According to constructmaterials, Eritrea is a country in Africa bordering Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti. Eritrea has been independent from Ethiopia since 1993. The capital of Eritrea is Asmara. A number of major cities in Eritrea are: Mendefera, Barentu, Keren and Massawa. Eritrea also owns the Dahlak Islands. This is a group of approximately 200 islands off the coast of Eritrea.
Eritrea is not only known for poverty and famine, but also for censorship, propaganda and forced labour. The country has no freedom of the press. The country is not touristy, but there is still plenty to do for the tourist. You will find the Dahlak Islands, the red sea, mountains, desert and ruins.
Where is Eritrea located?
Travel information of Eritrea
Official name: State of Eritrea
Continent: Africa
Area: 117,600 km²
Capital: Asmara
Country code: ER, ERI
Population: 6,081,196 inhabitants (2020)
Form of government: Republic
Highest point: 3,018 m (Soira)
Distance (Amsterdam – Asmara): 5,084 km
Flight time: approximately 6 hours and 15 minutes
Travel advice
Current status: All trips to certain areas in Eritrea are discouraged.
Current color code: Orange and red. Due to this status, a partially negative travel advice
is in effect for Eritrea.
Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), (temporary) measures may apply in Eitrea that you as a tourist may have to deal with. For the most up-to-date corona travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs of Eritrea, please visit Countryaah.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, walking map, cycling map, book or DVD about Eritrea?
Weather and climate
Eritrea has a desert climate. On the west side and the coast, temperatures are around 30 to 40 degrees in the summer and around 15 to 20 degrees in the winter months. In the higher areas, temperatures are around 30 degrees in the summer months and around freezing point in the winter months.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for Eritrea can be found on our extensive weather page.
Extensive information about the climate of Eritrea can be found at Climate info.
Best time
January, February, March, October, November and December are the best months to travel to Eritrea. This avoids the months with a lot of precipitation and high temperatures.
Language
Tigrinya and Arabic are the official languages in Eritrea. In addition, Italian and sometimes English are spoken.
Travel documents
You must have a passport that is valid for at least 1 month upon departure from Eritrea.
A visa is required. You can apply for this in person at the embassy of Eritrea in The Hague.
Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Netherlands Embassy in Sudan (also for Eritrea): netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Dutch consulate in Eritrea: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Embassy of Eritrea in the Netherlands: eritrea.be.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.
Vaccination (inoculation)
Before visiting Eritrea, it is advisable to get one or more vaccinations.
For extensive vaccination advice and to make a vaccination appointment at home, please visit Thuisvaccinatie.nl. You can also see here whether your health insurance reimburses the vaccination(s).
Malaria
Malaria occurs in Eritrea (with the exception of Asmara). Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by malaria mosquitoes. This infectious disease can lead to death if not treated in time and/or incorrectly.
For prevention and control of malaria, please visit our malaria page.
Money and Currency matters
In Eritrea people pay with the Eritrea nafka (ERN).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
There are no ATMs in Eritrea.
Tipping
In Eritrea it is customary to tip, especially in the big cities. If no service costs have been calculated yet, you give a tip of approximately 5-10%.
Time difference
During our summer time it is 1 hour later in Eritrea.
During our winter time it is 2 hours later in Eritrea.
Eritrea has no difference in winter time and summer time.
The local time, date and time zone of Eritrea can be found on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
In Eritrea you must drive on the right.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within Eritrea.
Electricity In Eritrea you may need a travel plug
in some cases. More information about common plugs and sockets in Eritrea can be found on our electricity page.
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: Local numbers
– Fire: Local numbers
– Ambulance: Local numbers
Tap water
It is not recommended to drink water from the tap.
If you are unable to buy bottled water, use a water purifier to purify the water or boil the water for 5 minutes. After this you can safely use it as drinking water and for things like brushing teeth, cleaning lenses and washing vegetables and / or fruit. More information about drinking water and/or the purchase of water purification products can be found on our drinking water page.
News and newspapers
The latest news related to Eritrea can be found on Google news.
An overview of the newspapers from Eritrea can be found on Abyznewslinks.
Internet
Websites from Eritrea end in.er.
Official website of Eritrea: shabait.com.
Telephony
The country code (international access code) to call someone in Eritrea is 00291 or +291.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from Eritrea? Then use the Dutch country code 0031 or +31.
(If using a country code, omit the leading 0 of the number to be called.)
Company details can be found in the Yellow Pages of Eritrea.
Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos of Eritrea.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from Eritrea.
Holidays
An overview of all public holidays in Eritrea can be found on Beleven.org.
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotel), restaurants and destinations in Eritrea, supplemented with photos, videos and points of interest.
Travelogues
Are you looking for a travelogue about Eritrea?
Here you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited Eritrea. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) in Eritrea can be found on Protected Planet.
An overview of the world heritage sites in Eritrea can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to Eritrea? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, perfume, electronics, alcohol and money. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. You will also find the laws and regulations regarding the entry of pets on this website.
Entrepreneurship and doing business
If you intend to do business in or do business with Eritrea, it is wise to prepare well. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency can help you with this. On PaulSourcing.com you will find a large amount of information about Eritrea, including: opportunities, import and export rules, trade figures, do’s and don’ts, current sanctions, business partners and subsidies.
Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant legislation and regulations that you may encounter during your visit to Eritrea.
– Alcohol: Buying and/or drinking from the age of 18.
– Alcohol and traffic: Maximum allowed alcohol content is 0.
– Tobacco: Unknown
– Smoking ban: No
– Homosexuality: Not allowed
Did you know that…
…Eritrea was a province of Ethiopia until 1991?
…Eritrea has no official national language?
…Do many elderly people in Eritrea speak Italian?
…Eritrea only has 1 political party?
