Travel information on Security & Safety for visitors in Ethiopia

Category Archives: Sites opening

Boya Guesthouse is repaired

Boya Community Guesthouse

Boya Community Guesthouse

Olivia Chapman visits Boya – one of the Tesfa Community owned Guesthouses near Lalibela (all photos taken by Olivia)

“I had the pleasure of visiting Tesfa Tour’s community owned guesthouse in Boya at the end of February this year and despite the structural destruction there is still a sort of magic about the place. The guesthouse was badly impacted by the conflict, with the Tigrayan army using the guesthouse as a base. Once the army left, they attempted to burn the remaining structures and took many materials with them. The community, managed to put out the fires before it was completely destroyed. Since then the community have been unable to make any money of the guesthouse, with tourism at an all time low and inadequate

Damaged kitchen/dining tukul

Damaged kitchen/dining tukul 

structures to hold the few tourist who visited.

However, the community have since received funding from a small and local NGO; Zegoch le Zegoch (ZlZ) who have focused on a new approach to aid in areas that have been affected by conflict. ZlZ’s irsho approach places communities at the centre of the emergency response, seeing them as capable of drive their own development. In line with this, ZlZ have granted the community in Boya 130,000 ETB (around $2,450USD) for reconstruction. The community have already started to fix the site and prepare for tourists to

Children in Boya home

Children in their home 

come again, estimating to be ready within a month or so. With the news that tourists were returning back to Ethiopia and business was picking up, the community members faces brightened.

The community invited us into their houses and offered us so much even though they have so little. This group is the perfect example of resilience, demonstrated by the continued loving approach despite the devastating impact the war had on them and

Raw honey & ambasha bread

Ethiopian hospitality -Raw honey & ambasha bread

their families. They are excited and ready to meet you with the warmest hospitality, as soon as the site is ready and up and running. Get ready to experience the real Ethiopia.”

We since received a call from the community to tell us that all is fixed and they are eagerly waiting for guests.

 

Farmer shaping wood for the doors and windows

Farmer shaping wood for the doors and windows

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Support for the Tesfa guesthouses in North Wollo / Recovery in Tigray

Community guesthouse at Boya, some damage

Community guesthouse at Boya, some damage

Dear friends

It has been a long time since I wrote last. In the meantime tourism has really begun to get going, and thankfully the peace in Tigray has taken root.

The peace treaty that was signed on 2nd of November in Pretoria, South Africa, has been implemented gradually over the last few months. The result is that military forces from Eritrea and Amhara region have withdrawn to border areas, Federal forces have returned to camp, Tigrayan forces have handed their heavy weapons to Federal forces and a large number seem to have been demobilised. Supplies have been getting through by road to the region, flight services to Mekele and Shire have been expanded, telecom and banking is being gradually restored across the Region.

View Enaf Community Guesthouse - Tigray

View from Enaf Community Guesthouse Tigray – as it was before the conflict

Life has been extremely hard for people living in Tigray but at least with the fighting ended it has improved. There is limited economic opportunity for people living there and it is still hard for people to make any living.  I am planning to go to visit our community guesthouses in Tigray, as soon as I can get a return flight in, to meet with the people there and our guides in the nearby towns, as well as see what remains of the structures and materials. After the trip I will see how much needs doing and start looking to find ways to support the repair work in Tigray.

In the meantime we are trying to repair the guesthouses in the area around Lalibela that got damaged in the fighting. We have started with a guesthouse at Boya -next to a lovely old church called Boya Mikael. The TPLF used this site for a camp for a time during the conflict and they took off the thatched grass from the roofs. Some doors and windows also were taken although the community managed to hide a lot of materials in the local church.  They have now repaired the roofs on their own, but still need help with doors, windows and some other materials for hosting guests.

In discussion with Taga Mariam community

A wonderful local NGO called Citizen to Citizen (Zegoch le Zegoch – ZlZ) has been working in areas where the conflict has caused damage and hardship for local communities providing seed money to help get them back and working. They meet with communities and get them to make a proposal – including what they will contribute in return for the grant. At Boya they have agreed to provide 130,000 birr (around $2,450 USD or £2,050 GBP). Tesfa Tours needs to raise this money for ZlZ in order that they can go on and fund other Tesfa communities that have similar problems with damage to guesthouses and lunch stops.

ZlZ (website under development is here) have really helped local people recover from the conflict (see the case studies on the site). They also have an Ethiopian Bank Account that can receive transfers from abroad – details of which I can share too. For more details please contact me on What’sApp – +251 921602236 or email-  mark@tesfatours.com.

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Ras Dashen – Ethiopia’s highest mountain – is open

Ras Dashen Peak © AWF Abezash Tamerat 2017

While the core area of the Simien Mountain National Park has been open for visitors for the last year now, Ras Dashen and Eastern edge of the park was closed. It is now open again and for those keen to climb Ethiopia’s highest mountain (variously measured at 4,533m and 4,543m and some times known as Ras Dejen) we can now organise treks in the park to include this peak. We can also include several of the other high peaks – including Kidus Yared 4,453 and its ridge that runs to Abba Yared (4,409)  and Silki (4,420).

A Walia Ibex beside Ginat Lobelia, from the slopes of Mnt Buahit looking across Chenek

We will also climb Buahit to the west at 4,430m.

The Simien Mountains is the best place to see Gelada Baboons up close, and the only place to see the Walia Ibex.

Gelada baboons, staring back…

You also have a good chance to see the Ethiopian Wolf and many birds of prey including the Lammergeyer.

So why not ask Tesfa Tours to put a trip together in this remarkable landscape – a world heritage site?

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Wof Washa – A Land of Milk & Honey … and much more.

View from of Rift Valley edge near Gosh Meda

Wof Washa (meaning Bird Cave) forest blankets over 6,000 ha of the Rift Valley escarpment with natural forest. A mere 130km north east from Addis Ababa this forest extends from Ankober, seat of Menelik former palace, towards Debre Sina. At the highest levels (around 3,500 meters above seas level) the forest consists of Afro alpine vegetation of Giant Lobelia and Giant Heather trees (Erica arboreal). As you go lower increasingly there are massive Juniper, African Olive and Podocarpus trees. Some of these trees are over 500

Podocarpus & African Olive trees among the giant trees in the forest

years old. I have never seen such large Olive trees. There are many other species too, but I’m no expert. I saw Hagenia (Kosso) and the yellow flowered Hypericum in the forest but there was much I didn’t recognise.

With the changing altitude was a variety wildlife. Above the escarpment was Guassa grassland with little rodents scuttling into burrows before us and large troops of Geladas. Reliable reports indicate that Ethiopian wolves can be seen here too best seen early morning and late afternoon. Fortunately at one such location: Gosh Meda ( Buffalo grassland – but no Buffalo’s left these days!),

Gosh Meda guesthouse near the top of the Rift Valley escarpment

SUNARMA have supported the local villagers to build guest houses. The views from the escarpment here at an altitude approaching 3,600 m are stunning. But the wind and altitude can combine to make it very cold. None the less this is a great place to see the Afro Alpine flora and fauna with out having to travel far from Addis. The great raptors such as the Lammergeyer patrol the escarpments on thermals in search of rodents or Hyrax (which look like overgrown guinea pigs) large troops of Gelada graze on the grasses, and if you are lucky you could see an Ethiopian wolf.

Hagenia Abyssinica & Giant Juniper trees in the upper forest

There is a good path down from here past the villages developed spring water source (a great place to top up water bottles) into the forest. As you drop down in altitude Juniper and other relatively lower altitude trees appear. In addition to the trees you will notice a myriad of different coloured flowers, butterflies and birds. Anyone with an interest in plants will be fascinated and be scrabbling for their notebooks. The regular rain with the varied altitude make this one of the best places to see flowers and different plants.

In terms of mammals, in my few days I’ saw Geladas

Mescha guesthouse nestled into the forest edge

and Colobus, heard Hamadras baboon, saw trees moved most likely by Grivet monkeys, seen prints of leopards, heard hyenas, seen tree hyrax, seen excrement we were told was from what is either a Cerval or Civet (both are present), heard and seen Menelik’s bushbuck and seen porcupine quills. Wow!

The walk to the bottom of the forest ends in Mescha. Surely one of the most scenic places you can imagine. Jagged forested peaks ring Mescha on three sides. Low level fields were full of crops of barley and a kind of

The vale of Mescha on the lower edge of the forest

broad bean called bakela. Water gurgles by in streams. Another quite different village guesthouse awaits. It’s a place you never want to leave.

The name Mescha comes from an event in 1701 (Ethiopian calendar) during a famine. After praying Mana came down from heaven to feed the hungry population around the historical church of Mescha Mariam. This led to the naming of the area as Mescha meaning ‘comes down’ as the Mana did in the time of Moses.

Next morning I was woken up with the serenade of the

Kniphofia Foliosa – Red Hot Pokers – found throughout the forest in clearings

Colobus (Guraza as they are called in Ethiopia) a kind of rumbling roaring that is unexpected if you never heard it before. Shortly after we went on a forest walk south from the guesthouse with the hugely knowledgable camp manager. The highlight was seeing a number of scarlet winged, White-cheeked Turacos.

After breakfast we walked west around the valley to see the Thursday market in Mescha village. We walked through carpets of red hot pokers in the clearing and through attractive farmland. Milk production is very successful in this area, with all year round green fields,

Farmhouse near Mescha

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The market at Mescha, just below Wof Washa forest

superb cup of coffee before continuing on our way.

The trek to Lik Marifya took about 4h30minutes, and went through lovely scenery, mostly following the contours around the edge of the forest and the higher agricultural land. One of my companions went off in search of honey and came back with delicious unprocessed honey as scraped out of a traditional hive. Honey is one of the important forest products that is sold locally. But much of it is used for making tej, a local honey wine (mead). Also on the trail we stopped to watch a pair of Verreaux Eagles being attacked by crows. As the afternoon wore on we climbed up a steep

Cutting hay and the view back towards Mescha

pass to get to the Lik Marifya valley. The views each way from the top were stunning, as was the descent into a forest of giant Olive trees. The biggest I had ever seen. Again the guesthouse is set on the forest edge with views out to the agricultural land below the forest and into the densely forested slopes adjacent to the lodge. We had spent the whole day on the go, and arrived shortly before sunset.

Next morning we went off down the valley to the Falasha monastery. The Falasha are an ancient Jewish people who have lived in Ethiopia since time

Forest of African Olive on slopes above Lik Marefya

immemorial. However there are very few left now as since the 1980’s Israel has ‘repatriated’ them to live in Israel. This community have however refused to leave. Intrigued, I set off down the dirt road spotting Colobus monkeys and White-cheeked Turacos along the way. After about an hour’s walk we came to the grinding mill owned by the Falasha. It was given by donation and they had just received a new mill the day before from the latest donor. We were received into the main compound and into a building – a 2 story mud and wood building, very simple and spartan inside. We

The forest & valley in early morning – Lik Marefya

discussed with two strong but older men from the ‘monastery’ one who was their leader. The most curious point was that they said they were Orthodox Christians and believed in Jesus. They claimed to have converted many centuries before, but claimed their ancestors travelled with Menelik I (son of King Solomon and Queen Sheba) and presumably the Ark of Covenant from Israel. However later they confessed to not really knowing their history as it went so far back. In addition on our way out I observed that there was a curious large round building at the centre of the compound with a

round design on the roof – which was not a cross. The

Falasha ‘monastery’ near Lik Marefya

women’s compound was to one side and the mens to the other. This would seem to suggest the round building was in fact their synagog. No married people lived in the compound, but rather married Falasha couples lived outside in other parts of N.Shoa. The population at the monastery consisted of ageing Falashas and some with disabilities. They employed local people to be their labour force.

We tried to discuss future tourist visits which they seemed happy to accommodate, and I suggested that

Colobus monkeys in the trees over a river

they sell some of the crafts that their community produce. But it seems little is produced at the monastery, although their associated population do produce artisanal goods (pottery and cotton shawls). However the leader firmly believed that monastery would need a donation to make this work!

We had by then spent all morning with the Falasha and so trekked back up the valley and climbed up to the top of the escarpment. It was a lovely but gruelling walk which took us some 3h30min virtually without a stop.

Lik Marefya guesthouse nestled in the forest

However the walk up from Lik Marefya to the top between Ankober and Kundi would take about 4h30m at a more leisurely pace with stops. As we were short of time we then got a lift along the top to within 1km of the Kundi guesthouse. By now it was set in the cloud, with Geladas grazing all around. After a look around the new guesthouse, I left Getachew in charge of the cook training and drove back to Debre Berhan and on to Addis. This was somewhere I would come back to as often as I could.

We are now able to arrange tours in the forest saying at the community guesthouses. To really appreciate the place I would recommend at least 4 nights with one night in each guesthouse, and if possible perhaps 2 nights in Mescha. The cost per person per night for a group is about $63 USD p/p, excluding transport and bottled drinks.

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Treks that change lives!

Tesfa Community Treks providing income to local villagers, and open the eyes of the guests.

Enaf Tesfa village guesthouse in Tigray

An increasing number of discerning tourists are looking to the Tesfa Community Treks where villagers host the tourists and benefits flow directly to the local hosts. For while the Simien Mountains and Bale Mountains have been drawing tourists for decades, keen to trek in these Afro Alpine mountains with their unique wildlife the Tesfa treks also have wildlife and stunning views but at the same time tourists are giving a big something back, and experiencing the real Ethiopia of the highland farmers.

Since 2003 Tesfa treks have been hosting tourists in the

Mequat Mariam Scones for breakfast

mountains of North Wollo around Lalibela. Initially in Meket Woreda and more recently Gidan and Lasta woredas local villages have built 11 guesthouses organised as cooperatives to host small groups of walkers along the basalt escarpments that surround Lalibela. Included in this network of guesthouse are several on Mount Abuna Yoseph, a protected area around the highest peak in Ethiopia outside of the Simien and Bale Mountains at 4,288m.  The higher reaches of Abuna Yoseph are home to a pack of Ethiopian wolves, as well as troops of Gelada, leopards and many raptors.

Mequat Mariam guesthouse, N.Wollo

Since 2012 tourists have also been walking on the Tesfa treks in the Agame mountains around Adigrat in E.Tigray. There is a network of 7 village guesthouses with stunning walks between and a number of magnificent rock hewn churches that are rarely visited by tourists (other than those staying in the guesthouses). Again there are Geladas and amazing birds to see but as with the treks in Wollo, it is the host communities and the age-old farming life of the highlands that have the biggest impact on the visitors. The hospitality is humbling and simplicity of life prompts something to all of us coming from our cluttered and hectic lives.

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Breakfast @Taga Mariam, Simiens

Now Tesfa is opening up new areas for community treks, with 3 simple village guesthouses to the south of the Simien National Park (Funded by African Wildlife Foundation) and 4 village guesthouses in North Shoa, in and around Wof Washa forest, just beyond Ankober. As with the village guesthouses in Wollo and Tigray, each guesthouse is owned and run by a community from the local village organised into a cooperative.

In each case 55% of the payment (around $34USD) goes to pay the village community and lunch (mostly provided by the village or another nearby provider), 25% goes towards local

The forest at Wof Washa, N.Shoa

guides and coordinators, and only 20% (+VAT) is kept by Tesfa Tours who provide the marketing and booking service. Each community provides not just accommodation, but food, hot drinks, and a pack animal. The cost per night also includes a guide, so all that remains is transport in and out and bottled drinks (sold by the community ) – beers, water, soft drinks and maybe some wine or gin and tonic!  Facilities include beds, with sheets and blankets, a simple sit down toilet, a dining room, and great views!

For more information contact info@tesfatours.com or pop by our Addis office.  We will also add more information on our

The view from Janamora Woreda to Ras Dashen

website in the near future.

Get out into the fresh air of the mountains and experience the Real Ethiopia!

 

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Visit the new Tesfa guesthouses – now open

photo of Ras Dashen while on a Tesfa Trek in Simiens, curtesy of Kevin Rushby

photo of Ras Dashen while on a Tesfa Trek in Simiens, by permission of Kevin Rushby (posted on Instagram)

If you have been on a Tesfa trek before then why not try something new?

We have opened new guesthouses in the Simien Mountains. They are situated to the south of the National Park, in a woreda called Janamora. To access this area, until the new service roads are built you drive through the National park past Sankober and Geech, and over the back of Bwahit mountain, then down to Mekhane Berhan. There are 3 guesthouses, Taga Mariam, Khalid Abo, and Timbala, and we suggest a minimum of 4 nights, including a visit to the market at Wossen on Thursdays and Saturdays.  On the final day we would suggest trekking back up towards the park and getting picked up just south of Bwahit to

Khalid Abo guesthouse

Khalid Abo guesthouses

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View of Seheta Guesthouse

View of Seheta Guesthouse

We have also opened a new guesthouse in Tigray in the midst of the trekking we offer in the Agame Massif. The new guesthouse at Seheta, is set just above several farms on the edge of the village and is a great base to use to explore the valleys and local churches. Again we would recommend spending several days at Seheta. At this time of year there are feasts held daily in the villages and you would be most welcome to join in. You can also link staying here with a stay in one of the other longer established guesthouses in the area.

 

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