars emitting booming music styles from across the country. Ask for Jambo House or Arada if you want to see locals letting their hair down in style! You can’t beat to witness the wild, eye-popping traditional iskista dance of the Amhara people.

5: Try The Local Food

Addis has a number of well-known traditional restaurant options, which typically also put on traditional dancing displays while you eat. My favorite Ethiopian foods is first of all the Ethiopian tibs. Tibs is a sauteed beef or goat, sometimes cooked with onion, garlic, and peppers. You can also get Tibs grilled in a clay pot with hot coals. And I really like the raw meat too..

Ethiopians eat lots of raw meat and has a kind of love affair with eating raw meat combined with super spicy spices. It’s considered one of the most delicious delicacies by most people in Ethiopia. I really like the raw meat too and I ate it every day on my first and second stay in Ethiopia, without any problems at all.. Even though food experts claim you are risking salmonella and listeria infection by eating this, I just feel like getting a lot of energy from it and I enjoy it so much! But yes, there’s a small risk of course..

You might ask yourself why Ethiopian eat meat raw? An Ethiopian myth is that warriors didn’t cook meat because the smell and the smoke of cooking meat, and the light and smoke of their fires, could be seen and smelled by their opponents from far away. The Ethiopians have just continued eating it raw ever since…

That’s It For Now, Addis Ababa

After you have tried these 5 most fun things to do in Addis Ababa, you’re ready to explore the rest of Ethiopia. One of my favorite countries in the World, so whenever you have the chance to go here, GO!