Five ideas for guided tours in Ethiopia

• Aksum

  Aksum is the historical and religious capital of Ethiopia. There are many historical monuments of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Some of its monuments date back to the first century and span 12 to 13 centuries, but the origins of the city date back to 1000 years before our era, in the glorious time of the Queen of Sheba, who gave birth to Menelik, the first son of King Solomon. They are real archaeological treasures, among which we can find the monolithic obelisks, but also ruins of ancient castles and royal cemeteries. Aksum remains to this day a religious center of great importance. The church and the basilica of St. Mary of Sion, where the population comes daily to worship, are there to prove it. However, Aksum is not just a city frozen in its past, where spirituality would take precedence over life. On the contrary, it is a very pleasant city, with a crazy charm with its downtown made of paved streets, surrounded by beautiful colored houses and beautiful squares, in the middle of which sit large trees where everyone comes to rest peacefully.

• Lalibela

  The Jerusalem of Ethiopia is the most famous tourist destination of the country. You will experience very special sensations there. Perched at an altitude of 2,600 meters, this small village is world famous for its eleven monolithic churches, all carved out of pink granite at the foot of the mountains. They are connected to each other by narrow passages, and even if some of them are a bit difficult to access, their discovery is all the more beautiful. It is sometimes difficult to imagine the price of work and ingenuity that it took to its builders to construct such monuments. The most beautiful and most photographed is the church of St. George, also a jewel out of the rock, which was built 800 years ago. The village of Lalibela has a very special and soothing atmosphere. Staying there for a few days is very pleasant, especially when you choose a place of accommodation that offers a prodigious view of the Lasta massif.

• Gondar and the Siemen

  Gondar is located north of Lake Tana and 750 km north of Addis Ababa. It was in 1632, under the reign of Emperor Fasilidas, that the city became (and remained for centuries) the capital of Ethiopia. It is from this time that several castles and palaces were built, which made the reputation of the place. Among them, Fasil Ghebbi is a must to visit. Also not to be missed is the Debré Birhan Selassie Orthodox Church, which has a huge collection of paintings of biblical scenes. The city of Gondar is also the perfect place to start your treks to the Siemen Mountains in the Amhara region. The treks all start from Debark. You can go back and forth during the day, but we advise you to spend at least one or two nights there, to make the most of this region of fantastic beauty, especially since the lodges that welcome you to sleep are very comfortable. The landscapes that you will be given to admire in Siemen are absolutely marvelous, with its mountains culminating in average at more than 3 000 meters, which border immense green valleys, or flowing in immense gorges. One can meet endemic species such as the Walia Ibex, ibexes that climb on the narrow ridges, or the Geladas Baboons, easily approachable from very close.

• Omo National Park

  The Omo Valley is located in the southwest of Ethiopia, in a rather remote area where 80 tribes such as the Suri, Mursi, Karo, Nyangatom and Dizi live, with ancestral traditions, who are keen to preserve their culture. One comes to visit this region to try a contact with these populations, which each have their own clothes, colors and drawings painted on the skin. However, it is necessary to take care that in no case, they do not become beasts of show, and the limit is sometimes narrow between wanting to understand and exchange, and being there only to photograph and leave. The rough and wild access of this region, composed of large savannahs (with some less dry areas on the riverside, where we find denser forests) has made it a place for more resistant animals, such as elephants, giraffes, buffaloes or cheetahs.

• Danakil Desert

  The Danakil is a desert located in the northeast of Ethiopia and south of Eritrea. For centuries, the region has had a huge salt exploitation area, a real wealth. This is how the nomadic Afar people settled in this arid land and still extract salt in a traditional way, especially in Lake Karoum. This is a place where one can find a large number of camels, a remnant of the ancient caravans that used it as a route of passage. The Danakil desert has extreme climatic conditions, with very high temperatures, due in large part to the fact that it is located on average 100 meters below sea level. Its soil is at the meeting point of Asian, African and European tectonic plates, which has created such a beautiful landscape. To visit: the Erta Ale volcano, still active. Inside its crater, there is a permanent lava lake of 10,000 m². Only 60 kilometers away is the Dallol volcano, with its yellow and green colors. Exploring the Danakil is worthwhile and can only be done if you are physically fit. Visits are only possible with a guide and one or more armed men.