More information on Ethiopia holidays & tours to the Omo Valley, Lalibela & the wilidlife of the Simien Mountains & Bale National Park:
Ethiopia's historic sites are truly breathtaking. The country is also home to some of the continent’s highest mountains, beautiful flamingo-filled Rift Valley lakes, mighty rivers and rare wildlife.
On Ethiopia holidays & tours you can visit more than nine official World Heritage Sites, with a further five waiting for authorisation. Dating from the 16th century, the castles and palaces of historic Gondar and the astonishing subterranean rock-hewn churches of sacred Lalibela are some of the most famous. The monasteries at Bahir Dar on the islands of Lake Tana, Axum’s 4th century giant stone obelisks and the chapel that is said to house the Ark of the Covenant, are all notable highpoints on Ethiopia’s classic historic circuit.
With over 80 languages spoken and many different religious affiliations, on Ethiopia holidays & tours you will see that the country's heritage and culture are incredibly diverse. The many tribes of the Omo Valley are testimony to this cultural richness, including the Dorze with their distinctive beehive shaped homes, the Karo who live in wooden hilltop fortresses and sculpt totem poles and the Turmi who decorate their hair with red clay and on special occasions hold bull jumping ceremonies.
The colourful Orthodox Coptic festivals of Timket and Meskel are two of the most fascinating national celebrations and can be experienced countrywide on Ethiopia holidays & tours. Celebrating the Epiphany, three-day Timket is Ethiopia’s most important festival. Held in January, there are huge colourful processions accompanied by music and dancing. The annual festival of Meskel falls in September and celebrates the discovery of the True Cross. Large bonfires are decorated with daisies prior to the celebrations, which take place in the early evening.
Formed by volcanic activity, Lake Tana is the largest lake in Ethiopia and the source of the Blue Nile, one of the major tributaries of the Nile. The Blue Nile Falls are worthy of a visit on Ethiopia holidays & tours, even though the level of water at the falls has been reduced by the construction of a hydroelectric dam.
For those interested in archaeology, Lucy, the world’s oldest almost intact hominid skeleton, was discovered in the Awash Valley & an interesting display can be seen in Addis Ababa museum.
Ethiopia has two important national parks. In the north, Simien Mountains National Park was created to protect the critically endangered Walia Ibex, which clings to sheer rock faces. It is also home to the Gelada (bleeding heart) monkey and the rare Simien wolf (also known as the Simien fox or Abyssinian wolf). On Ethiopia holidays & tours, the open afro-alpine moorland of Bale Mountains National Park is another good place to see a range of endemic mammals, including the Simien wolf. As wildlife is relatively sparse, combining a big-five safari in Kenya with a cultural experience in Ethiopia is a popular choice.