Trekking Through Simien Mountain Range, Ethiopia

We have arranged a highly recommended guide to take us trekking through the Simien (means "Northern" in Amheric) Mountain National Park for 3 days. This mountain range peaks at over 4500 meters above sea level. A sea level dweller, I was really glad I remembered last minute to get some altitude medication. The height also caused the temperature at night to drop down into the single digits. In fact, it even hailed during one of the nights. I had to pack my winter jacket for this June trek!

We got picked up from Gondar in the morning to start a very bumpy 2 hour drive north to the park entrance. We had to stop in the town of Debark first to meet up with our guide, cook, armed guard and pick up food supplies. Yes, we were required by the park to hire an armed guard who were all local villagers. It wasn't because the park was particularly dangerous. This provided them with a job and a chance to be involved in the protection and preservation of their land.

By early afternoon, we started our very short trek of the day. It was the rainy season in Ethiopia. We had to make it to our camp ground before the rain hit which happened everyday around 3PM. Dealing with the high elevation was much harder than I imagined. I was huffing and puffing at the slightest incline. Good thing we stopped frequently to watch the Simien baboons, primates that can only be found here. Their very human like ways were fascinating to watch. I thought they were even communicating in a form of human-like language with various tones and pitches.

The next day we had a full day of trekking. The guide told us, the rainy season was actually a great time to be here since all the greens are luscious and not too hot. We trekked by a beautiful waterfall, crossed a river in our bare feet, visited a traditional village hut and even came across a baby goat born minutes ago. It was a tiring day, but it was topped off by a very special dinner. We decided to purchase a fat sheep from a local farmer to slaughter for dinner. The cook used wild thyme found throughout the mountains as his main spice. "Benjamin" the sheep was very cute, but he was also very delicious and completely free range.

We saved the best for our last day. Imet Gogo is the promontory that peaked at 3926 meters above sea level. Although it was not the highest point, Imet Gogo offered the most spectacular and dramatic views. It actually reminded me of the flowing mountains in the movie Avatar. The cloud and fog added mystery to this less traveled part of the world.

I must say various different parts of Simien Mountain looked like it could be Yellow Mountain in China or Benbulben Mountain in Ireland or even rock formations in my current hometown, British Columbia. Over the 3 days, we covered approximately over 60 km. It was a very difficult trek, but it was extremely rewarding.

Camlot of Africa - Gondar, Ethiopia

We had booked a 2.5 hour mini bus ride through our hotel to take us north to Gondar from Bahir Dar in the morning. Gondar earns the title of Africa's Camlot for its series of centuries old stone castles. As we drove into the city and saw the castle walls, I couldn't wait to see what laid behind these walls. But first we stopped for some lunch at the Quara Hotel terrace restaurant. It offered a great view of the city (right) and their pizzas were not bad too. All went really well with a cold Fanta.

After lunch, we headed over to the castles and to walk off the pizza we just ate. When we entered the grounds, I felt like I had left Africa and woke up somewhere in southern Europe. The 350 year old main castle and most well preserved was built by Emperor Fasilides who was one of the most famous rulers in ancient Ethiopia. The royal grounds also included elaborate banquet hall complete with impressive stables, steam bath house with wooden wall cloth hooks still intact, lion's den, distillery and library built by Fasilides' successors.

Separate from the castle grounds, we took a short tuk tuk ride to Emperor Fasilides' Bath. This large rectangular shaped pool with a bath house in the centre was still used today during religious holidays. The most interesting thing about this place was the walls that surrounded the pool. They were crawled with tree roots (left) very much like Angkor Thom in Cambodia. Once our way out, we were stopped to take a survey on our tour experience. I requested toilet facilities.

The last leg of the tour was the Debre Birhan Selassie Church. After Bahir Dar, I was indifferent about seeing another church until I stepped inside of this one. The ceiling were covered with angels watching over and protecting the church. Local legend said all other Churches were burnt down by invaders in late 1800, expect for this one.

(photo by Franck Zecchin)

Seeing Gondar was a bit of a surreal experience for me. I thought it was what intrigued me about Ethiopia in the first place. It was hard to believe Gondar was part of Africa.