Eritrea - “red sea “

Eritrea, from the word ‘erythrea’ which means red in greek, is a young country that accesses to independence in 1993. The country is also located in the region of the Horn of Africa and has borders with Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan.

The surface area of Eritrea is about 121 320 kms² including Dahlak Islands with about 6 250 000 inhabitants, the main religions of the country are the Islam and the Christian Orthodox like in Ethiopia. The Eritrean are half Orthodox and half Muslims.

Eritrea is a beautiful country to visit and there are many sites to discover and to explore, combined to the Horn of Africa tour, the visited places in Eritrea are the towns of Asmara, Keren and Massawa. But it is also possible to visit the rest of the country up on request of our customers. The highest point of the country is Soira Mountain with 3018 m high and the climate is cool in highlands, very hot in the desert of Danakil.

During the colonization, the Capital Asmara was build by Italian architects from the University of Italy and that’s why Asmara is very beautiful to visit.

The capital Asmara is 2 350 m high and it was founded around 12th century in Arbate Asmere, where the name Asmara came from. The spot was chosen because the quantity of water was enough for the population; it used to be the base for travelers between the Red sea and the high lands of the country.

At the end of the 19th century, before the arrival of Italians, the prince Tigrinya Ras Alula made of Asmara his own capital and the town became important for caravan traders until the general Baldissera of Italian army took the town in 1889.

Later in 1897, the capital colonial moved from Massawa to Asmara by Martini, the first Italian governor of Eritrea and Asmara became the capital colonial of the Italian Empire in East Africa.

In the beginning, only military camps where build until the Duce Mussolini decided to build the city and the infrastructures of the country. Many students of architecture from the universities of Italy were sent to Asmara to build the new town and Capital of the Italian colonial empire called Piccolo Roma, the little Rome.

But unfortunately, many infrastructures build in Asmara as well as in the country were destroyed by the war and the buildings in Asmara were saved because most of the war happened in Massawa and Keren. The town of Asmara was not bombarded during the Second World War and the independence war.

The weather in Asmara is cool and tropical thanks to the highland, and the population of the capital is about 1 000 000 inhabitants, including the region of Asmara population. Cappucino and Italian promenade is still the life style of the town. The city tour is the main tour activity of the town, visiting the architecture and the market of Asmara. But en route to Massawa or Keren, you stop for panoramic views and monasteries.

115 kms from the capital Asmara, the town of Massawa is a very old town with an old port that has known many occupations, the Portuguese, the Turkish, the Egyptians and the British that handed over to Italians.

Massawa was the capital colonial until the Italian moved the capital to Asmara; the town has Arab, Ottoman, and Muslim influence because Middle East is on the other side of the Red sea.

The architecture of the town is Ottoman style because 300 years of occupation, the administration was Arabic and became later Italian. But today, the administration is in Arabic and in Italian.

The Italian didn’t build Massawa like they did in Asmara, they only build some villas, some roads and port infrastructures. Back in time, Massawa used to be the pearl of Red sea, one of the most beautiful city in the region of the Red sea. But today, all you can see is the stigma left by the war. The town is under construction. More than 90% of the city was bombarded and destroyed during the independence war against Ethiopia.

The climate is dry and hot like in Djibouti and the rest of towns of the Red sea, despite the destruction of the town, Massawa is still a nice place to visit and most of tour activities are based on the sea, like swimming, diving & snorkeling in the Red sea, visiting the Islands of Dahlak.

Surrounded by mountains, the town of Keren is 1220 m high, it is the third largest city in Eritrea, after Asmara and Massawa. Keren is a strategic and important place for the trade of the country.

During the Second World War, Keren was the battle field between the Italian and the British and during the colonization; the town was an attractive place for Italian to spend the week ends and holidays. Still today, the inhabitants of Asmara spend their holidays in Keren.

The city of Keren is the most attractive town in Eritrea with many sites and places to visit and the most tour activity of the town is the city tour and the cultural visit.