Visit Or Not? Merkato Addis Ababa Ethiopia Ultimate Review

Check out our Merkato Addis Ababa Ethiopia Review to prepare your visit to the largest African market without disappointment.

Always busy and chaotic, Merkato Addis Ababa Ethiopia is the largest open-air market in Africa. With over 16 square kilometers, 13,000 people and 7000 vendors (quoted from Wikipedia). It is a wholesale market supporting the daily necessities of the city.

As a tourist, I believe you love market right? But warning ahead it is not a shopping malls for souvenir.

You may see Merkato Addis exists in almost all city center day tours but those are “adventure tours”. Additionally, it is one of the top 3 landmarks of Addis Ababa as a whole.

Despite is fame, it has mixed comments and feedbacks. So make sure you know what to expect and potential dangers beforehands.

So let’s take a look at the details.  I also added several Addis Merkato photos for your review.

Where is Merkato Addis Ababa Ethiopia

At the West of the St. George Church, locating Merkato address is not hard given its size.

You can get there by taxi or public transportation like bus. Instead of getting to the entrance, it is way better to get off once you enter the Merkato area. Given the busyness of the market, traffic is everywhere.

Instead of waiting, you should jump out of the car and walk. With the lack of traffic lights and cars squeezing, you should be aware of that while walking as well.

What to expect in Merkato Addis Ababa Ethiopia

Again , you may think that Merkato in Addis Ababa is something like a souvenir market in Thailand. Despite its fame as Africa’s largest market, there are no (or just very minimal) shops for tourists.

So if you are looking for touristy items like souvenirs or even local performances, you will be disappointed.

Instead, if you are looking to experience the local culture. That is probably one of the most unique places in the world. This is a nutshell of local lives for Addis Ababa.

In the Merkato market, you will find a non-stop flow of people, cars, trucks, and donkeys. What would amaze you is how the merchants can carry very heavy goods with their heads such as a stack of 5 or 6 mattresses.

Remember this is a wholesale market with narrow and busy alleys, you may find it also challenging to walk on relatively muddy roles. On top of that, the donkeys around could be smelly sometimes. That’s where our Merkato Addis Ababa Ethiopia Review comes in handy.

What to visit in Merkato Addis Ababa Ethiopia

There are multiple sections in the market including spices, coffee, and pots. metal scraping, recycling, and even electronic appliance making.

The priority would be the coffee session. Because this is probably the only session that you can buy something or enjoy a cup of coffee. Near the coffee section, you will find spices and local bread vendors. They are good for photos, you may want to buy some of them. However, those are mainly for wholesales.

If you are looking for snacks, you will find several vendors selling samosas on the street. Sometimes there are also some vendors selling smoothies nearby. Unlike regular markets, these snack booths tend to pop up in random location near the streets.

Other than that, most of the visitors would also walk through other sessions i.e. the recycling one for some local photos. You would be surprised by the daily life there. For example, you would see locals taking copper wires out from one machine and putting it on another to build a “new one”.

That’s why I said Merkato market is more about experience & photos than shopping & eating.

Is it safe in Merkato Addis Ababa Ethiopia?

It is not dangerous place but very chaotic. There are several things you need to be aware of for your safety in Merkato.

First, similar to the safety in Addis Ababa, you may need to be aware of pick-pocketing. This could be the top concern in the market given it is very crowded every day and the alleys are narrow. So you better put your bag in front instead of at the back.

Second, you will have to be aware of the constant moving pedestrians, cars, trucks, merchants, and even donkeys. Although Merkato market could be a top-to-go place in Addis for tourists, it will also be a very busy wholesale center. Everyone there is busy with their own business and some even carry heavy loads (remember the mattress), if you are not alert and fast enough, you could get hit. This is probably the only market in the world, people just crush on you with goods, donkeys, or mattresses…

Third, it has also been reported that sometimes the locals may arouse you aggressively. Although it is less likely to happen as compared to the first two points, you should tell them to back off if that happens.

Same to everywhere in the world, Merkato is more dangerous to solo-traveler, especially female. If you have concern, I would recommend you to go there via a local tour or local guide. In this way, you can even get first-hand local sharing from the guide.

Conclusion is Merkato Addis Ababa Ethiopia worth going

Merkato in Addis Ababa is certainly not your typical tourist destination. It is the largest open-air market but it is not made for tourists for shopping. To conclude whether it is worth going,

If you are looking for a souvenir of your Ethiopia trip, there are better places in Addis Ababa. Merkato is NOT the place to go.

If you are looking for a local experience with some pictures for your journey, then you may want to spare an hour or so for the place.

I hope this Merkato Addis Ababa Ethiopia Review will help you to decide whether to go or not. Let me know your thoughts.