Asmara Safety Guide
Health, security, and travel safety information
Emergency Numbers
Save these numbers before your trip.
Healthcare
What to know about medical care in Asmara.
Asmara's public hospitals are free for Eritreans but charge foreigners in cash. Expect basic equipment and sporadic drug stocks.
Orotta Referral (southwest end of Mekane Hiwet Road) has the best ICU; Italian-era Sembel Clinic downtown offers faster lab work for travelers.
Green Cross (opposite the post office) keeps inhalers, rehydration salts, and cipro in stock. Insulin and EpiPens disappear for weeks, bring spares.
Not legally required. But immigration may ask for proof of coverage on arrival.
- ✓ Pack altitude-sickness tablets. Even fit hikers feel headaches the first night in Asmara.
- ✓ Carry a printed list of generic drug names, brand labels differ and pharmacists rarely recognize foreign trade names.
Common Risks
Be aware of these potential issues.
Pickpockets ride crowded minibuses between Edaga Hamus and the central market, slashing bags with razor blades.
Nausea and insomnia hit visitors who fly in from sea-level Massawa and ascend the same day.
Vintage Fiats and Land Cruisers barrel down Independence Avenue with no working brake lights.
Scams to Avoid
Watch out for these common tourist scams.
Money changers on Mariam Dearit street count nakfa notes aloud, then palm a chunk while you're distracted by a street child.
A smiling student offers an 'official' city tour, then demands payment for every photo you snap near the Fiat Tagliero building.
Safety Tips
Practical advice to stay safe.
- • Bars close at 11 p.m.; after that, only the dimly lit alley behind Cinema Roma sells beer, go in pairs.
- • Taxi drivers outside Zara Restaurant overcharge, agree on 50 nakfa before you climb into the blue minivan.
- • Soldiers will confiscate cameras if you point them at the radio mast on top of Mai Jah Jah hill, aim your lens at the Art-Déco garages instead.
- • Flash photos inside the Orthodox cathedral are forbidden. The smell of beeswax and frankincense is worth capturing in words, not pixels.
Information for Specific Travelers
Safety considerations for different traveler groups.
Solo women can walk Asmara's main avenues until midnight. But expect polite curiosity and occasional marriage proposals.
- → Sit with other women on the left side of public buses, men yield seats faster.
- → Carry a light scarf. Covering shoulders inside churches prevents the ushers' sharp whistles.
Same-sex relations are illegal under Eritrean penal code, though prosecutions in Asmara are rare.
- → Book twin beds even if traveling as a couple, hotel clerks in Asmara automatically upgrade doubles upon request.
- → Avoid the only nightclub beneath the Nyala Hotel; plain-clothes security monitors foreign clientele after midnight.
Travel Insurance
Protect yourself before you travel.
Medical evacuation from Asmara to Nairobi costs more than a business-class ticket, insurance is mandatory peace of mind.
Ready to plan your trip to Asmara?
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