Popular Sites
ADDIS ABEBA
The name of this sprawling capital city means "New Flower." Founded by Emperor Menelik II in 1887 and with a population of about 10 million, Addis Abeba is Africa's diplomatic capital with the headquarters of the African Union (AU) and other international offices. Impressive monuments of colonial architecture are scattered among stretches of sun-bleached shacks. A drive through "Merkato" - the largest open air market on the continent is one of the very few places where you can engage yourself with locals. But the market is only the ice breaker as you will find tremendous number of attraction sites inside the capital; to mention a few - Unity Park, Entoto Park, Friendship Park, Science museum, Adwa memorial museum & National Museum, the Ethnological Museum and the Ba'ata Church known as Menelik II’s Mausoleum.
AXUM
Earlier written as Axum, was the first major empire to rise out of Ethiopia. The 10th century BC Axumite kingdom was at one time considered together with Persia, China and Rome as one of the great powers of the world. It was an important commercial centre, trading with Egypt, Greece, Rome, India, Arabia and Persia. Axum began to decline in the seventh century AD. The Axum landscape is marked with mysterious monuments and magnificent ancient structures and ruins. The oldest and most esteemed of the treasures are the 3,000-year-old age steles that were sculpted from single pieces of granite rock curved to resemble storied buildings. The tallest obelisk, which is over 23 m tall, was looted from Ethiopia and erected in Rome by Mussolini's fascist troops during their brief occupation of the country from 1936 to 1941. After decades of debate and controversy, the monolith was finally returned to Axum in April 2005. The relic is now Ethiopia's greatest historic attraction.
LALIBELA
Lalibela, a medieval settlement in the province of Wello, is the site of eleven rock-hewn churches believed to have been hewned in the late 12th or early 13th century by King Lalibela. It is reported that King Lalibela's prodigious church building was his effort to recreate Jerusalem. Muslims occupied Jerusalem at the time and pilgrimage to Jerusalem, for Ethiopian Christians was difficult. The city was initially known as Roha, but was later renamed after King Lalibela, the most outstanding of the Zagwes'. Lalibela is a holy shrine city of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and it is the best place to experience the most colourful Ethiopian Orthodox church festivals especially Ethiopian Christmas (Genna) and Epiphany (Timket).
GONDER
Gondar was once the capital of Ethiopia, its prominence beginning with the reign of Emperor Fasilades in 1632 and ending with the fall of the era of the princess by Tewodros in 1855. The city's unique imperial precinct contains a dozen castles and fortress-like battlements built by various Emperors during this not less than 250 years period. By European standards the Gondar castles may not be elaborate, but their very presence in Africa makes them a rare and imposing sight & some historians call them "The Camelot of Africa." The Debre Birhan Selassie Church in Gondar town is famous for its "angel head frescoes" that decorate the entire ceiling.
SIMIEN MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
The Simien Mountains National Park was officially established in 1966 with the objective of preserving its unique Afro-alpine ecosystems and high number of endemic species of birds and wildlife that include the Ethiopian wolf, gelada baboon and walia ibex. Dubbed as the "Roof of Africa," Ethiopia has the highest elevated portion of landmass on the continent. The Simien Mountains are part of this landmass with unparalleled scenery. It was declared as a World Heritage site by UNESO in 1978. The region includes many summits above 4,000 mts and culminates in the highest point in Ethiopia and fourth highest peak in Africa, Mount Ras Dashen (4543 masl.) Its dramatic topography is the result of the erosion of basalt lavas that have been calculated to be nearly 3,000 mts thick. It is an ideal place for nature lovers and trekkers. The rainy season runs from June to September so travelling can be difficult during this period. November and December are the coldest months when the temperature is likely to go below freezing. Quote taken from Rosita Forbes, 1925 "From Red Sea to Blue Nile - A thousand Miles of Ethiopia." "The most marvelous of all Abyssinian landscapes opened before us, as we looked across a gorge that was clouded amethyst to the peaks of Simien. A Thousand, Thousand years ago, when the old god reigned in Ethiopia, they must have played chess with those stupendous crags, for we saw bishops' miters cut in lapis lazuli, castles with the ruby of approaching sunset on their turrets, an emerald knight where the forest crept up on to the rock and, far away, a king, crowned with sapphire and guarded by a row of pawns."
LAKE TANA
Lake Tana is Ethiopia's giant inland sea. In their funerary texts, the Pharaohs referred to it as "Lake Karou of the Country of the Happy." In the Middle Ages, churches sought refuge on the islands of Lake Tana and due in part to the difficult access are to this day rich in Ethiopian illuminated manuscripts, religious paintings and other treasures. The majestic Blue Nile Falls named "Tis Issat" in the Amharic language, which descriptively translates as "Smoke of Fire" is found on the legendary Blue Nile River that originates from Lake Tana. The Falls plunge over a sheer 45 mts precipice that is 400 mts wide. Sought in vain by Egyptians, Persians, Greeks and Romans, the first European to discover the source of the Nile was Portuguese Father Paez. 150 years later in 1770, Scottish Traveler James Bruce described it as "One of the most stupendous sights of the Creation."
HARAR
Harar is an amazing and amusing place to tour. This early 16th century eastern Ethiopian city was once an important trade centre and is famous for its ancient Arabic structures, great city walls, and the French poet Rimbaud's house. Harar is an Islamic centre with at least 99 mosques is considered to be the fourth holiest Islamic city, after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. If the evening finds you in Harar, you may witness a most bizarre spectacle courtesy of the so-called Hyena Men. With wild howls, these fearless men summon hyenas from the hills. They then get the ruthless scavengers to snatch pieces of meat from their hands or even their mouths! The whole setting of medieval walls tightly embracing the ancient city, its rich and colorful marketplace, towering and majestic mountains and refreshingly cool climate, infuses Harar with an air of excitement, making it a memorable place to visit.
ARBA MINCH & NECH SAR NATIONAL PARK
In the experience of many visitors, Nech Sar National Park ranks as one of the most beautiful places in the tropical savannahs. It is a small park of 514 kms2 located on an outstandingly scenic part of the Rift Valley floor. Sandwiched between two lakes and bordered in the east by the Amaro Hills, the central plains of this park seem from a distance to be very pale, thus giving rise to the name Nech Sar or "white grass." The park is home to Burchell's zebra, Grant's gazelle and the endemic Swayne's hartebeest. The two adjoining lakes - Chamo and Abaya, support a considerable population of Nile crocodile and concentration of Nile perch.
BALE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
The Bale Mountains, The Bale Mountains National Park is located 400 km southeast of Addis Ababa in Oromia National Regional State in south-eastern Ethiopia. It was established in 1970, this park covers about 2,200 square kilometers of the Bale Mountains to the west and southwest of Goba in the Bale Zone It belongs to the Bale-Arsi massif, which forms the western section of the south - eastern Ethiopian highlands. And it is the largest area of Afro-alpine habitat in the whole of the continent. It is a home for various flora and fauna species. The park which comprises reverie plains, woodlands and bush land, is a home for several endemic species like Mountain Nyala and Ethiopian wolf, where the park is believed to be established to protect these two animals. Ranging in altitude between 1,500-4,377 meters with a total area of 2,400 sq kms, the Bale Mountains National Park forms Ethiopia's second largest mountain complex. It is also Africa's most extensive Afro-alpine habitat. A visit is rewarded by the opportunity to site many endemic mammals and birds including the rarest canid in the world - the Ethiopian wolf. It is quite memorable to be driving on the highest road in Africa and then descend down to one of Ethiopia's most remarkable forested reserves - the Harenna Forest.
HADAR
460kms to the east of the country, in the Afar region, the banks of Awash River make an important pre historic and archaeological site. This is where, Hadar, the hominid 'Lucy' (believed to be the missing link between man and his ape ancestors) was excavated. Recent findings in neighboring Kenya have however come to challenge this position. The local name of the hominid is Dinknesh -meaning "thou art wonderful". Lucy is the random name given to her by the scientists whom were listening the very famous Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" at the time when they found her. This archaeological gem today rests at the Ethiopian National Museum in Addis Abeba. Many other archaeological treasures have also been found in the area.
GAMBELLA
Gambella, with a brief British influence, was once a busy commercial port between Ethiopia and the Sudan. The main attractions are its National Park and ethnic groups. The park contains lowland animals seen nowhere else in Ethiopia: Roan antelope, white-eared Kob and the rare Nile lechwe. The two main people groups are the Anuak and Nuer. They are distinctly different from the Semetic and Cushitic speakers who dominate the rest of the country.
AFAR
The faulting and cracking of the eastern part of Africa caused the Great Rift Valley, which extends from the Middle East (Jordan) to Mozambique, passing in a north-south direction right through Ethiopia. This shearing of the earth's surface occurred at the same time that the Arabian Peninsula, geologically a part of Africa, was separated from the rest of the continent. This volcanic activity, which has created the faulting & cracking of the earth, has continued until today & Danakil Depression is the witness among the many hot springs all over the country. Now a days, at the very interesting place of adventure called "ERT-ALE" (meaning the smoking mountain in one of the local languages of Ethiopia ‘AFARIGNA’) earth tremors are often felt and exposed cones of old volcanic plugs are seen throughout the plateau.
JIMMA
The capital of a coffee-producing area, Jimma is a large, lively city blessed with excellent tourist facilities and a warm location in the fertile western highlands. The town is named after the 19th-century Islamic kingdom of Jimma, which lay at the meeting point of several trade routes. The last autonomous ruler of Jimma was King Abba Jiffar, whose impressive palace at Jiren, on the outskirts of the modern city, has been restored with partial funding from UNESCO. Other attractions include the daily central market, the ethnographic displays at the Jimma Museum, a nearby patch of forest inhabited by the spectacular colobus monkey, and out-of-town Lake Boye with its resident hippos.
KAFA Biosphere
The largest and most accessible of five UNESCO-recognised biosphere reserves in Ethiopia’s western highlands, the 7,600km2 Kafa Biosphere Reserve is the sole home of many coffee varieties that still grow wild in the region. The reserve incorporates large tracts of montane rainforest, an important reserve of sustainable forest products such as forest cardamom, forest pepper, and honey. The biosphere reserve’s main tourist center is Bonga, a pleasant forest-fringed town that will soon open the Bonga International Coffee Museum, and has as a tourist office offers guided day and overnight walks to a stunning natural rock formation known God’s Bridge, and the Mother Coffee Tree, the world’s oldest living plant of its type. Wildlife likely to be seen in the region includes the black-and-white colobus monkey, while a wonderful diversity of highland forest and grassland birds includes 11 species endemic to Ethiopia.
WONCHI
Gambella, with a brief British influence, was once a busy commercial port between Ethiopia and the Sudan. The main attractions are its National Park and ethnic groups. The park contains lowland animals seen nowhere else in Ethiopia: Roan antelope, white-eared Kob and the rare Nile lechwe. The two main people groups are the Anuak and Nuer. They are distinctly different from the Semetic and Cushitic speakers who dominate the rest of the country.
GAMBELLA
An extinct volcano, Mount Wenchi rises to 3,386m and the Afroalpine moorland of its upper slopes, studded with relict patches of natural forest, can be accessed along a 4×4 road connecting the towns of Ambo and Woliso. The densely cultivated caldera encloses a large and beautiful crater lake and the island Monastery of Wenchi Chirkos, founded in the 13th century by Tekle Haymanot, an Ethiopian saint recognized in foreign churches including in Egypt. In addition to boating across to the monastery, a local ecotourism association offers a selection of guided day hikes and pony treks ranging from the 4km Fincha Trail to the 16km Bagoba-Abagalalcha Trail, which follows the lakeshore before heading to the Dawala hot springs and waterfall. Only 10km to the east, Lake Dendi is nestled in a pair of near-circular 2km wide craters connected by a gap of only 100m in their shared rim.
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