Touring Ethiopia

by Dr. Hanna Rubinkowska

Wherever you are planning to go in Ethiopia you need to leave early, or at least what is early for European standards. It’s a bit tricky in Ethiopia, as you need to start at twelve o’clock according to the Ethiopian way of counting time.

In Ethiopia twelve is the time of sunrise and sunset, and on foreigners’ clocks this time of day is six a.m. or p.m. The country is situated not far from the equator which makes the difference between day and night only slight.

At twelve, all the buses start their journey. Traveling takes lots of time in this mountainous country. Moreover, after sunset roads are far from being safe and continuing the journey is not a wise habit.

Every hour is precious if you do not want your trip to last forever. Tourists usually have very limited time and in these circumstances it does not matter that Ethiopia makes you feel like staying for longer. The more so, that for a traveler reaching the destination is an obvious temptation.

All the travel guides recommend the so called “northern circle.”

This means visiting places located to the north of Addis, like the modern town of Bahir Dar.

Or to take a boat trip on Tana Lake and see paintings and treasures in the monasteries located on the islands there.

Also to visit the source of the Blue Nile and art-deco Gonder, to experience ruins of castles resembling something between Disneyland and Harry Potter’s school, or other fairy-tale buildings.

Then there is Axum, with its history and monuments spanning several hundred years of history B.C. and Lalibela with its monolithic churches constructed in red rock.

The travel guides also recommend to take the direction starting from Addis Ababa in the western direction and approaching east. Polish people love to do everything in a way opposite to recommended, and I also left Addis in the direction of Lalibela.

There were also other, more down to earth reasons for doing this, not just because of my rebel nature. Among them the fact that if you plan to visit southern regions after the northern circle it seems wise to take this direction.

Bahir Dar is the only spot in the northern part of the country where malaria is a danger.

Reaching Bahir Dar at the end of the first part of the trip allows you to start taking anti-malaria tablets in the end of the northern circle and continue when you go south.

Moreover, Lalibela is the most expensive spot in Ethiopia. If you start there, you spend less and less money with every place you visit in the country.

This gives you a nice feeling of constantly saving money which adds to the attractions of traveling.

To reach Lalibela from Addis Ababa is always a long journey through spectacular and dangerous mountains. However, the way you choose can provide you with less or more spectacular views.

Probably the easiest and shortest route leads through Dessie and Woldia.

Like everywhere in the country, there are Chinese builders who are responsible for the construction of the roads.

It is partially newly built, though in many parts there is still no hard surface.

On those parts of the road where the work has not yet been finished, you loose all the time which you managed to save on the already constructed part.

Another option is taking a side road, with no Chinese people working there, but offering unforgettable experiences instead. Even though Lalibela seems to be one of the most spectacular places in the world, spending some time on the way there is worth a while.

Ankober and Maqdela
Ethiopia is full of historical places, and there are also many of them on the way from Addis to Lalibela. Going in this direction there are at least two mountainous residences of Ethiopian royal settings. These can be visited if you have a good four-wheel drive vehicle and lots of enthusiasm to go quite deep off the beaten track.

The two remote places are Ankober and Maqdela. The first, is situated in the central province of Shewa, 40 kilometers from the town of Debre Birhan.

It takes only half a day by bus to get to Debre Birhan from Addis. The final 40 kilometers is much more challenging if you do not travel by car.

There is an option of going further by bus, but it leaves the town early (only a slight chance of getting the bus the same day on which you started from Addis) and climbs the hills for another three hours before it reaches Ankober.

On the other hand, taking this option you experience being strongly enrooted in the passengers society by the time three hours are gone. This includes getting involved in long discussions in Amharic, even if you do not understand a word of the language.

Obviously, traveling by car makes it possible to reach Ankober without this experience, but instead quite fast and comfortable. The village is situated on slopes of the hills dotted with traditional Ethiopian round churches.

In the 19th century, a palace of powerful Shewan landlords was located on the top of one of the hills, the same Shewan dynasty which started ruling Ethiopia when Menelik II was crowned Emperor in 1889. The power remained in their hands until the fall of the empire in 1974.

For many years a bit of a wall which used to surround the palace was the only monument of the royal power, which could have been traced in Ankober.

However, Ethiopia is changing and not many years ago a traditional-style building resembling a palace was built again on the hill and “Ankober Lodge” was opened.

The site is still not functioning as a tourist destination and the lodge did not attract many tourists, but for those who decide to visit Ankober it provides a wonderful place to stay in a surrounding of a traditional Ethiopian village.

Another historical destination reached with the help of a four-wheel drive (up to a certain point) and by mule or your own feet, is Maqdela. This 19th century residency of emperor Tiewodros is located in the center of the Ethiopian Highlands.

We tried to reach Maqdela by car, but too much fresh air below our wheels persuaded us to go further on foot. You need at least three days to get there from Addis.

Dessie to Tenta
Tenta is a village situated about 17 kilometers from Maqdela and the furtherst point which is possible by car. Further there are mountains and an up and down bendy road which leads from Dessie to Tenta.

The road to Tenta provides breath-taking views which make one forget about being afraid of the bendy road.

Then there are the incredible precipices and challenging bends that make one forget about the beauty of the landscape.

Like always, in Ethiopia, when one is sure that nobody can live that high and in those rocky surrounding, one passes people on the road who walk from nowhere to nowhere, as it seems.

And then, when the car reaches the top of the world there is another surprise: a big flat area. What is more, it is inhabited.

After more ups and downs and a few more hours there is a marketplace…

Where do all these people come from to meet at the marketplace?

It seems like there is nothing all around.

It looks strange for European eyes… Surprising and beautiful. Above all, just beautiful.

Dr. Hanna Rubinkowska has plenty of travel experiences to Ethiopia and is a contributor to our site.

She has specialized in modern history of Ethiopia and currently lectures at Warsaw University, Department of African Languages and Cultures.

Dr. Hanna Rubinkowska (Ph.D.)

On the first part of my trip we discovered the wonders of Bahirdar, the Blue Nile falls, Lake Tana, and the Island Monasteries. In this 2nd part we continue our journey north to Axum, Lalibela and Harar.

After spending a day and night in Gonder, we headed to the spectacular Simien Mountain massifs, most more than 4,000+ metres high.

These ranges of mountains are believed to have been created as a result of massive seismic activity about 40 million years ago. The Simien Mountains are also recorded by UNESCO as a world heritage site.

It was late afternoon when we were driving to Debark (the park’s head quarter) and I remember we were so scared because of the thick fog which in places meant we were unable to see even three meters ahead.

The next day we organized our trip to the mountains and had our guide and scout at Debark. Early morning we drove to ‘Sankaber’ and a camping site at the mountains.

On our way to Sankaber we had a chance to view quite large numbers of Gelada baboons endemic to Ethiopia. We also saw a newly established and very beautiful high quality lodge at a place called Buit-ras situated at 3,260 metres. It is said to be the highest hotel and lodge in Africa.

Parking our car at Michibiny we trekked for hours. Most of the group members were exhausted due to a lack of experience, but it was so exciting.

We had mixed feelings about what to do, some wanted to go forward up to ‘Chenek’ an excellent place to view the endemic Red Fox. Others in the group wanted at least to see Jinbar Falls a spectacular water fall, while others got exhausted and wanted to get back to where we parked our car.

But those of us who wanted to trek forward won the others over for one good reason “a heavy rain.” However, it didn’t rain quite as much as we had expected. In addition to trekking and spectacular mountain scenery, we were also rewarded seeing the other endemic Menelik’s bushbuck, klipspringer and others.

Axum and Debre Damo
After staying two days in the Simien Mountains we crossed and drove through another great landscape and mountain escarpment ‘the Limalimu Mountains’ heading to the ancient Axum where much of Ethiopia’s history begins.

At Axum we started our tour with the 2000+ year old and still standing obelisks, royal tombs, Stele Park, queen of Sheba’s palace, her bathing pool and also the church of St. Mary of Zion ‘the so called site of the Ark of the Covenant.’

At Axum you could imagine what the BC times (2000+ years ago) might have been like. You could just sit and stare at the wonder of the art and the sophistication of the civilization that once existed here on earth let alone in Ethiopia.

Surprisingly what is excavated in Axum is estimated to be only about 5% of the remains. The other 95% is still hidden and waiting to be unearthed.

The next day we went to Debre-Damo Ethiopia’s first church and monastery built in the Axumite times. It is situated on top of a mountain 2,800m high and surrounded on all sides by a vertical cliff. We were so amazed and wondered why and how those early monks had built a monastery in this table-top land. It can only be reached by climbing up using rope and it is still how pilgrims and the monks climb up and down even today.

Rock Hewn Churches of Lalibela
Concluding our trip were the 12th -13th century Lalibela rock hewn churches. Lalibela is an extension of Ethiopia’s northern history and civilization succeeding Yeha (Ethiopia’s first capital 500 BC), Axum and the rock hewn churches of Tigray.

Most of the churches at Lalibela are carved in and out of a single rock. Others are semi-monolithic whilst others are cave churches. The churches perfect design, the 12th century still fresh paintings, those old crosses, the feel of the atmosphere and everything we saw there left us with unutterable feelings.

We were not able to see the churches outside the town due to lack of time however we did see all the churches within the town.

The Lalibela rock hewn churches are ranked among the greatest historical sites in the world and I can not honestly find the right words to describe or explain them.

We also had excellent food and stay in Lalibela. It is the other good thing you find there. There are various ranges of hotels and accommodation, all with a good quality service and at a reasonable price.

Harar
We were also lucky to see the other extreme of Ethiopia ‘Harar’ a city at the east of Addis. Harar is celebrating its millennium and 1000th year anniversary. It was recently awarded the status of a world heritage site by UNESCO.

Harar is so beautiful and exotic to Ethiopia, entirely different from the northern Christian influenced civilization. Here you find a Moslem civilization that has existed for centuries. Harar was an important center of trade and a religious center for Islamic scholarship and had a government ruled under Islamic leadership.

We visited the five gates of the city, the city inside and the famous French poet Arthur Rimbaud’s house (born in 1854 in the Ardennes, north-eastern France). The house possesses an important collection of his photographic works.

We concluded our entire trip to Ethiopia’s historic sites, mountain sceneries, and beautiful landscapes after 16 days. The whole trip and experience was beyond words. We felt great happiness and refreshment. I will always miss what I believe to be one of life’s great all time experiences.

Comments from some of the Group Members:

My whole trip was so exciting and memorable. I guess the feeling will remain within me as I always think about it. The Blue Nile falls, the ancient and unique church treasures found on the island monasteries of Lake Tana, the beautiful medieval castles of Gonder, the Simien Mountains, and all others have left me with an impression that I can hardly find enough words for - Genet.

I work for construction companies and have had the chance to travel to most parts of Ethiopia. But this trip to the historic spots gave me an incredible experience that I never have before. Among many others, the Blue Nile falls, the Simien mountain massif and rock hewn 13th century churches of Lalibela are spectacular. It was a great vacation and hope I will get back to those beautiful places in the near future - Tsegaye.

It is my second time when I come from Holland to see my family and visit Ethiopia’s amazing sites. I had such a wonderful opportunity to visit the northern historic sites, the thousand year old walled city Harar, the Blue Nile falls, the spectacular world heritage Simien Mountain massif and many others. What I saw and experienced will always makes me want to go back for more. An amazing vacation! - Dawit

Eskinder Hailu
Turning Your Dream Vacation Into a Reality

I just returned from a trip through the historic route of Ethiopia with a tour group totaling ten members. Our trip was planned to last 16 days and to cover most of the northern historic routes and eastern Ethiopia ‘Harar’.

Although my work as a tour operator keeps me engaged in Ethiopia’s tourism attractions, I always find myself wondering at the many and diverse attractions of the country, just as visitors do.

Bahirdar, Blue Nile falls, Lake Tana, and Island Monasteries

We started our tour heading directly to a city named Bahirdar. The city itself is beautiful but probably better well known for being a base to explore the two nearby great attractions.

The first one is 32 kms away, the ‘Blue Nile falls’ the legendary and longest river in the world. We crossed most of the Blue Nile gorge walking and climbing up the mountain escarpments.

Some of the group enjoyed climbing up the mountain slopes and hills when ever they could, whilst others were busy taking photos.

We also had a picnic lunch as we crossed over the gorge and enjoyed the lunch sitting under the shadows of beautiful trees in a green field. We ate Shiro, vegatables and Injera an Ethiopian like pan cake.

The falls are truly spectacular. At the time it was the rainy season, so we were lucky to see the river at its full might and could feel and here the river from far away.

As we got closer, we felt the water shower us like heavy rain. The roar of the water was tremendous so much so that we could not hear ourselves speak.

It was like being in another world standing close to the power and might of the river and made it difficult to describe using mere words. Some of the group members were terrified, others felt as if they were in a dream and some wanted to come back again the next day to experience the excitement all over again.

And yet, we were told that what we were seeing was just 25% of the water, the rest being diverted to the hydroelectric power station. I thought what it might be like had we experienced all the water thundering over the falls.

However, even the part of the water that we had seen, left us with lasting memories of an exciting experience. When we returned back to our Hotel at Bahirdar, we were very wet but above all still excited by what we had seen.

Siding Bahirdar lays Ethiopia’s largest lake ‘Tana’ covering 3,500sq.km

On the lake there are beautiful islands and ancient monasteries, most of them built in the 17th century and which house many important medieval time treasures.

The next day we planned to have a boat trip to these islands that include the Zege Peninsula and where we would find the famous Ura-Kidanemihiret.

Unlike the falls and cities this is another world ‘quiet’, ‘jungle’, ‘ancient’, ‘spiritual’ and ‘atmospheric’.

Some of us felt deeply moved by the 17th century beautiful paintings of ‘Kibran Gabriel’ and the 16th -17th centuries beautiful church paintings and treasures of ‘Ura-Kidanemihiret.’

After finishing our trip to the islands, we took our boat to the place where the lake and the Blue Nile River meet. It’s an amazing site to see the two waters within the lake.

You see the river darker and faster running water against the contrast of the calmer still water of the lake. Here the river crosses the lake and if you turn off the engine of the boat, you still find yourself moving in the direction where the river is heading.

Gonder Royal Castles
Having completed our tour around Bahirdar, we headed to the 17th century Gonderian, a very impressive royal enclosure.

Here we visited the beautifully built ‘fairy tale’ like castles in which former kings once lived and where we found palaces, a chancery, library and even a play ground.

Athough some parts are just ruins most are still in a good shape and some were also quite functional even to this day.

I found myself wondering what it must have been like to live in those times. The castles have an indefinable atmosphere that seemed to take me back centuries into Ethiopia’s past.

After dining at a traditional restaurant our group spent the night at Gonder enjoying local traditional music at “Azmari Bets” where traditional amhara songs and dancing takes place and for which Gonder is well known.

In part 2 my journey continues through the Simien Mountains to the cradle of Ethiopia’s earliest civilization.

Eskinder Hailu
Turning Your Dream Vacation Into a Reality