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Ethiopia
Specials
Historic Sites by Air
10 Days/ 9 Nights
Cultural
and Natural Sights-East (Harar + Awash)
6 Days/ 5 Nights
Combined
Tours (history, nature & culture)
18 Days/ 17 Nights
Trekking-
Semien Mountains
13 Days/ 12 Nights
Cultural
and Natural Sights-Southeast + Rift Valley
8 Days/ 7 Nights
Historic
Sites by Air & Surface
16 Days/ 15 Nights
Individual
Hotels
Addis
Ababa:
Hotel Ararat
Addis
Ababa:
Sheraton Hotel
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Ethiopia Tour
By Andrew Muigai
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Ethiopia is an enchanting country whose delights
are unknown to most travelers. And yet this is a truly unique destination
with such attractions as can be found nowhere else in the world.
The biggest draw is the rich Orthodox Christian heritage. Ethiopia
was one of the very first nations to embrace Christianity, way back
in the 4th century AD. The wonderful churches, monasteries, icons
and relics to be found here is a reminder of the central role the
Church has played in the history of the country. The painstaking
effort summoned to produce some of these tokens of mans faith in
God is very impressive, especially for non-believers.
Ethiopia is a very worthy destination and many connoisseurs consider
it to be Africa's best-kept secret. Since so few outsiders come
here, the tourist infrastructure is not well developed. But on the
plus side, there are no crowds of visitors, unlike at other historical
destinations such as Egypt. The Christian heritage aside, Ethiopia
is blessed with an astonishing contrast of nature's gifts. This
ranges from the heights of the jagged peaks of the Simien mountains-
a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the bird filled rift valley lakes,
to the under sea level lunarscape of the Danakil Depression.
Travelers have plenty of opportunities to enjoy mountain treks,
caving, camping, sailing and white water rafting adventures. Though
not as abundant as elsewhere in east Africa, there is plenty of
wildlife, and 31 rare species are only found in Ethiopia. This is
also one of Africa's great birding destinations and 861 species
have been recorded of which 16 are endemic. Due to the relatively
undeveloped tourist infrastructure, the best way to see the country
is by buying a packaged Ethiopia tour.
Most overseas visitors will start off from Addis Ababa. Addis, as
the city is popularly known is the capital city and home to Bole
International Airport. The city rests at the foot of the Entoto
Mountains. By Ethiopian standards, it is a new settlement and came
into being in 1887. Addis Ababa means New Flower and its foundation
is credited to Queen Taitu - consort to Menelik II. In Addis, make
sure to visit the Ethnographic Museum and the National Museum. The
Giorgis Cathedral, which was built in 1896 to commemorate victory
over Italian invaders, is also worth a visit.
The Simien Mountains National Park is much favored by trekkers.
The park has some of the scenic sights in the country. The mastiff
reaches to 4620m, the highest point in the country. The park was
created to protect the Walia Ibex, which is found only in Ethiopia.
Other endemic animal species in the park are Gelada Baboon and Simen
Fox. Bale Mountains in the southeast, though less accessible, has
trekking opportunities and some wildlife including a few endemic
species.
Awash National park is one of the finest and most accessible reserves
in the country. The Awash River strides the park before heading
to the Dankil depression where it vanishes, never to reach the sea.
Some special attractions in the park include the Awash Falls, the
dormant Fantale volcano and some thermal springs. Forty-six species
of wildlife have been identified here and the bird life is prolific.
The park is located just 211 km to the east of Addis.
You will obtain best value for your Ethiopia trip if you have at
least an interest in the unique history of the country. The country
claims a history going back 5,000 years, and there are Bible episodes
mentioning Ethiopia that are dated at least 3,000 years ago. The
colorful history is a blend of fact, legend, and tradition. Some
incidents dearest to Ethiopians and which they use to affirm unique
their place in the world, on close examination appear to be apocryphal.
The legend that the Ark of the Covenant is housed in Axum is certainly
controversial. But most of the history is almost certainly correct
and remains unchallenged.
Despite earlier contact with the outside world, Ethiopia developed
in relative isolation and was actually once known as the "Hidden
Empire". As a result, some of the living culture is unique to the
country and has origins dating back hundreds of years.
The Ge'ez language used in most modern day church services derives
from the Kingdom of Axum. Ge'ez alphabet has an amazing 231 letters.
The country still uses the Julian calendar, which has 12 months
of 30 days each and an additional month of 5 days, with 6 days in
a leap year. Relative to the Gregorian calendar used in the west,
Ethiopia is 7 years behind between 11th September and 8th January
and 8 years for the rest of the year.
Festivals of the Orthodox Church are an ingrained part of popular
culture. Timket, feast of Epiphany, is a colorful 3-day festival
commemorating the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan
River. Meskal, celebrates the "finding of the true cross" upon which
Jesus was crucified, by Empress Helana -mother to Constantine the
Great. It is believed that a fragment of the True Cross is to be
found in a monastery in Gishen Mariam. Meskal has been celebrated
in the country for over 1600 years. Other Orthodox festivals include
the Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash) and Christmas (Lidet).
Though a friendly people, Ethiopians are fiercely independent and
even today appear to distrust outsiders a little bit. This may appear
justified when you consider that foreigners such as the British
and Italians are guilty of looting historical relics. The Italians
carried off to Rome a 150-tonne granite obelisk from Axum, when
they occupied the country between 1936-41. Mussolini had sought
a rematch of the 1896 defeat by Ethiopia that had greatly humiliated
Italian patriots. The British had earlier in 1868 stolen priceless
illuminated manuscripts, crowns, crosses, and other treasure. Ethiopia
has been waging a campaign to have the artifacts returned.
Most of the historical treasures date from time King Azena of Axum
converted to Christianity in the 4th century AD. The highlights
of the "Historic Route" are Debre Libanos, Debre Markos, Bahar Dar,
Gondar, Axum, Lalibela and Harar. You can reach these sites by air
or car, or a combination of both. The route starts at Debre Libanos,
110 km from Addis Ababa. Here in the 13th century, Saint Tekle Haymanot
performed a fantastic feat- he stood on one leg for 7 years! A cathedral
marks the spot where this happened.
In 1937, during the Italian occupation, the monks of Debre Libanos
annoyed the Fascist overlord who ordered the execution of 297 of
them. If you are traveling by road, you can pause at Debre Markos,
305 km north of Addis to see the church of Markos with its beautiful
paintings of Biblical scenes.
Bahar Dar is located on the shores of Lake Tana and is 560 km from
Addis Ababa. The 3,000 sq km Lake Tana is Ethiopia's biggest and
is the source of the Blue Nile. Just 30 km after leaving Lake Tana,
over a maximum width of 400m, the Blue Nile drops over 45 m. The
result is the phenomenon of the Blue Nile Falls, otherwise known
to locals as Tississat or "Smoke of Fire". The falls are a spectacular
sight and the spray mist produces rainbows and rainforest vegetation
that forms a habitat to monkeys and many colourful birds.
Lake Tana has 37 islands, some of which harbor churches and monasteries.
These buildings carry beautiful murals and paintings, remains of
emperors, church crosses, icons, manuscripts, crowns and other articles
of historical and cultural significance. Some of the monasteries
such as Kebrane Gabriel preserve ancient customs and do not allow
entry for women. You can break your historical tour by sailing on
the Tana. Boats are available for hire at Bahar Dar. The lake is
also a delight for bird watchers. Flights are available to Bahar
Dar, and some reasonable quality hotels too.
Gondar is 748 km to the northwest of Addis and rests on the foothills
of the majestic Simien Mountains. Founded by Emperor Fasilidas,
it was the 17th century capital of Ethiopia. Noteworthy attractions
here are the cathedrals, castles, and other imperial buildings that
were built by Fasilidas and his successors. The architectural style
combines Axumite, medieval European and Arabian influences. An Indian
architect designed the most magnificent of them. For Cathedrals,
the most impressive is the hilltop positioned Debre Berhan Selassie
(Trinity Church of the Mountain of Light). The city declined after
1855 when Tewodros II removed his capital to Debre Tabor and was
subsequently looted in the 1880's.
Axum, one of the key stops on the historical routes, dates back
at least 2,000 years. The ancient city is particularly important
in the history of the Orthodox Church, as it was the seat of King
Azena when he converted to Christianity in the 4th century AD. Every
year, the site known as Queen Sheba's bath is the focal point of
the ceremony of Epiphany. Archeologist's think that the site and
others such as Queen of Sheba Palace were merely named after the
famous queen for the city had not been founded in her lifetime.
In its heyday, Axum was a vital and sophisticated kingdom that produced
the written language that survives to this day known as Ge'ez. Though
Axum is mostly identified with its trademark monolithic stelae,
it has other important ruins such palaces and imperial tombs. The
stelae were carved from single blocks of stone as markers of the
burial places of kings. These were the biggest monolith structures
ever made anywhere in the world. Out of the 11 identifiable large
stelae, only one stands today at 24 m. In 1937, the Italian dictator
Mussolini ordered one of the structures to be dismantled and raised
again in Rome.
Axum is also known for the 17th century Cathedral of St Mary of
Zion. Legend has it that the original Ark of the Covenant is housed
here. The monks jealously guard this treasure and do not allow anybody
to view it. This stand has led to much speculation that this object
of immeasurable historical and religious value may not actually
be in the hands of the monks of St Mary of Zion.
Lalibela is renowned for its marvelous 11 rock hewn churches built
in the 12th century AD. The very devout King Lalibela commissioned
them, not as monuments, but really as an act of worship. The churches
were each carved from a single block of stone. Some are in trenches
below ground; while others are built in open quarry caves. Legend
has it that the churches were built with great speed because angels
continued working the night shift while mortals slept. The result
was truly magnificent and the very learned people at UNESCO have
declared Lalibela a World Heritage Site. The churches are living
monuments and are still in use today. Of all the historic attractions,
Lalibela is the one you should not miss.
Harar, unlike other centres on the historic route is associated
with Islam. The town with its city wall, towers and narrow streets
has the feel of Arabian Nights about it. Founded in 1520, the city
is 523 km to the east of Addis. It is an important centre of Islamic
learning and has all of 99 mosques. Indeed it is believed to rank
fourth in the ranking of holy cities of Islam after Mecca, Medina
and Jerusalem. The first Muslims are said to have reached Ethiopia
in the lifetime of prophet Mohamed. The city is also famous for
its handicrafts, colorful woven baskets, and silverware. It was
also once the home of the French poet Rimbaud.
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!
In the east of the country towards the Dankil Depression
and to the west near Sudan, the climate is very hot and dry. The
central highland region is temperate, and nights can get chilly.
Rains come twice a year- the rather irregular short rains from January
to March and the long rains from June to September. The best time
to visit Addis and the highlands region is the dry October - June
period. The traveler is advised to dress very light in the lowlands
and desert country. In the highland region, temperatures average
16°C and warmer clothing comes in handy at night and early morning.
Some Addis Ababa hotels are of international standard. A few other
towns and locations on the Historical Route and other tourist attractions
also offer reasonable accommodation. Unlike in other countries that
receive many tourists, the budget traveler will find accommodation
rates to be very reasonable. ============================================
Copyright
© Africa Point
Author
Andrew Muigai is editor of AfricaPoint Insider online newsletter.
You can view more info on Ethiopia tours at the website.
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on this web site is as accurate and current as possible. The information
is provided 'as is' and Africa Travel will not accept responsibility
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from the information on this website. Please verify crucial information
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