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General information updated March 2016 | A collection of pictures from the most interesting places |
| Getting there |
The Ethiopian
experience
Abyssinia, now days Ethiopia is old, old beyond
imagination!
Abyssinia's culture and
traditions date back over 3.000 years, and far earlier
'Lucy' lived there the oldest humanoid ever discovered, whose remains
were found in a corner of this country of mystery and contrasts!
Ethiopia is a land of extremes, a
land of remote and wild places! Some of the highest, most rugged
and inaccessible places on the African continent are found here, such as
the carved Simien mountains, offering landscapes close to Grand Canyon
and some of the lowest such as the fascinating and at parts forbidding
Danakil depression !
In Ethiopia, as you travel
through the beautiful country side, you may spot an octagonal building,
a Church on a hill surrounded
by greenery and tall trees, toped with an Ethiopian Cross, packed with
all singing and dancing local people on Sundays and in numerous
other occasions! Ethiopians celebrate 150 Saint days every year !
Church celebrations are a
major feature of the Ethiopian life! The events are impressive and
unique, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has its own head, follows its own
customs and is proud of its fourth century old origins! Ethiopia was
Christian long before Europe!
The celebration of the
Epiphany or Timkat as it is called locally, on 19th of January on our Gregorian
calendar is probably the biggest festival of the year!
With a great ceremony the
Tabot - a tablet of wood representing those contained in the 'Arc
of the Covenant' - is taken out from each Church with priests holding
them over head dressed in colorful clothing all night long! Then the
next day is returned with even greater ceremony to its consecrated
resting place!
Ethiopia's
Islamic tradition is also strong and offers colorful contrast especially
in the Eastern and South - Eastern parts of the country. In
fact there were Ethiopian Muslims during the lifetime of Prophet
Mohamed! this rich religious history is brought to life in
the romantic walled city of Harrar, considered by many Muslims a 'Holy
city' of Islam and an important center of the Islamic faith on the
African continent
since the 10 century AD!
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A beautiful gorge
at Omo river
Lion, Ethiopia's
symbol is found in the Northeast and Southwest
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One of Gondar's castles
Hareri handmade Baskets
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| Getting there | 2 | |
Red Jackal tours
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Ethiopian Airlines is rated one of the best in Africa not only because there aircraft is new and well maintained, but its flights are punctual and serve many destinations! Its wide ranging network operates in all directions out of Addis Ababa, weekly schedules connect to Europe and other African countries, the Middle East and the far East. Other airlines flying in and out of Addis include: Lufthansa, British airways, Aeroflot and Kenya airways, Saudia and Sudan airways. Ethiopia can be also reached on all sides by road from Djibouti, Kenya and Sudan with border posts in Metema, Moyale and Dewele. A fairly good tourist map, detailing
major roads. points of interest and distances is produced by the Ethiopian
Tourism Commission!
The scenery in Ethiopia is spectacular and dramatic. The people and cultures are distinctive and photogenic. The country offers the photographer a wide and exciting range of subjects. Outside the usual prohibition against taking pictures of military sites and presidential palaces, few rules exist beyond those of courtesy! People usually do not mind a photo taken although in rural areas frequented by tourists, it is customary to pay something for those participating! It is wise to bring a good supply of film although color film is widely available. One- hour film processing is available at a number of locations in Addis Ababa. Go
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Ethiopian just arrived at
Jinka airport !
Hippopotamus can be found in almost
every lake and river in Ethiopia
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Priest in Lalibela
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Rafting in Omo river
The mysterious Awash river that
Thessiger explored on behalf of Royal Geographic society!
Click on the picture to read
about the exploration!
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| When to go | 3 | |
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You can visit Ethiopia at any time of the year, but tourists in general avoid the heavy, long rains from June to September, although this is when the Blue Nile falls (Tiss Ishat) are at their most spectacular! They are still impressive at any other time of the year which is good touring time for all other attractions in the country. Times of religious festivities
are especially interesting! On 11th September, the Ethiopian new
year and after the rains stop, the yellow 'Mescal' flower carpets almost
any open space! All the environment turns bright and sunny after the
long rains and an important celebration at that time 926 September) is
'Mescal' which commemorates the finding of the true Cross!
Tourism in Ethiopia is just beginning after decades of problems. You would not need any permits to travel and there are no restrictions on tourists as to where they should stay! never the less, tourists are generally encouraged to stay in government run Hotels. In Addis Abeba, the Sheraton and Hilton offer a first class accommodation. There are also a number of three star Hotels which are all adequate but not luxurious. Outside the capital the hotel standards vary, the buildings, rooms and furnishings are relatively good and in some cases new, but the hot water maybe running an hour a day or so! Sometimes the visitor must be prepared to do without what many would conceder basic amenities! On the other hand when travel in rural Ethiopia, you can find generally clean and well kept little local hotels with a 'chamber pot' under the bed and a pitch of water on the table! These rooms would cost you a dollar or two a day! |
Colorful Timkat celebrations in Lalibela
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Priest in Lalibela
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The tranquil Lake Langano
Debre Zeit's lake Hora
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| Land of Kings and legends | 4 | |
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Priest in Lalibela
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From television images of the country's serious droughts in the early 80's many foreigners think of Ethiopia as a dry and barren place, without of any beauty and greenery, but this is far from truth! It is undoubtedly a land of contrasts: with some dry hot and barren places, as well as plenty of rolling hills, lots of fertile highlands, beautiful savannah, and mountainous regions that often see frost and sometimes even snow! There are canyons, great gorges and beautiful water falls, lots of lakes and rivers. All this combines to make Ethiopia a country of breathtaking scenery with changes from one region to another! An other major feature of the Ethiopian landscape that can even be seen from space: the Great Rift Valley ! Extending nearly 6.000 kilometers starting from Syria, through the Red sea and Ethiopia, finally down to Mozambique, this spectacular and abrupt cutting away of the land surprises many travelers. The Rift valley in Ethiopia is home to 7 beautiful lakes caused by a millennia of heavy rainfalls at the same time that northern Europe was going through the 'ice age'. History in Ethiopia began at an early period: three thousand years BC the Egyptians send expeditions there in quest of gold, ivory, incense and slaves. Also the tale of king Solomon and Queen of Sheba, the journey of the Arc of the covenant, which now is said to rest in a Church in Axum, the growth of the Axumite kingdom and the birth of Christianity, the story of king Lalibela who build the 11 rock-hewn Churches in the kingdom of Roha still in existence until today and are considered among the wonders of the world ! All that makes Ethiopia the unique and unforgettable country it is today !
A very popular path through Ethiopia's famous and at the same time fascinating places, which shelter priceless relics from a powerful and religious ancient civilization and also leads through some of the most breathtaking scenery. One geological wonder is the Blue Nile Gorge, which rivals America's Grand Canyon. Equaly impressive are the Blue Nile water falls at Tiss Ishat that is the place where adventurers and explorers before sought with such fervor the source of the Blue Nile, Ethiopia's Lake Tana. You can travel to Axum to Lalibela, Bahar Dar and Gondar or you can fly with Ethiopian airlines, hopping from major points with stop-overs of one or two days at each place. But if you have time and don't mind some stretches of rough road, you will be rewarded seeing the beautiful scenery passing through villages, green valleys, gorges and mountains with spectacular views ! |
Timkat celebrations
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Queen of Sheba
and King Solomon
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Saint George Church in Lalibela
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Blue Nile water falls
One of Gondar's 17th century castles
Harer the walled city
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National
Parks
Two of Ethiopia's wild life conservation areas are in the highlands, the Simien and Bale mountain national parks and the rest either bordering or down the length of the rift Valey: Yangudi Rassa, Awash, Abijata and Shala lakes, Nechisar which lays between lake Chamo and lake Abaya, Omo and Mago national parks and Senkele Swayne's hartebeest Sanctury, in the lowlands Babile and Yabelo Elephant sanctuaries, and finally Gambela wild life National Park. |
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The greater Kudu
The Saddle bill Stork
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Lion, Ethiopia's
symbol is found in the Northeast and Southwest
Hippopotamus can be found in almost
every lake and river in Ethiopia
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Ethiopia's Weaver bird
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| Wild Life | ||
The Columbus monkey
The Oryx
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Omo and Mago national parks are famed for their wilderness filled with larger wild life species expected of the African Savannah. Giraffe buffalo, elephant, ostrich, greater and lesser kudu and Burchell's zebra. Further north Nechisar combines spectacular scenery bridging the two lakes Chamo and Abaya, with wild life such as zebra, greater kudu, Grant's gazelle and Guenther's dik-dik. The two lakes harbor great numbers of very large crocodiles as well as hippopotamus easily seen from a safe distance ! Further North in the Rift Valley is Yangudi Rassa which is stony and scrubby with Acacia and inhabited by camels, goats with Afar tribesmen. Also here are a reasonable cross section of Zebra, Kudu, Oryx, Lion, Leopard and Cheetah, Gazelle and Baboon. Far removed from this world and invisible from the highlands lie the Simien mountains. It is unforgettable for its sheer verticality a rugged mass of pinnacle and abysses and its evident in every turn traveling around its 220 square kms from one view point to another! This is the home of the agile Walia Ibex the symbol of the Ethiopian wild life conservation Organisation. Rivaled only by the Klipspringer, which is also here, the Ibex thought to be heading for extinction but it is surviving with the attention it has been given ! Simien Fox or Jackal is affected by the invasion of its habitat by humans in the past decades and its numbers are low. Gelada Baboon are abound on the cliff tops, descending every night to secure cracks and ledges in the Abyss edges. |
The majestic Leopard can be found
almost everywhere in the country
The Nyala
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A Beisa Oryx and a Swayne's Hartebeest at
Awash national park
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The Gelada Baboon
The Simien Fox
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