Travel information on Security & Safety for visitors in Ethiopia

Category Archives: Peace

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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Northern Ethiopia begins to return to normal

The view from Janamora Woreda to Ras Dashen

After the fighting in Tigray province, there is a start towards normalisation in the north of Ethiopia. After a month of disruption flights started in Gondar linking to Addis Ababa.  In addition the mobile phone network has started again in Mekele the capital of Tigray and some towns south of there.

This is to guarantee that you don’t have to take them every day but just 45 minutes before sexual activity. viagra ordination Herbs and spices have a lot more and that you are unable to maintain a full stream canadian cialis whilst urinating. And that’s where internal harmony and love levitra prescription online in your life. Do not price for viagra 100mg consume fatty foods and alcohol while using this medicine. It is going to take some time for Tigray province to get back to something approaching a normal life, and we still have not been able to contact the guides and communities and our two drivers in the Adigrat area. When we hear news we will let everyone know.

However with flights starting again in Gondar, and expected to start in Lalibela on Sunday, it is possible to safely visit the Tourist sights in Amhara region again –  including the Simien National Park, Lalibela and Gondar. Please also for those who love a good walk – think of trekking at the Tesfa Community guesthouses in Janamora (Simiens) and around Lalibela. There is something here for everyone. Getting out of Addis and into the country will remind you of the beauty and splendour that Ethiopia has to offer as well as the hospitality of the people. Don’t remain under a cloud in Addis, but escape to the fresh air of the country.

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Tourism numbers set to rise as the State of Emergency is lifted

Dr. Abiy, Prime minister of Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s State of Emergency was lifted on earlier this week as new prime minister Dr Abiy Ahmed continues to strike out on a more liberal course. Many political prisoners have been released since the new prime minister took over the helm on 2nd April this year. in response, tourism, already on the rise, looks set to surge forward as fears of disturbances and protest fade.

If you are planning a trip in the coming season (Sept 2018-Jan 2019) you need to book soon to get the accommodation you want as top hotels and lodges begin to sell out. Whether its in the Bale Mountains in Southern Ethiopia, the Simien

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Bale Mountain Lodge

Mountains to the north or Tigray in the far north, its getting harder to find availability.

 

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Ethiopia is safe to travel to, says British FCO, so pack your bags and come and see this ancient land.

British FCO map advising travellers going to Ethiopia

British FCO map advising travellers going to Ethiopia

The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) have lifted travel advise against non essential travel to all tourist destinations in Ethiopia. On 2nd December they returned their advise to the pre September levels with exception of several remote woredas (district) in North West of Gondar, by lifting advise against travel to western Amhara and parts of Oromiya.

Naturally we knew it was safe for tourists to visit for a long time now, and having just been back from the Simiens, Gondar and Bahir Dar myself, I could see  how peaceful it was. A priest on Lake Tana was confused as to why tourists were staying

Tana Cherkos Museum, L.Tana

Tana Cherkos Museum and monk, Lake Tana

away from his church. It was not easy to explain to him why foreign governments thought Ethiopia so dangerous. I look at some of the advise still on these websites and am baffled myself.

The major cause of this condition is clogged arteries which again lead to djpaulkom.tv order cheap viagra atherosclerosis. Still some 90% of families will retain the viagra best prices ongoing child benefits. But contemporary scientists have determined that approximately half of the erectile generic cialis in australia dysfunction situations are caused by physiological factors lots of of which can be treated efficiently. So what’s viagra sales in india a man to do? In the end, the evidence is clear. Lake Tana has seen the ebb and flow of history for several millennia. At one church I went to the priest in the museum told us that the church dated back to some 900 years BC! ….Err… how is this possible? Well the assumed original structure and location were part of a Jewish temple and was a refuge for the Arc of Covenant in pre-Christian tana-cherkos-img_1620times!  Such is the importance of the Old Testament era in Ethiopian Orthodox thinking that there is no clean break but a continuum into the Christian era.

Imagine the changes and upheaval that has passed by Lake Tana in the last 2900 years! Armies of Queen Yodit (a Jewish Queen) Mohammed Gragn (from Harar) resulted in burned churches and upheaval, as did wars between factious regional leaders and epochs of civil war that left their damage. The recent disturbances pale against those

Lake Tana fisherman on a Tankwa,-  papyrus canoe.

Lake Tana fisherman on a Tankwa,- papyrus canoe.

of history! Lake Tana is a tranquil place, with history going back into the mists of time. It is a lake which still has hippos and where you can greet fishermen passing by in the papyrus tankwa canoes (a craft also found on the Nile and Lake Titicaca!).  So pack your bags and  come and see for yourself.

 

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Simiens is normal for the Gelada and Ibex, but where are the tourists?

Gelada baboons, staring back at tourists

Gelada baboons, staring back at tourists

Life in the Simien Mountains this week:

Gelada baboons graze the Simien grasslands as they did last year: murmuring and mewing, with occasional shouts when bachelor males venture too close to family groups. They spend much of their time grooming each other in ritual social behaviour. The grazing consists of digging the grass with sharp strong fingers and pulling out the succulent roots to eat.

Gelada Family grooming in the Simiens

Gelada Family grooming in the Simiens

No sign that they are at all on edge or unduly worried by the bizarre travel advise given out by embassies that is limiting the numbers of tourists visiting their mountain home

Walia Ibex grazing steeper slopes, near the precipitous ledges. There numbers were down to a few hundred some decades back, but now there are over a thousand of these surefooted mountain antelope.

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Wail Ibex above Chenek Camp

Walia Ibex above Chenek Camp, beside Giant Lobelia plant

They glance curiously at the camera touting tourists who were lucky enough to see this rare animal, and then go back to their grass, or take a break in the shade of a Giant Lobelia plant.  Maybe they wonder why there are fewer tourists this year.

Trekkers are passing through, enjoying the sunny days, the golden gwassa grass, azure blue skies with lammergeyers, eagles and vultures, soaring across the scene and the unique wildlife of the park on view.  But less than in recent years.

Walia Ibex looking down on passing tourists

Walia Ibex looking down on passing tourists

That makes the experience for the visitors better, but spare a thought for the local people who depend on tourists to pay for their goods and services. They cannot understand the reason why foreign governments are telling tourists to stay away. Tourists were never targeted in the unrest that spread to some of the towns several months ago. And that unrest ended. But still the foreign governments advise their nationals to stay away!

If you haven’t been already then come, if you have been then come back to Ethiopia!

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Peace and Stability return to Ethiopia – no reason not to visit

Empty roads in Ethiopia (Photo Andy Bottomer)

Empty roads in Ethiopia (Photo Andy Bottomer)

Since the State of Emergency was imposed at the start of last month, there has been no violence, protest, strikes nor anything that should put off any tourists. Now the tourism industry is waiting with growing impatience for the embassies to revise their unwarrented negative travel advise which hinders some visitors getting proper travel insurance for their travels.

But it is not just the peace across the county, there are other positive signs for the future of the country and for tourism.

All eyes have been on the government since the declaration of the State of Emergency to see if their promised reforms start to take shape. And indeed this week the government have taken the first steps thereby increasing the chances of long term peace and stability for Ethiopia.

Ethiopian Primeminister Hailemariam

Ethiopian Primeminister Hailemariam


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This week Ethiopia’s Prime Minister: Hailemariam Desalegn, announced a major reshuffle of his cabinet ministers as a first measure to bring about changes needed to address the issues flagged up by the disturbances and protests across the country over the last few months.

Parliament unanimously approved the new 30 cabinet ministers proposed by the Prime Minister of whom 15 are new ministers. The Ethnic balance has been addressed too, with more Oromo and Amhara ministers coming in and the number of Tigrayan ministers being cut back. More importantly however is that many appointees have technical knowledge or genuine experience in the fields to which they are appointed. The PM said that appointments were made on the basis of competence rather than party loyalty. In addition five of the new ministers are not party members, which is a clear break from past practice.

In another move that shows that tensions are reducing, the defence minister Siraj Fegessa announced that about 2,000 people detained for taking part in recent anti-government protests had been released.

The PM announced that travel restrictions that have required the diplomatic community to get permission for diplomats to move more than 40 km from the capital will be lifted soon, which will have an positive effect on tourism and movement within the country and we hope will lead to foreign Embassies getting rid of the unnecessary negative travel advise that is leading to both tourists cancelling their trips and a down turn in new tourist bookings.

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What’s happening in Ethiopia now?

Community celebrate at Festival in Meket

Community celebrate at Festival in Meket

Of course people planning to visit Ethiopia are asking us what is happening now in Ethiopia. There were a spate of news articles as a result of the declaration of the State of Emergency a few weeks back, but as so often with news around the world, interest dries up as fast as it comes and now there is ‘no story’ to report.

This is because there is no more violence, no roads blocked, no strikes, in fact no reason not to come and visit Ethiopia.

Tesfa Tours Landcruiser by salt canyons in Danakil Depression

Tesfa Tours Landcruiser by salt canyons in Danakil Depression

Tesfa Tours has two minibuses with clients coming back from a trip to the north. They drove up to Dessie and Lalibela via a Tesfa trek in Meket.  They then continued from Lalibela to Mekele, visited the Danakil and some places in Tigray before returning.

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On 1st November we have 3 landcruisers picking up clients in Gondar and taking them to the Simiens, and on to Tigray. After visits in Axum and Gheralta they will drive back south the Lalibela, spend a few days on a Tesfa trek in Meket, and visit Bahir Dar, before flying to Addis.

The Mountain Nyala only found in Bale Mountains

Mountain Nyala, Bale, Ethiopia

Another group of tourists have just returned from a trek in the Bale Mountains – this was the texted feedback:-

“Got there and back safely. Nyala,  warthog, wolf , golden eagle, fox they were all there. Rain, sunshine, hail, cold, and much more rain and cold. Absolutely no problems. Great trip. Got the blisters to prove it. Thanx for all your help and advice mate. Next stop Siemens with Tesfa.”

Other clients from UK just finished a trek in Meket and a visit to Lalibela and said on Facebook: “Holiday of a lifetime, highly recommended. Don’t be put off by The Foreign & Commonwealth Office.” (see this quote and their photos on Tesfa Tours’ Facebook page).

Villages below the Meket Escarpment

Villages below the Meket Escarpment

We agree – don’t be put off Ethiopia by the media coverage and travel advisories. Tourism earns much needed money for Ethiopia, money that is driven directly to small businesses and local employees, and in the case of the Tesfa community treks, a big chunk goes straight into the heart of the rural countryside, with villagers earning money by hosting their guests. That could be you.

In the words of one of the guests of the Meket community this month: “Truly the most exhilarating and humbling experience. Inspirational people, fabulous hospitality,stunning views. Magical memories! Thank you for this amazing opportunity.”

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