Travel information on Security & Safety for visitors in Ethiopia

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A new dawn for Tigray’s tourism

Visiting Tigray after 3 years

Hospitality in Tigray community guesthouses

I like to get around the country and visit the places we send our clients, especially the community treks. It’s important to talk to our guides and the communities and for them to see me and of course to see the state of repair of the guesthouses and their materials.  However when 3 years ago, the cloud of Covid descended on the planet, all travel ceased. Then with the conflict that embroiled Tigray from Nov 2020, there was no way to visit Tigray, and for much of the time even no way to call.  With the peace accords signed in Pretoria at the start of November 2022 much has changed and it is possible to fly into the region again, so I flew early on Monday morning at the end of February, on an Ethiopian Airlines Bombardier – a small 80 seater twin engined aircraft the airline use for domestic routes, to Tigray’s capital – Mekele. 

I was excited to see good friends, but a bit worried by what I might find after the conflict that took so many lives and saw so much destruction.  A good friend lent me a car  and driver to head north from Mekele to the town of Adigrat, with a full programme that would put my limbs to the test. There were two challenges with flying to Mekele, firstly the airline only sells a one-way flight, so we arranged for a friend to buy my return flight on Wednesday (a day ahead of travel), and secondly Ethiopian airlines do not send passengers luggage with them. So when my flight arrived soon after 9 am we all waited by the conveyor belt to find the luggage that came was from the previous day’s passengers!

Enaf – damaged – in the moonlight

My bag finally arrived at 3pm on the fifth flight of the day. As a result we had to modify our original plan, and by the time we got up to the guesthouse on top of the mountain at Enaf, just south west of Adigrat it was dark. Even in the dark I could see that almost all the roofs had collapsed, because the ENDF troops had taken the plastic sheeting from inside the roof (underneath the packed soil) so some walls have partially or totally collapse but at least some part of the structure remained intact. Nevertheless a lot of work to get this wonderful guesthouse back in operation.

We had a quick meeting with five members of the community who very kindly bought a flask of tea which was gratefully received.  We discussed the costs of clearing up the rubble fixing the walls and putting on a new roof. But for me the most important question was whether the community wanted to host tourists. After everything that the community have been through I wanted to be clear that this was what they wanted to do. It couldn’t of been clearer -a resounding yes (in Tigrinya “Ahwaand not only did people speak in the positive but they were big smiles, it was very clear that the community here would love tourists to come back as soon as possible. 

Coffee being brewed at Seheta

Coffee being brewed at Seheta

From the ruined Enaf guesthouse we walked down the mountain in the dark going down very steep paths. We didn’t reach the next guest house – Seheta until around 9:30 pm. Here we slept in Gebre Hiwot’s house. He is the camp manager at Seheta and we were treated to t’ehlo – barley balls eaten with spicy sauce which is the traditional food for this area. We had amazing kita bread, about the tastiest bread you can imagine and delicious couple of cups of brown home prepared coffee – all washed down with the local beer known as suwa.  I had a great sleep on the bed in one off their rooms – built as per Tesfa Tours technique on a raised slot. I am frequently bowled over by the hospitality in Ethiopia, it is humbling.

Exploring the Valleys

Seheta Guesthouse early morning

I woke up early on Tuesday morning to see the red rock landscape with cliffs around the village. The guesthouse at Seheta is undamaged and meeting with the community they explained that they’ve taken care of the guesthouse and materials (only a few were lost) because they want guests back. In fact we could have slept in the guesthouse but it just needed cleaning. After a great breakfast and copious cups of coffee brewed by Gebre Hiwot’s wife Rahel we set off.  

Our first stop was to check out Gohgot guesthouse. It was a beautiful walk through the Seheta valley with the red rock cliffs and the beautiful red stone ‘hedamo‘ farm houses (as the traditional style is called) tucked in amongst eucalyptus trees. It’s a bit of a climb up to the guesthouse which sits on a high bit of land underneath a cliff. We were pleased to find the guesthouse in very good condition and just needing a bit of a clean out. The community came to meet us and again they expressed the wish to receive tourists as soon as possible telling us that was why did they look after the guesthouse and materials. They had an inventory of materials that were missing and materials that were still in store and they have enough to be going on with. From here we headed eastward into the valley behind to search for a church that is inside the cliffs.

Rock face with possible church inside

A book was discovered at the nearby Teklehaimanot church, that tells of the existence of this church and where to find it. Through a crack in the rock the corner of shaped stones can be seen, but only just. To the left of this was a strange stack of cut rocks filling recess in the cliff. These had the same weathered face but smooth sides and deeper into the recess were also smooth sides so it seemed as if these rocks had been put back in but further out than their original position. It is a mystery how anyone would have cut this rock surface unless they had a saw that goes through rock! We speculated that there has to be a way in from above. It appears that there was a way to climb up to a platform but it’s difficult to see anything from way below. My suggestion was that Berhe (who is a great climber) and a few others come up and climb up the rock face to see if there is any other possible entrance.

Looking out from Shikurto Tunnel near Shimbrety

We then headed westward out of the valley towards Shimbrety, stopping for lunch at the house of one of the cooks from Gohgot. She was also preparing fresh suwa and enjara  to take to church as it was the monthly Mariam day.  Refreshed, we set off on our way again walking fast to reach the guest house before sunset. There were a number of TDF soldiers billeted at random houses, a school and just walking across the country. All were unarmed and very polite, and giving me no sense of a security issue, in fact the reverse, their presence unarmed seems to be evidence that it is quiet and peaceful.  We passed one lovely old man who told Berhe that seeing me here, showed him that the dawn was coming. He was referring to the long night that Tigray had passed through, and to see a guest in the countryside was a sign that times have changed.

The final part of the walk took us up to the Shikurto tunnel that has been carved through the mountain allowing people to come from the market area at Idega Arbi to the lands to the west. We climbed up the escarpment beside the rock church of Mariam Buzuhan, taking the short but steepest way to the top of the escarpment. The views were stunning as the sun had not yet gone down and we had a nice little walk to the guesthouse which shows clearly on the skyline.

Shimbrety Guesthouse at sunset

We were met by a number of the Shimbrety staff at the guesthouse, including Hagos, the manager at the camp and a wonderful smiling person.  I had met him the very first time I walked here and he had immediately understood what we wanted to do and agreed to work with us. He has always been one of the best people in the whole project. I gratefully drank several cups of sweet tea watching the sun go down before heading to Hagos’ house to pay our traditional respects, as his father had died a year and a half before. Of course neither myself nor Berhe, had been able to visit him. Back at the guesthouse we were served a great dinner of rice, shiro, greens, tomato sauce and a lovely spicy sauce. I spent ten minutes watching the moon and the stars – so beautiful, but I was tired I went to bed early sleeping soundly till morning.

Across the mountains

Hagos at Shimbrety

It was hard to pull myself out of out of bed, it was so comfortable and quiet, but after a good breakfast we set off northwards towards Erar guesthouse.  There are two routes: the walk in the valley route or the tougher route up over the mountains. We chose the across the mountains for the rewarding views and Gelada baboons. The path down drops off the plateau at a spring, where there is a crack in the escarpment edge. We filled our water bottles using a filtering pump. While there I scooped water out into a rock trough for a persistent donkey. After a bit the guide scooped more for him. I thought about how we cared for a thirsty donkey and how some people don’t even treat their fellow people properly to ensure they have food, water and shelter. 

The landscape between Shimbrety & Erar

It’s a great path clinging to the mountain side – several meters wide with a sheer drop on your right and a cliff on your left. The views are beyond description with a lot of Gelada baboons. The path took us back down to the church if Mariam Buzuhan and the tunnel through the cliff. But now we climbed the mountain north of the tunnel.  The trail follows the flat mountain top with the great sandstone escarpment on its western flank, perpendicular yet cut with gullies and promontories. The sandstone has iron stone – hematite I think – loose along the surface. 

After several downs and ups where the escarpment drops down we came to Erar guesthouse – sadly this was more damaged than the others we had seen. It seemed shells had hit the structure and the front walls had been taken down when Eritrean army was there. The guesthouse will need a complete rebuild.  We trekked down to the village just east of the site and met with a guard from the guesthouse. We learned that the community was ok and had saved many of the materials and that they wanted to host tourists again. 

Chehat at Sunset – roof gone

We trekked back up to a village called Rahya, which had always been the trail head for this end of the trek. It’s an easy drive back to Adigrat from whence we headed north to Chehat guesthouse. Its a steep but easy climb into the mountains that flank the city, this time accompanied by two other guides – Biniyam and Fitsum, we reached the brow of the hill where Chehat stands commanding views to the north outlook to the famous monastery of Debre Damo and the Adwa mountains. It was just before sunset and the landscape looked stunning. However the guesthouse, having served as a post for Tigrayan forces was pretty badly damaged. There was no roof left but the walls had been built with cement as the local soil was not good for binding, and so they were still standing. One of the committee, a local priest, had accompanied us up there and informed us that the local cooks we are really keen to start working however the camp manager had been badly beaten and was not at all himself.

Wonderful fasting (vegan) meal at Mulat’s restaurant in Adigrat

We met up with another of the guides – Mulat and enjoyed a delicious dinner in his restaurant and a few beers. It was great to get the most of old team back together and they were full of enthusiasm for tourism to restart. Times have been unbelievably tough up here, tragic things have happened but people want to move forward and look to the future. 

Adwa day, 2 March.

This day marks the anniversary of the Battle of Adwa when Ethiopian troops from across the country defeated the Italian invader, beside the mountains that were standing out in the sunset the last few evenings. I had breakfast in my favourite little café in Adigrat – Kaswa. I’ve eaten fouhl and drunk macchiato there each time I come to Adigrat for over a decade now. The owners know me and even know how I want my food. I spent the night at Berhe’s house, and we were up very early to head off to Hawzen, which is a large town on the edge of the Gheralta area made famous for tourists by Gheralta Lodge.

Hotel in Hawzen – refurbished

We checked out some local hotels in Hawzen. One of which was in pretty good condition as the owner has started refurnishing it and renovating it after it was heavily looted. Different armies came through Hawzen numerous times, there was fighting and there were a lot of people killed. A few miles down the road Gheralta Lodge has been heavily looted and vandalised. It’s going to take a lot of effort to get it back on its feet. Even further down the road Korkor Lodge just passed a small town of Megab, has also been vandalised and looted. We were accompanied bye our lovely Guide from the area – Gebre. It was the first time he had seen Korkor Lodge. Some of the owners family arrived and were looking at the damage and hoping to get compensation. It could be a long time before these lodges are up and running. Sadly we didn’t have time to visit the local rock hewn churches which are absolutely exquisite. We had to head back to Mekele for some meetings and my flight back to Addis .

Children near Shimbrety

In Mekele we ate a delicious local meal before we met with the culture and tourism office. As the government has been operating without any budget or salary they have not been able to get out to see the extent of the damage themselves.  So we were able to report that three guest houses were functional and could be used while three others need substantial reconstruction. They have offered us support in getting things up and running. 

I contemplated what I had seen as I flew back to Addis, the resilience of the people, and the hope that tourism gives them for the future. It is very important that people start to come back to Tigray and visit the beautiful land, and greet its wonderful people. The wounds will take along time to heal across the whole country but connections with people from outside are important, and a feeling that some normality will return. See more details about the community treks in Tigray and please plan a trip to visit.

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The Great Lenten Fast in Ethiopia

Fried Fish - Telapia

Fried Fish – Telapia

As many will know the big fasting season in Ethiopia started this week on Monday. Fasting is appears in many religions around the world. But in the west its has lost its rigour for most people. However in the Ethiopian Orthodox church there are many fasting days through the year. In fact a strict observer of all fasts would be vegan for half the year. The longest of the fasts is Hudadi or the Abiy Tsom, as the lenten fast leading up to Easter is variously known, and the majority of followers of the Orthodox church fast these 55 days every year.

Why is it 55 days when in the western church it is 40 days?  There are specific reasons for the addition of 2 weeks to the 40 day fast that many of which people are not aware.

Medieval painting of King Eraclia

The first week of Hudadi is known as the fast of Eraclius, a Byzantine Emperor who lived in 614 A.D. During his reign the Persians invaded Jerusalem and took the Cross of the Lord. Eraclius made an expedition to Persia and having defeated the Persians he took the Cross back to Jerusalem. The Christians in Jerusalem who were very happy because of Eraclius’s victory and the return of the Cross, dedicated the first week before Lent to be the fast of Eraclius and included it in their canons. The last week of Lent is Passion Week which remembers the Apostles who fasted in commemoration of Christ’s Passion.

To the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Hudadi is a period of fasting when the faithful undergo a rigorous schedule of prayers and penitence. This fast is observed with greater rigour than any other fast and it is a test of one’s spiritual strength and resolve. Properly observed it is believed to nullify sins committed during the rest of the year.

The fast if strictly followed, is applicable to all persons older than 13 years of age
involves abstinence from:

  • meat, dairy products and eggs (and many will abstain from fish too);
  • instead, cereals and vegetables will be consumed;
  • only one meal (vegan) a day is eaten, taken in the evening or after 3:00pm (when church services end). Before that no food, drink nor even water is to be consumed;
  • starting on Good Friday to Easter Sunday (i.e. late on Saturday night), there is total abstinence nothing taken maybe eaten nor drunk.
  • on other Saturdays and Sundays during Lent, eating breakfast is allowed;
  • Daily Services are conducted in all churches from morning to 2:45pm;
  • Priests regularly attend night services starting at midnight up to 7am.

(More details can be seen here)

Fasting selection  ‘ye tsom bayenetu’ 

 

For the visitor to Ethiopia a wonderful array of fasting foods is served up on enjara – just ask for: – ‘ye tsom bayenetu’. You may also get a wonderful fried fish (probably Tilapia) ‘asseh‘.  Enjoy!

Tesfa Tours will happily recommend good fasting restaurants in Addis, and take you there as part of a city tour.

This is also a great time to travel around the country if you are vegetarian, as there will always be a veggie option. Out of the big cities vegetables maybe a bit limited, but the staples of shiro (a ground chickpea sauce) and lentil (misser). But immediately following Easter even Wednesday and Friday fasting is put to the side as many people eat meat whenever they can.

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Melkam Addis Amet / Happy New Year

Waterfall in North Shoa on the Ride the Rift trip

Waterfall in North Shoa on the Ride the Rift trip

ለአዲሱ ዓመት እንኳን በሰላም አደረሳችሁ።

Yesterday (Sunday 11 Sep) Ethiopia entered into 2015. The Kremt – rainy season is still drenching the capital and much of the north of the country with its monsoon rains. Much of the highlands is is now green, rivers are running in torrents, with waterfalls impressive everywhere, and the ubiquitous yellow Meskal Daisy adding a splash of yellow to the landscape. Over the coming weeks the rains should begin to peter out and by early October, Ethiopian skies should be blue, and sunshine will turn the emerald fields of crops to gold as harvest time approaches in November. This is the time to travel in Ethiopia!

We at Tesfa Tours wish all our friends, clients, partners, team members, and all Ethiopians. everywhere a healthy, happy and peaceful 2015.

By the way you can follow the dates and holidays in 2015 with the Tesfa calendar or diary/agenda – out now

and remember our Ride the Rift Meskal trip to the green Gurage highlands is approaching. Sign up soon.

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Tesfa Diary / Agenda – Your Ethiopian companion in a bag!

I am very excited by this year’s diary/agenda. It will fit in your bag, so you can carry it around with you and write notes or appointments on the day pages. At the same time you can see more about that week- which saints days, when the fasting starts or ends, what holidays are coming up and so much more.  It also translates dates for you so 5/13/2014 -is 10th September 2022! And that is Pagume – the 13th month. And its a full moon that night! So much to find out!

Photos in the agenda are from across the country – there are Blue breasted bee-eaters (truly stunning) and Geladas, there are

Map of the community guesthouses comes at the start of the Agenda

festivals and harvesting, and the agenda is full of faces – smiling from the pages. Pictures that will give you a lift or inspire you to get out of the city!

As with the calendar it runs from September 2022 (NOW) to August 2023 ….. and at 500 birr its a bargain … and as with the calendar it is printed here in Ethiopia on recycled paper !!!

Copies available at our Kebena Office, and certain locations around town. Email calendars@tesfatours.com for more info.

 

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Tesfa Calendars ready

Its a labour of love: producing these calendars that are a synthesis of the Ethiopian Calendar with its 13 months starting on 11th September, and the western calendar with its 12 months. Woven into this are a multitude of Saints Days and cultural holidays, other special days in the Orthodox church including fasting periods, as well as the main Islamic holidays and some curiosities. I have even added the full moon dates. It has allowed me to learn a lot about the unique and intriguing Ethiopian Orthodox church .

Printed on recycled paper, hang it up in your office or kitchen. Use it to plan trips, learn when your neighbourhood church celebrates its annual day, or just covert Ethiopian dates to western ones. This is an essential key to life in Ethiopia.

At the same time the photographs show case the community guesthouses and treks that Tesfa have set up with local communities around the country. Proceeds go to support these communities. Copies are available for 400 birr from the Tesfa Tours Office at Kebena and several places in town.  The Agenda version will be out later this week.  Email calendars@tesfatours.com for more information

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Mysterious monasteries as Ethiopia travel gets easier

Mysterious hidden Monastery

Bethlehem church Roof stone and timber

Bethlehem church – timber & stone roof

The mysterious Bethlehem monastery is gearing up to welcome the first tourists. This monastery was reportedly built in the fourth century following the construction of Mariam Sion church in Axum. It is built in the ancient way with blocks of stone for the floor and walls and then a wooden roof, but what makes this church even more intriguing is that it is hidden by typical round wall with a corrugated roof, and so from outside looks like most other churches, although it is anything but!

Bethlehem church -Flagstone marking entrance to basement chambers

Flagstone marking entrance to basement chambers

Even more mysterious is that the monks claim that the Ark of Covenant is kept
beneath the church. They recount the tale of an Italian version of Indiana Jones who some 80 years ago determined to explore the chambers beneath the church. Apparently he came up having experienced an explosion he assumed to be volcanic, left the church and died within a day. The priests sealed the access stone and no one has been back down since.
This monastery is one of the key learning places – a church university for priests who want to study the scriptures and music of St. Yared, and there is a residential compound attached to the church.
We are now able to arrange for guests to stay at Bethlehem, either in a guesthouse or in tents, which will fit perfectly onto a trip between the Tesfa community guesthouses in neighbouring Meket (just south of Lalibela), and Gondar or Bahir Dar.

Travel to Ethiopia gets easier

Bole Airport Addis Ababa

Bole Airport in Addis

With Omicron replacing the Delta variant across the world the threat of COVID 19 has diminished. Although cases may have increased and transmission is rapid, immunity and much lower mortality and hospitalisation seem to follow. Official statistics for Ethiopia show that deaths of people with COVID and active cases have all but disappeared now. In Addis Ababa, where previous spikes in mortality were visible as funeral tents went up along the roads, life has settled down to something approaching normal.
In terms of travel, the Ethiopian Public Health Institute has now revised the directive with the result that travellers do not need to have a negative PCR test if they are vaccinated against COVID (all the mainstream western and Chinese vaccines – all double doses – except J&J, valid two weeks after vaccination) and can provide evidence (one presumes a certificate with the correct stamp on it).
This means the end for most travellers of expensive PCR tests and the worry about having travel plans cancelled due to a positive test.

E-Visas being processed

E-Visa page

Add to this that the online visa applications are being processed speedily now – but do use the correct government website .  Make sure you are using the one ending .gov.et.   You will need the address of your first night in a hotel, and a digital passport photo less than 2MB best as JPEG format. And same size/ format for a copy of the info page of your passport.  If you do not hear back from them in 72 hours please contact us – they may need a nudge to get it done.

Simien Mnt Lodge - High altitude accommodation

Simien Mnt Lodge

National Park Re-opened

The Simien National Park, which was closed during the conflict, is now open for business and Simien Mountain Lodge, which recently was renovated, is serving clients again. Through most of the last 24 months they have kept their staff on the payroll and remain a beacon of light for tourism in the area. Too many tourism professionals have suffered, while others have looked for alternative income streams that have taken them away from the sector. That this lodge remained open has given some of these people hope that tourism will return.

World class attractions

Sebreatsemu Giyorgis in Lalibela - tabots return to the church

Giyorgis church – Rock-hewn in Lalibela

Now that fighting across the region has stopped, the State of Emergency ended, and flight services resumed, the first trickle of visitors is returning to some of the attractions in the region: Lake Tana with its secluded monasteries; Lalibela with its labyrinth of rock-hewn churches connected by passageways and tunnels; Gondar with its romantic castles, baths and an extra ordinary church, and the Simien Mountain National Park with its high mountains, vertical escarpments and unique flora and fauna. Three of these are UNESCO World Heritage sites, and the fourth, Lake Tana, is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and all are amazing places to visit.

Dawn at Mescha community guesthouse Wof Washa

Mescha guesthouse, Wof Washa forest

Community Tourism

Tesfa Community Treks are also getting going again, as a steady stream of hikers has made their way to the guesthouses in Wof Washa Forest (near Ankober) and to the mountains around Lalibela to explore these stunning areas and experience the lives of the local farmers. Here the local host communities, after two years with virtually no guests, are thrilled to receive visitors again.  Treks can be from 2 nights upwards, and we can do several nights at one guesthouse for those wanting more time with the communities. More details on our website.

Book your trip soon!

I urge you to look at visiting Ethiopia soon. These remarkable places are quiet and peaceful. You can enjoy them without the crowds that were coming in 2019, and in the process help the guides, and other tourism professionals and service givers who are really struggling.  Contact us here or email us on info@tesfatours.com

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A Biblical Land – opening up again

Old Ethiopian image of the Queen of Sheba mounted and armed

The Queen of Sheba on horseback

As Ethiopia begins to open up after two years of restrictions on travel at first due to COVID 19 and then due to a spreading conflict, it maybe time to ponder what makes Ethiopia a unique travel destination and magical place to visit, and to start looking at the you can visit.

Ethiopia – a Biblical Land!

Statue of Emperor Tewedros in Gondar

Statue of Emperor Tewedros

Ethiopia conjures up many images in the mind of the would be traveller.  Images that come from characters from  Ethiopia’s rich history of Emperors, of the Queen of Sheba and of the mysterious Prester John; also geographical images: of the River Nile, the Rift Valley, of high mountains and deep gorges and hot deserts; and this mixed in with images from the 70’s & 80’s of famines and wars. Added to these are more recent images, perhaps garnered from TV documentaries that show the unique wildlife of the Ethiopian highlands:

 

Geladas on the escarpments

Male Gelada baboons running by the escarpment

Gelada Baboons (or monkeys as scientists now like to call them) scrambling around on precipitous cliffs flashing their crimson gums and eye lids; and the Ethiopian wolf – the world’s rarest in the dog family, interacting with touching tenderness with their pack as they eke out their lives in the Afro-alpine moorlands.

Ethiopian Wolves in Bale (Photo Martin Harvey)

Many have used the term ‘Biblical’ to describe what they see in Ethiopia, maybe inspired by the immense landscape, or the people often wrapped in cotton shawls (gabis), or by herds of cattle, camels, sheep and or goats roaming the open land.  You certainly sense the huge and ancient human and physical landscape that both stretches away in front of you and goes back into the mists of time.

Sebreatsemu Giyorgis in Lalibela - tabots return to the church

Tabots return to Giyorgis church Lalibela

For me however it is more about how the Orthodox Christian highlands are so focused on the church, the saints days and holidays and the scriptures – all of which are referred to as the Bible. The Church calendar dictates the days you can plough, thresh and harvest, and the days you can’t. There are the days to gather round the church and members of the community compete to be the one responsible for providing the locally brewed beer.  Weddings are set according to this calendar too. Churches are often built on top of cliffs,

Zuramba church in Gayint

Zuramba church, built on top of a volcanic plug

surrounded by unspoiled forest giving you an idea of how wooded the landscape could have been a thousand years ago. Around the older established churches – monasteries – are clusters of huts where students learning the age old chants also learn the texts and debate their meaning.  Some of these monasteries have older students who become specialists in the subjects taught at that location.

Priest holds bible - Mariam Buzuhan

Priest displays a bible

These same churches are home to ancient Bibles and religious scriptures, some far older than anything emanating from Europe. Scholars seek to study these texts to see some of the earliest Christian writings.  Some, like the book of Enoch, are not found in the west and yet illuminate the early thinking of the church. Along with these ancient texts are beautiful processional crosses and other treasures that can take your breath away if you are fortunate enough to be shown them.

Visitors travelling through Ethiopia will generally only scratch the surface of this biblical land. But the experiences, visual as well as audible, will leave an indelible mark on them, often ensuring that these visitors return again to see more. Whether they see a church on an Amba (flat mountain top), or a Tabot processing through town or country side, or bands of

Tabots & incense at Senay Mikael festival

pilgrims heading to a special celebration, they will sense something very ‘other’ about Ethiopia. It is something that at once brings echos that resonate with the traveller’s generational past, a time when his/her forebears lives went in a rhythm with the church, and lived intimately with crops and livestock interwoven into their lives. A time before mechanisation and a time when life was lived as a community.  In this way travelling in Ethiopia, particularly into the countryside,  is also a travel through a time warp, giving a sense of what the modern world has lost in its rapid advances over the last few centuries. Something about this touches the soul of the traveler to Ethiopia and lights up a place inside that was hidden.

Each week now, more countries around the world are dropping all COVID related travel requirements. For travel to Ethiopia there is only a requirement for a negative PCR test taken within 5 days of arrival in Addis. For re-entry to most of the rest of the word there maybe a PCR test required, but only for unvaccinated travellers.

In addition the UK Government’s travel advice has moved to put much of the country in green (OK to travel).  With the conflict having become much reduced and the Ethiopian parliament recently repealing the national State of Emergency, it is anticipated that places such as Gondar and Lalibela (which are now open for business) will move from Amber to Green listing in the coming weeks.

Ethiopia badly needs tourism to restart. Two years without income has bought most individuals that have relied on tourism for their livelihood local economy to their knees. Its not just guides and hotel workers, but all the others whose their sell goods and services to the tourism industry. Ethiopia so looks forward to welcoming visitors back in the coming months. Contact us at Tesfa Tours to make suggestions based upon your preferences

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‘Je m’appelle Demissie!’

Revisiting Lalibela and the North

Sebtretsemu Giyorgis festival Lalibela

Giyorgis church for festival in Lalibela

As I head back to Addis after four days travelling in Amhara region, I’m struck by how normal things are, yet Ethiopia is far from normal as we get caught up in processions to celebrate the Ascension of St Mary. It is the wonderful abnormalities that make Ethiopia so fascinating and beautiful.

In four days I’ve visited remote monasteries to be told that in actual fact the Ark of Covenant lies beneath its ancient stone floor, and carries a fearsome power that killed the only person who attempted to uncover it; I’ve seen the sacred

Giyorgis Tabot camps out near Yadukulay Guesthouse

tabots, the holy heart of the church, camping out in fields surrounded by brocaded umbrellas and chanting; we’ve been generously hosted in people’s houses with plates of enjara, spicy sauces, curds, local beer etc, I’ve visited people who have endured the horrors of war and yet emerged smiling and happy to have foreign guests.

As we drove in and out from Lalibela numerous times this week, we became well known at the checkpoints and were always ushered through with a broad smile, but I will remember one soldier most: each time we passed he called out: “Bonjour. Ça va?” And today he greeted us with: “Je m’appelle Demisie”.

Community guesthouse at Boya, some damage

Community guesthouse at Boya, some damage


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Wherever you go Ethiopia is full of surprises which give you many reasons to smile, and remind me why I love this country so much.

The big news from this recce trip is that the communities in Meket and the neighbouring areas are eager to host tourists again. Yes they have faced hardships, and many guesthouses have had materials looted by TPLF or damaged, but they were so happy to see me after this time. I was greeted with

Villagers from Wajela guesthouse want tourists back

hugs and smiles.

The community trekking guides in Lalibela are also desperate for work and want to start as soon as they can.

We have repairs to do and purchases to make to get the guesthouses up to standard and to help those communities that suffered the most. If you would like to contribute please get in touch with me.

But please also help to get the business started again. I can promise you or your friends an amazing adventure in Ethiopia.

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UK Travel advise showing most of Ethiopia as Green

UK Govt travel advise for Ethiopia 4 Feb 22

UK Govt safety zones for travel in Ethiopia

The UK government updated their travel advise for Ethiopia as of 4 February 22, to include large areas of Amhara regions (North Shoa & Gojam) as green, as well a a large part of Afar region. The inclusion of N.Shoa means that the community trekking in Wof Washa forest will now be in the ‘green zone’. In addition we at Ride the Rift, are staging a charity bike ride on 4-6 March in the Ankober area of North Shoa- now in the Green zone!  Visits to Bahir Dar with the Blue Nile Falls and the monasteries on Lake Tana are now also Green. For now Lalibela and Gondar are in the ‘amber zone’, but we really hope the UK government recognise that they are also safe in the coming weeks. Both Lalibela and Gondar saw a large number of diaspora and other visitors over the January holidays of Gena

Sebtretsemu Giyorgis festival Lalibela

Giyorgis church for festival in Lalibela

(Ethiopian Christmas) and Timkat, and I myself went to Lalibela and experienced a special festival of St.George in Lalibela
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Lalibela on 26 January and can attest to the fact that it is calm and secure, and looking forward to receiving overseas visitors again.

With the Ethiopian government announcing last week that the cabinet has agreed to lift the State of Emergency that was declared across Ethiopia in November, the situation in the country is becoming calmer, and we are already seeing that people are looking to travel after 2 years of Covid and conflict has limited any opportunity to explore this incredible country. This is great news for the guides, hoteliers and others who have lost so much in the last 2 years.

 

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A gorge in North Shoa

Ethiopia – Gorgeous !

Sign up to receive our updates on the situation in Ethiopia and how tourism is coming back. I will also be keeping you updated on the situation of our guesthouses and the communities who own them.

It should go without saying that your contact details will only be used by Tesfa Tours, we will not inundate you with too many updates, and you will always have the option to unsubscribe should you want to.

 

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