Travel information on Security & Safety for visitors in Ethiopia

Category Archives: tigray

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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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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Happy New Year to all of our Friends

Mulat – every smiling guide

We have had a lot of holidays here in the last few weeks: Christmas, Gabriel, Western New Year, and Gena yesterday. We hope all of our friends and supporters have had a good holiday season and we hope that 2021 proves to be a marked improvement on 2020. However we have celebrated under a bit of a cloud, as for a long time we have not been able to contact some of our team members and good friends who are in Adigrat.

For those of you who have trekked in the Agame mountains you will know what a wonderful team of guides, communities and our two drivers we have there. Over the last few weeks information trickled in that this person and that person was OK but I just now had great news from one of the original guides from the Community Tourism in Tigray: Mulat. He came to Mekele and called me and he, his family and all of the community tourism guides are fine.

Hailay (Tesfa Tours driver) peeling a prickly Pear – Beles fruit!

The other news is that the Tesfa guesthouses are OK, I think one has been occupied, but other than that they should be OK when we can resume tourism in the area (not in the near future though).
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Life has been tough for everyone – but electricity is now restored. There is still no mobile network north of Mekele, and banks are not working, but at least our team are OK.

This will put a smile on all our faces – a real cause to be happy. Lets hope for more positive news and more positive developments where ever you are as 2021 gets underway.  Happy New Year.

 

 

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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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Photographs for the new calendar – 2013!

Calendars produced by Tesfa Tours

Tesfa Tours 2012 Calendars

Hi Trekking Folks

Are there any Tesfa trekkers out there with photos from their trips that we could use in our new calendar (Wollo, Tigray, Janamora or Wof Washa community treks)? As usual we are planning to produce a Tesfa calendar again for 2020/21 – Ethiopian year starting 2013 – despite the virus.  We will desperately need to encourage clients into the mountains once this cloud is lifted and people can start to travel.

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We love photos (in landscape format) that highlight the guesthouses, the landscapes, the communities and treks and the wildlife… if you think you might have some please do get in touch with me – mark@tesfatours.com

I am also producing an agenda – although that could be scaled down a bit this year – and so will need photos from elsewhere in Ethiopia – as there are some 55 photos (in portrait format) in the Agenda. For any photo included we will off course give a credit on the photo and a complimentary copy of the calendar will be sent to you!

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Did you spot Tesfa Trek in Selamta Magazine ?

This was in the May/June issue – but you can read it at your leisure on line (go to page 54) on the link below. Journalist, Terry Adby, who trekked many of the Tesfa trails in the mountains, describes the experience trekking and staying with communities across the Ethiopian highlands.

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Tesfa treks ‘are one of the best’ – in the Rough Guides

Tesfa treks are down in Rough Guides as ‘one of the best 7 walking trips you’ve never heard of!

Recognising the off the beaten trail nature of the Tesfa treks,  the Rough Guides have us – check it out

See the various community treks that are possible with Tesfa Tours in Ethiopia . – in Wollo near Lalibela, in Tigray’s Agame mountains, in the Simiens south of the National Park, and on the Rift Valley escarpment near Ankober in the Wof Washa forest
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Staying with the community on Tesfa treks will be the highlight of your trip

The view from Mequat

We just received this amazing feedback:-

“Mark, your treks were amazing. Staying at these 4 places [2 nights in Wollo & 2 nights in Tigray] was just pure happiness and the best moments of this trip. We’re grateful.”

From a French couple who came out of the Agame Mountains in Tigray this morning having traveled across the North of Ethiopia with Tesfa Tours.

Don’t miss out. Spend at least a few nights with the Tesfa communities on

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View from Enaf Community Guest house

your tour of Ethiopia.

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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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The great Lenten fast draws to a close and Easter approaches

Fasika in Lalibela

Enkwanaderasachu

Best wishes to everyone celebrating Easter on either the 1st or the 8th of April. Easter in Ethiopia, known as Fasika is celebrated according to the Orthodox or Eastern church calendar this year on 8th April. Some years it falls on the same day as in the western church, some years it can be far apart, but this year it is one week after western Easter.

Fasika is a Ge’ez (the ancient liturgical language of Ethiopia) word and also the word in Amharinya and Tigrinya for Easter. Easter is also sometimes called Tensae a Ge’ez word meaning to rise). It is one

Sheep are bought into Addis for sale for holidays

of the most important holidays in Ethiopia, marking the end of a long 55 day Lenten fast. On Easter Sunday chickens, sheep, goats and cattle are dispatched for the pot as the fasting comes to an end in no uncertain terms. Sunday sees piles of sheep skins on street corners, to be picked up by small dealers in trucks. In the days leading up to Easter flocks of sheep and goats as well as herds of oxen are driven by herders into the city, chickens are driven in trucks and pick ups. They are sold at impromptu markets all over the city to be slaughtered in back yards. Prices of livestock more than double for Easter. Sheep come to the capital with drovers bringing them across countryside from several hundred miles away, from Shoa and even as far as Wollo.

Local shepherd boys in Wollo


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After Easter there is no fasting not even on Wednesdays and Fridays until after Pentecost on 27th May (Parakilitos). In the countryside the end of the fasting is celebrated in different ways. In Tigray priests are feted with parties held by different households from their parish. In Wollo I have seen the girls making swings from rope to hang from trees and sing songs while swinging, while the boys have javelin contests. Its also a second wedding season as people like to get married before the rainy season and after the fasting. These are enjoyable times in the countryside, and if you have the chance to spend a week or so up in the countryside on a Tesfa Trek in Wollo, Tigray or the Simiens you will be a very welcome guest and

Hosanna palm rings

participant at the celebrations. Its still not too late to book your trek in early April!

The lead up to Fasika starts now with Palm Sunday or Hosanna this Sunday (1 week before Easter, 1st April this year).  It is a very special day in the Orthodox church commemorating Jesus’s march into Jerusalem on a donkey with Palm fonds laid before him. It is marked with palms (worn by many worshippers on hands or head), processions and special services in the church.

Following Hosanna is the last week of the Great Lenten fast or Hudadi.  This final week of Hudadi is commonly known as Holy Week, or the “Week of Pains” or in Ethiopia Himamat and it is the strictest part of Lent. During Himamat no absolution is given, and during this week the fast becomes yet more rigorous. For some strict worshippers, having broken the fast after mass on Thursday they will not eat any food nor drink even a drop of water until Easter morning. So they totally abstain for all of Good Friday (or Sekelet) and Saturday, breaking this fast after the church service that goes through the night on Saturday, finishing at around 3am on Sunday morning. These three days are known as “Qanona”. The priests neither eat nor drink but remain in the churches singing and praying incessantly.

As far as I am aware no other major religion has such penitential fasting. For the strict observers of the fast, the 55 days of Lent are very tough on the body. Fasting in Ethiopia not only means a vegan diet but also means many hours of no food or drink. Each fasting day the observer will not eat of drink anything from the time they wake up until after the mass in the middle of the day is finished in church for many that means 3-4pm. Two simple meals may then follow, a late ‘lunch’ or more properly ‘break-fast’, and a light supper in the evening. What is staggering is that there is no drinking – not water, not coffee, nothing – during those fasting hours.

For vegetarians the end of Lent means no fasting food, even on Wednesdays and Fridays – so make the most of the last week of fasting.

 

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