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(Currently we are unable to offer this trip as guesthouses need repairs)
Janamora Woreda is one of the five administrative districts in the Simien National Park, but a large swathe of the Woreda is outside of the park, following the highlands south from the peak of Bwahit in the centre of the park.
Life is hard, as in many rural parts of Ethiopia, and as part of the work being done to conserve the park, African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) in conjunction with Village Ways, funded the construction of simple guesthouses in three Janamora villages. The objective is to create economic and especially tourism revenues to flow into local communities for activities that do not add further pressure to the park, and give the villagers a stake in conserving the park.
The topography is of undulating uplands dropping off to the south and ending in abrupt escarpments and gorges. Village life is a typical of the Amhara region, with life going on around the ancient agricultural systems and the Orthodox church. Your days will be spent walking through this landscape, dropping into peoples houses and seeing the rural life.
This is not a trek for the faint-hearted: it is rugged, far from the developed towns, and people while friendly and welcoming are not so used to being service providers. Our guides are all local lads, extremely willing and conscientious, but not as experienced as in other places, and with more broken English.
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The area is accessed either by driving along a recently constructed road to a point just below the escarpment and the main woreda settlement called Mekhane Berhan, or by driving through the National park and down south to Mekhane Berhan. If time allows in Mekhane Berhan you can visit the historical church of Deresge Mariam, which has some remarkable treasures. (Recently there is a reluctance among the priests to let tourists see this church)
The first guesthouse – Taga Mariam is some 3-4hr walk from Mekhane Berhan. It is set beside a gorge and with lovely views.
From Taga Mariam the trail goes on to Khalid Abo, about 6-7 hours walk away. Khalid is on top of a hill, itself on the escarpment above the huge gorge that is carved out between Ras Dashen to the east and the highlands coming south from Bwahit. This is the most dramatic location. Its a great place to spend two nights and to make a visit to the market town of Wossen to the south (market days on Thursday and Saturday).
From Khalid Abo, head down past the Abo church and through the pretty village. You then walk through a meadow land. There is a clean water source from piping water up from deep below, and so always many people coming to fetch water. The meadow is also grazing once the hay is cut. At thew end of the long meadow the trail zig zags up an escarpment with lovely views back along the gorge. take a moment to enjoy the views before going over the pass and heading onto the crest of the hill. The path is a bit uneven, but it is a short ridge walk from here to the Timbala guesthouses. The walk will take you 2-3 hours, so after lunch you can either kick back and enjoy the views, or head off to explore. If you walk back down to the east (toward the gorge) you will get to forested slopes and cliff edges. It is reported that there are a leopards here. But the chances of seeing one are extremely remote. But there are two old churches in this area.
The next day’s trek from Timbala follows the ridge above the gorge heading north. Good sections are easy walking with little gradient, but this being Ethiopia nothing stays falt for long and there are a few steeper ups and downs. Its a lovely 6 hour walk to Sakba with farm land and great views. Near Sakba you enter the national park, and either can camp here, or take a vehicle to drive you back through the park. You could either camp at Chenek in the core of the park or carry on to one of the lodges – Limalimo or Simien Mountain Lodge.
( Click on site names for more details )
Guesthouse
Trailhead
The guest house at Khalid Abo is set above the village, so its a short 15minute walk up to them. When you will arrive in time for a local lunch of enjara and wot, with coffee and local bread. In the afternoon you will be taken to explore the village below the bluff starting with the church dedicated to Abuna Gebre Menfes Kiddus (Abo for short)
Set among Olive trees sloping off to the east with a growing gorge below, this is a very picturesque village.
The Timbala guesthouses are on the bluff of the hill nestled as they are into the flank of the ridge overlooking the farmsteads. Great views of Ras Dashen across the gorge.
This payment includes accommodation, food: breakfast, simple picnic lunch (or where developed, a lunch stop with another community), snacks on arrival and dinner, local beverages (tea and coffee), guide and pack animals or porters to carry luggage (a reasonable amount only – max 20kgs- in soft bags if possible).
Payment excludes bottled drinks (bottled water, soft drinks, beers, wine etc), entry fees to local churches (if you wish to enter) and transport to the start of the trek and back from the end where it is required.
On the mountain trek it is advisable to bring good energy snack food for the high altitude days.
| Category | From 12 Sep ’22 till 11 Sep ’23 | From 12 Sep ’23 till 11 Sep ’24 | Note |
| Adults (16yrs+) | 3200 + 96 (15% VAT on TT 20% ) = 3,296 | 3400 + 102 (15% VAT on TT 20% ) = 3,502 | Per 24 hours or part of |
| Children (12-15yrs) | 75% = 2,472 | 75% = 2,550 | Per 24 hours or part of, with adult accompanying |
| Children (3-11yrs) | 50% = 1,658 | 50% = 1,700 | Per 24 hours (Solo fee will apply if only 1 adult) |
| Children under 3 | Free | Free | (Solo fee will apply if only 1 adult) |
| Charge | Amount | How charged | Note |
| Late booking fee | 400 ETB | Per booking | Booked with 3 or 4 days notice |
| Last minute booking fee | 800 ETB | Per booking | Booked with 1 or 2 days notice (not always possible) |
| Personal guide supplement | 900 ETB | Per group per night | Own guide for small group with 4 or less people |
| Solo guest supplement | 900 ETB | Per guest per night | when 1 person on trek (or adult with young child) |
| Guide transport perdiem | 500 ETB | Per guide | Guide’s travel allowance if not able to travel with clients |
| 1 adult (solo) | 900 ETB | per person | Extra payment to do additional trek from before the normal start or beyond the normal finish |
| 2 adults | 600ETB | per person | |
| 3 adults | 460 ETB | per person | |
| 4 adults | 350 ETB | per person | |
| 5 adults | 320 ETB | per person |
Watch this video about the TESFA trekking.
All our treks can be customized so if you need something changed, just let us know.
We wish all our friends, customers and our team members across the country a happy Christmas time – Melkam Gena (Happy Christmas know as Gena or Lidet in Ethiopia). As across the Orthodox world it is celebrated a few weeks later than in the west. But this year (2016 which started on 12 Sept), is […]
We wish all or friends, family, supporters and partners Melkam Addis Amet: Happy New Year. Today – as the thirteenth month (Pagume) ends we say goodbye to 2015 and welcome in 2016 in the Ethiopian Calendar. In this past year (2015), known as a Lukas year, (there is one for each of the four evangelists) […]
