Ethiopia?? Yes, Ethiopia!
Little is known about Ethiopia as a fascinating holiday destination that combines many interests. What are the highlights of Ethiopia? It has a rich and magical history, an amazing diversity in culture, and extraordinary natural beauty.
Highlights of Ethiopia:
- Land of origins! The cradle of humankind with the most famous 3.2 million years old early hominin Lucy found in Hadar, coffee discovered in the Kaffa region and the Blue Nile has its source in the highlands near Bahir Dar! All find their origins in Ethiopia!
- Nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, four Intangible Cultural Heritage, and five Biosphere Reserves are listed! The rock-hewn churches of Lalibela are the absolute highlight of Ethiopia!
- Fascinating history, dating back more than 3000 years! Home of the famous Queen of Sheba or Makeda as she is locally known. The Ark of the Covenant is believed to be kept in Ethiopia, in a small chapel in Axum!
- Colorful religious festivals mostly celebrated by the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church, among them Genna (Christmas, 7 January), Timket (Epiphany, 19 January), Meskel (Finding of the True Cross, 27 September), and Hidar Tsion (30 November)!
- A very own script called ‘ge’ez’ and its own calendar, based on the Julian calendar, with 13 months, 7 years behind the Gregorian calendar, and New Year celebrated on 11 September! Experience 13 months of sunshine!
- Distinctive cuisine with the staple food enjera, a kind of pancake made of the endemic grain called ‘teff’, which comes with an incredible amount of delicious ‘wot’ (sauces)! Due to the many Orthodox Christian fasting days a paradise for vegetarians and vegans!
- Incredible cultural variety with over 80 different ethnic groups! The Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia is home to an amazing number of different ethnic groups living their authentic life! An absolute highlight of Ethiopia.
- Magnificent scenery! Largely a mountainous country with beautiful vistas! A pleasure to explore by surface and ideal for trekking (ie Simien and Bale Mountains) and an expedition to the Danakil Depression!
- Unique flora and fauna! A birdwatcher’s paradise: around 850 species with 39! (near) endemics. 35 endemic mammals, the larger ones often not hard to find!
All the above are almost exclusively for you to explore, discover and experience!
Our most popular packages
This is a fine example of combining some of our suggested itineraries to a ‘Best of Ethiopia’ tour. It is…
For us this is the classic ‘Historical Route’. It takes you to all the important historical sites of northern Ethiopia…
This is a perfect balanced itinerary to meet different ethnic groups in the south. Meanwhile you can enjoy the natural…
This is the shortest possible tour which takes you to all the important historical sites of northern Ethiopia and includes…
When your time is really limited but you want to include all the important historical sites of northern Ethiopia in…
A visit to the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela is the highlight of any visit to Ethiopia. The 12th century churches…