BAHIR DAR: MONASTERIES OF LAKE TANA AND BLUE NILE FALLS

563 km north of Addis Ababa, elevation of 1,800 above sea level.

Bahir Dar is a lovely town on the southern shore of Lake Tana. It is the capital of the regional state of Amhara. Bahir Dar is one of the loveliest towns in the northern parts of Ethiopia with a warm, moderate weather climate.  It serves well as a base to explore the island monasteries of Lake Tana and the spectacular Blue Nile Falls – locally known as the Tiss Issat (Smoke of the Nile)

Lake Tana is Ethiopia’s largest lake covering an area of 3,600km². It is dotted with 37 islands. Many of the islands have historic monasteries and churches. The best known of them are the Monastery of Dega Stefano's; Kibran Gabriel (open only for men); and Ura Kidane-Mihret. On the island of Dega Stefano one has the chance to see the collection of icons, manuscripts, and the mummified remains of a number of Ethiopian medieval emperors.

GONDAR: CAMELOT OF AFRICA

748km north of Addis Ababa, average elevation of 2,133 above sea level.

Gondar was founded by king Fasiladas in 1635 and served as a permanent capital for 250 years. It is the 4th biggest town in Ethiopia and connected by daily flights of Ethiopian Air Lines and good roads. Gondar can be visited throughout the year, but a high point is the colorful religious festival Timket or Ethiopian Epiphany that falls on January 19/20.

Main attractions:

• The Royal Enclosure is called “The Camelot of Africa”. The UNESCO registered world heritage site was constructed by Emperor Fasiladas and his successors.
• The bath of King Fasiladas is central in the celebration of Timket.
• Debre-Birhan Selassie is a church with unique wall and ceiling paintings.
• The nearby Falahsa village was populated by Ethiopian Jews. The population of Jews was air lifted to Israel in 1991.

AXUM: CRADLE OF ETHIOPIAN CIVILIZATION

1,024 km north of Addis Ababa, average elevation of 2,100m above sea level.

Northern Ethiopia's historic town of Axum is the country's oldest urban settlement and the cradle of Ethiopia’s civilization. It became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980. It was the center of one of the most powerful Empires in the world from 1st to the 7th century with its trading link reaching as far as Egypt, Persia, Rome and India. Its principal port of Adulis was on. the coast of what is today Eritrea.

After the 7th century it faced decline and in the 10th century was destroyed by Yodit/Gudit (the Falasha Queen). The destruction was followed by a southward shift of political centers.

Legend has it that the original Ark of the Covenant was brought to Ethiopia from Jerusalem by Menelik I, the Son of King Solomon and Queen of Sheba. It is now in the Church of St. Mary Zion in Axum. Axum is considered  the Holiest Place for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians and is the destination of many pilgrimages.

Main attractions:

• The Ruins of the historic town of Axum with 300 monolithic stelae and ancient temples. The granite obelisks, some of which once reared over 33 meters in the sky, represent tombs of kings and royal families
• The historical Church of St. Mary Zion. The Arc of the Covenant is believed to be housed here guarded by monks.
• The ruins of the palace of Sheba and her swimming pool is a top tourist destination.

THE SIMIEN MOUNTAINS: ROOF OF AFRICA

805 km north of Addis Ababa.

The Simien Mountains National Park is UNESCO World Natural Heritage and hosts the most magnificent scenery of the African continent. It has and endemic mammals like the walia ibex (sacred goat), the Ethiopian wolf and the gelada baboon. The gelada is also known as the bleeding-heart monkey  and is the most visible endemic mammals in the national park counting 15,000 animals. Ethiopia’s highest peak Mt. Ras Dashen, the 4th highest Peak in Africa reaching 4,543 m above sea level, is located on the edge of The Simien Mountains National Park.

HARAR: FOURTH HOLY CITY OF ISLAM

525km east of Addis Ababa, average elevation of 2,100m above sea level.

The walled city of Harar, famous for its gates, is one of the oldest urban centers in the eastern part of Ethiopia. It is considered the emblem of peace and tolerance on the Horn of Africa.

Harar is the birthplace of Ras Taferi Mekonnen, better known as Emperor Haile Selassie-I. It was the base for the French poet Arthur Rimbaud’s adventures in Africa. Harar is considered the fourth holy Islamic city in the world after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.

Main attractions:

• Architecture of the walled city and its gates.
• Colorful Muslim and Christian markets.
• The hyena men feeding the hyenas
• Arthur Rimbaud’s house.
• Daytrip to Babille Elephant Sanctuary in the valleys of Erer, Daketa, and Fafen.

THE GREAT RIFT VALLEY: GATEWAY TO HELL AND AMAZING LAKES

Runs from the Red Sea southward to Mozambique’s Zambezi Valley. Divides Ethiopia into the Ethiopian Plateau to the north and the Somalia Plateau to the south.

The Great Rift Valley is the largest geographical feature on African continent and is the only geographical feature visible to the astronauts on the moon. The process of rifting started some 20 million years ago along the 4,000km long fault line that stretches from the Red Sea south to Mozambique’s Zambezi Valley. The gradual expansion of the valley has been accompanied by a large number of volcanic activities. It is studded with dormant and extinct volcanoes such as Fentalle in Ethiopia and Longonot in Kenya. The Ethiopian portion of the Great Rift Valley runs from the Red Sea-through the Afar Depression to Lake Turkana on Kenyan border.

The Danakil Depression is the northern part of The Great Rift. Its unfriendly desert is the hottest place on Earth in terms of year-round average temperatures. It is also one of the lowest laying places on Earth with altitude as low as 120m below sea level. This inhospitable portion of the Rift Valley has several lakes like Lake Assale and Lake Afambo. The active volcano Erta Ale is is known locally as “the gateway to Hell”.

South of the Danakil Depression, due east of Addis Ababa, the rift narrows around Awash National park to bisect the Ethiopian Highlands into the north-western and south-eastern massifs.

The southern part of the rift Valley is lower, drier and warmer than other densely populated parts of the country. Covered in acacia woodland and dotted with several lakes, it is also one of a few parts of Ethiopia with a significant number of wild animals and birds found. The six major lakes of the Ethiopia Rift formed during the last Ice Age and include some of the world’s oldest, deepest, and largest lakes. The lakes support great biodiversity and are of significant importance to the Ethiopian economy.

South of Lake Chamo the rift Valley expands into the hot, barren shrub lands of the Ethiopian-Kenyan border areas and is most notable known for two of Ethiopia’s most important national parks: Omo National Park and Mago National Park are home to big game.

THE OMO VALLEY: CULTURAL PARADISE

270 km south of Addis Ababa.

The sensational Lower Omo Valley is undoubtedly one of the most unique places on earth because of the wide variety of people and animals that inhabit it. The region is known for its culture diversity.

The lower Omo Valley offers an extra-ordinary cultural mosaic of tribes: Arbore, Ari, Bena, Bodi, Bumi, Daasanech (Geleb), Dorze, Hamer (Hamar), Kara (or Karo), Konso, Kwegu (or Muguji), Mursi, Tsemay, and Turkana.

A few examples of cultural practices:

• The Konso have been farmers since the remote past and was the first people in African to start terracing the terrain. They are living in traditional walled and fenced villages. The Konso practice a traditional religion centered on the worship of Waaq/Wakh. Famous is the wooden carvings (wagas), raised as grave markers in memory of dead men who have killed an enemy or animal.
• The Hamer tribe is famous for bull jumping. The jumping is a rite of passage to join the rank of maza. During this ceremony, the women of the tribe provoke the maza to whip them on their bare backs. The scars after the wiping is seen as symbol of devotion,
• The Surma and the Mursi women are famed for making a circular hole in their lower lips to insert a circular plate to show their beauty, attract their future partner and to show their social status.
• For the Mursi men stick fighting or “Donga” is a mandatory social practice before marriage.
• The Karo are about 1,000 in number and famed for body painting in an attractive patterns and designs.