Eritrea is a country located in East Africa near Red. The capital of the state is the city of Asmara. Eritrea shares borders with Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the east.

Eritrea has a low level of economic development. The main activity in the country is agriculture. The industry is represented by the extraction of salt, gold, copper and zinc. The population is 6 million people, which combines several cultures and religions.

Sights of Eritrea

Eritrea, like many other countries in Africa, combines the heritage of colonial architecture and the primitive nature of the continent. For tourists, the country offers many routes and a variety of attractions.

Among the most popular places are:

• Asmara Catholic Cathedral
• Mosque of Jami al Khulafa el Rashedin
• tank graveyard
• Orthodox Church of St. Mary
• Mariam Waakiro Temple
• Unique stele meter
• The mountain town of Keren
• Ruins of the Aksumite city of Adulis
• Dahlak archipelago
• Dohul Island

One of the purposes of traveling to Eritrea can be a vacation at sea. White-sand beaches near Massawa and on the islands of the Dahlak archipelago await tourists all year round. For an extreme excursion, the Dubbi volcano tour is ideal.

Diving enthusiasts will be pleased with the beauties of the Dahlak Islands. In this part you can observe a lot of corals and unique marine life. In search of treasures, you can explore sunken ships. And on the surface of the water tourists will be accompanied by whales and dolphins. More than 200 islands are inhabited by living creatures and birds. Here you can take unique photos in the heart of the wild, as only 4 land areas of the entire archipelago are inhabited by people.

Dohul Island is a place for those who want to see sharks and sea turtles.

The tank graveyard is one of the most unique and unusual places in Eritrea. The legacy of the war with Ethiopia left a lot of broken and captured equipment, which was taken to one place and dumped in one huge dump. It turned out to be a kind of open-air museum of military vehicles.

Asmara Catholic Cathedral is better known as St. Joseph's Cathedral. This is the main temple of the Catholic Church of Eritrea. On the territory of the temple there is a school and a monastery. The architecture of the building is designed in the Neo-Romanesque style, and the building itself repeats the shape of the Latin cross.

Rules for entering Eritrea

A visa is required to travel to Eritrea. This can be done at the consular section of the Eritrean Embassy, ​​if there is one in your country, or at any diplomatic mission. You can also apply for a visa upon arrival at the airport in Asmara or at seaports (Massawa and Assab).

To apply for a visa, you must submit the following documents:

• international passport (valid for at least 3 months from the date of entry);
• a copy of an international passport;
• completed application form in English;
• 1 photo 3cm x 4cm;
• round-trip air tickets (or ticket reservation).

A tourist visa is issued for 30 days. It can be extended for another 60 days in the country itself.

The visa fee is $50 USD.

The period for issuing a visa at the embassy of diplomatic missions is from 5 to 14 days.

In this case, you need to pay a consular fee of $70 USD.

Transport in Eritrea

You can move around the country between tourist places by rail or buses. There are very few cars in the country and the car rental service is not developed. And there are practically no modern models at all.

Therefore, we recommend ordering sightseeing tours that can take you “from point A to point B” with a guarantee and insurance.

Thus, a trip to Eritrea can bring an unforgettable experience of visiting tourist places on the Red Sea coast. Connoisseurs of African culture and history will find unique locations for themselves. But do not forget that the low level of economic development of the state affects all areas - medicine, transport, security.