What To Do In Eritrea

Eritrea is in East Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan, with a long disputed border with Ethiopia.

Using the war as an excuse, Eritrea's government has devolved into one of the worst police states in the world. No national elections have ever been held, the misleadingly named People's Front for Democracy and Justice is the only allowed party, dissidents disappear into jails and the country comes in dead last (behind North Korea) in the Press Freedom Index. Obligatory military service has been extended to eight years for men and women, border guards shoot on sight at people trying to escape, and the lucky few Eritreans outside the country have to pay taxes to keep their passports. The country is desperately poor, with half the population subsisting on under a dollar a day. Growth has been crippled by the war and the termination of trade with Ethiopia.

The country's most interesting destinations are its natural attractions. There are six main topographical features in the country. The highlands in the center and south of Eritrea, the western lowlands, the Sahel in the north, the subtropical eastern escarpments, the northern coast and archipelago and the southern coast.