Pegasos Tours                                                                      Back to  Main Page             Updated   3 March 2012

        General information 
 A collection of pictures from the most interesting places
Getting there

Photography

When to go

Where to stay

Land of Kings and Legends

Lake Tana

The Historic Route

National Parks

Wild Life

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    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
 
Baboons playing in the sun! 
You can see them mainly in
the highlands.
 
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One of Gondar's castles
 
Hareri handmade Baskets
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        Getting there 2

  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!                                   Go to Top

    Photography

   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.

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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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Rafting in Omo river
The mysterious Awash river that Thessiger explored on behalf of
the Royal Geographic society!
* Click on the picture to see
the detailed exploration story!
         When to go 3
 

 

 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!                               Go to Top

    Where to stay

 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

Centuries old treasures kept in Lake Tana's monasteries
 

 

The tranquil Lake Langano
 Debre Zeit's lake Hora
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     Land of Kings and legends 4

Reciting the Bible in Geez, a very old language remaining only with the Church clerics!

   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 ! 

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   The Historic Route
 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 !

An  Obelisk in Axum
Timkat celebrations
 
 
Queen of Sheba visiting King Solomon as it is written in the old Testament
The Lion symbolizes a royal decent and it is for that reason included  in the British Royal emblem!
 

 

 
Saint George Church in Lalibela
 
 
 
 
One of Gondar's 17th century castles
 
 
 
Harer the walled city
Lake Tana
 
People are transferred on a Papyrus boat at lake Tana, the same way as it was always done thousand years ago!
 
Priests show old treasures kept in their Monastery for centuries at an island in lake Tana.
 
Lake Tana is located at the north-West part and is the biggest lake in Ethiopia. Lake Tana was known to the ancient Greeks!  Aeshylus, the Greek dramatist, wrote a romantic poem for this lake!
The lake includes tiny, but very green islands which were used to build Monasteries because of their natural protective surroundings.

 

 

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A fisherman on a papyrus boat
at lake Tana
 
Blue Nile water falls few kilometers after its start at lake Tana.
 
   National Parks  and Birds World

 

  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 fantastic Birds world in Ethiopia: a happy play of the Humming Birds!
The Saddle bill Stork
Pelicans enjoying the sun in lake Shala shore.
  
Ethiopia's Weaver bird  
 
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Hippopotamus can be found in almost every lake and river in Ethiopia
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  Wild Life
The Columbus monkey
The Oryx

  

 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. 

   

 

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The majestic Leopard can be found almost everywhere in the country 
 
Lion, Ethiopia's symbol is found in the Northeast and Southwest
 
 
The Nyala
 
 
 A Beisa Oryx and a Swayne's Hartebeest at Awash national park

 

 
The Gelada Baboon
 
The Simien Fox
 
 
 
 
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