Our years of experience and extensive network of local partners can help you build your dream trip from the endless possibilities of Ethiopia. We’ll talk through your ideas, give you some suggestions, set it all up and advise on travel, kit and preparation, so that you get the Ethiopian adventure you’ve always wanted.
Ethiopia, once called Abyssinia, is the oldest independent country in Sub Saharan Africa. Ethiopia is old beyond imaginings and arguably one of the world’s most interesting destinations that very few people ever visit. The earliest evidence of Ethiopian history was in around 1000BC when the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon. Unique among African countries, the Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule. It has a written history of over 3000 years and far earlier than that we find proof that ‘Lucy’ or Dinknesh, the oldest hominid, whose remains were found in Ethiopia’s Great Rift Valley, lived here.
Much of the fascination of Ethiopia lies in the myriad historical sites, the obelisks and stele of Axum, the churches and Coptic monasteries in the Tigria area, the ancient monasteries in Lake Tana, the monolithic churches of Lalibela, the royal enclosure in Gondar, the walls of Harar, and so forth.
The Axumite Kingdom
Axum, was a great commercial civilization trading with distant lands, such as Egypt, Arabia, Persia, India, Ceylon, etc. Its main exports were gold, ivory, rhinoceros-horn, hippopotamus hide and slaves. It imported mainly textiles, finished metal wares,
The Rock Hewn Churches of Lalibela and Its Vicinity
The ancient Ethiopian empire in the north, came to an abrupt end, when a ferocious woman warrior named Queen Judith, led her tribes up from the Semien Mountains and destroyed Axum, the capital.
Gondar
An all-embracing complex, at the center of Gondar holds the substantial ruins of castles. Said to have built by an Indian architect, the palace of Emperor Fasilidas is the oldest and most impressive of Gondar's many imperial structures.
Lake Tana Monasteries
There are 37 islands that are scattered about the surface of Lake Tana, out of which some 20 shelter churches and monasteries of immense historical and cultural interest. These churches are decorated with beautiful paintings and house innumerable treasures.
Harar
The eastern part of Ethiopia, close to Djibouti and Somalia, is a region inhabited mainly by Muslims. The ancient walled city of Harar has more than 90 mosques and shrines mixed in with households behind its sixteenth century walls.
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa was founded in 1886 by Emperor Menelik II who moved his capital city from Ankober (a town 175 km. to the northeast) to the top of the Entoto Mountains. Addis Ababa – the “new flower”, was later set at the foot of the Entoto Mountains