## Unity Park: A Must-See in Addis! Royal history meets modern beauty at Unity Park. Explore palace grounds, diverse gardens, & regional culture. A truly unique Ethiopian experience! Book your tour with Hi Ethiopia & Addis Ababa City Tour, led by Young Isaac, for insider insights! arrange every thing skip ticket line no waiting for entrance and Book now!

An interesting place to learn about the religious and contemporary history of Ethiopia. There are beautiful gardens and palatial buildings across the site. $20USD is a pretty reasonable price but a bit frustrating that to go inside one of the palaces you need to buy an upgraded ticket. The entrance is bit of a faff to find (in the shopping centre across the road) and you have to show ID as well as go through airport security. I also wasn’t permitted to take my old film camera in with me and had to leave it at security and collect later. I get that there are lots of people having professional photos taken in there (often with crews of 5 or 6 people), which requires a more expensive permit, but to flat out not allow cameras in without that seems excessive. Particularly when everyone is taking photos on phones anyway. We avoided the zoo as we often find them to be unsavoury.

Unity Park: Where History Meets Modernity Unity Park in Addis Ababa beautifully blends Ethiopia's heritage with modern attractions. Explore the palace’s historical treasures, including Emperor Menelik II’s throne room and Emperor Haile Selassie’s legacy, alongside modernized gardens and stylish cafeterias. The park offers a wildlife section with black-maned lions, tigers, turtles, and an aquarium, plus stunning panoramic views of Addis Ababa. With its rich history and serene atmosphere, it’s a must-visit destination where culture, nature, and innovation come together.

Unity Park is a major project initiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (Dr.) in 2018 and officially opened on October 10, 2019. It symbolizes unity and community, providing a space for relaxation, recreation, and cultural activities. The park showcases Ethiopia's rich history, nature, and culture through various attractions. Key Attractions: Green Area: Offers hiking trails and views of Addis Ababa. Achieved its lush appearance with 6,000 carloads of materials. Features paintings that highlight Ethiopia’s natural and cultural resources. Black-Mane Lion Zoo: Houses the endemic Black Mane lion, found mainly in Bale Mountains National Park. Includes other animals like Nyala and Marabou stork. Constructed using local materials, the zoo features a 175-meter-long man-made cave that mimics Sof Omar's cave, complete with sound effects, waterfalls, and ponds. Offers strategically placed windows for optimal animal viewing. Indigenous Garden: Showcases local house-building techniques and indigenous plants. Features plants for medicinal, aesthetic, and culinary uses. Contains unique structures shaped like camels and a turtle, all handmade without machinery, highlighting traditional craftsmanship. Unity Botanical Garden: Aims to preserve Ethiopia's flora and fauna. Comprises an open field and a greenhouse representing Ethiopia's five agroecological zones. Houses over 230 plant species, including rare and endemic varieties. Equipped with a state-of-the-art irrigation system to maintain optimal growing conditions. Unity Zoo: The first zoo of its kind in Ethiopia, featuring nine distinct exhibits, including Meerkats, an aquarium, and various mammals like Giraffes and White Lions. Designed to reflect natural habitats, enhancing the wildlife experience. Ethiopian Regional States Pavilion: Showcases information about each region's culture, history, and natural resources. Designed with a contemporary artistic touch, these pavilions offer an immersive experience through visuals, sounds, and sculptures. Overall, Unity Park not only serves as a recreational space but also as a platform for cultural education and community engagement, celebrating Ethiopia's diverse heritage and natural beauty.

The park has a good variety of Ethiopian history and art as well as blooming gardens. Everything is very well kept and tidy. I don't want to see animals in captivity, so we skipped the zoo. There are several cafes and restaurants in the park (I recommend the Kategna Restaurant behind the Throne Hall). You can spend a whole day in the park. If the entrance fee for foreigners wasn't so high, I'd like to come more often (unfortunately they do not accept residence permits).

Beautiful park and zoo full of natural beauty, art and history. You find several areas to rest or get a drink, a snack or meal. I wish the entrance was closer to the park, and I did not understand why they do not allow cameras and power bank in.

A wonderful experience. So well maintained, full of Ethiopia’s rich heritage, history and modern beauty. An excellent place to bring your children and learn more about Ethiopia.

Unity park is an oasis in the middle of Addis Ababa, an escape of the noisy city. It was crowded at all when I was there. But it’s pricey to enter, 20 dollars is expensive for an African country. And it’s heavily armed, there are soldiers in the surroundings. The toilets were dirty and the security to enter was also too much, like it’s the airport. Worse as power banks aren’t allowed. There are playgrounds, two massive throne rooms and lots of spots to relax. And some parts of the zoo were nice but I really felt bad for the giraffes as they don’t have space to move. Overall the park was ok for one visit.