ETHIOPIA TRIP REPORT
From 27 December 2012 to 8 January 2013 A friend and l travelled to Ethiopia for 13 days .
We booked the trip with A&K , who provided a private guide throughout the trip . The entire trip was 12 days duration , the last day being a return flight to Harare and Milan as we parted company .
I had heard many times from various people who had travelled to and lived in Ethiopia that it is a must see , must do experience and was intrigued to find out more . The opportunity came up in December and E and myself decided to go for it and have a completely unique experience .
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DAY 1: 27 December 2012
We arrive at 7 o clock in the morning at Ethiopia’s Bole International Airport , landing in the capital which is Addis Ababa having flown in from Milan , on Ethiopian Airlines .
Addis Ababa is the fourth highest capital city in the world and lies at around 7726 feet above mean sea level ( 2355 metres ) .
Upon arrival we were met by a representative from Kibran Tours and driven to the Sheraton Hotel . After settling in at the hotel we were taken on a tour of Addis Ababa . This included visits to :
– The Ethnographic Museum
– Trinity Cathedral
– The National Museum
Overnight : Sheraton Hotel
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DAY 2 : 28 December 2012
This morning we flew from Addis Ababa to Gondar .
From Gonder we took a pontoon boat across Lake Tana to Bahir Dar , stopping along the way to look at some monasteries on the islands in the lake . Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile , as well as being the largest Lake in Ethiopia covering an area of 2156 Km .
Places visited include :
Gondar :
-Gondarine castles
Lake Tana :
– Many birds
Monasteries :
– Ura Kidane Mihret
– Azua Mariam
Source of the Blue Nile River
Overnight : Town of Bahir Dar , at Kuriftu Resort , which is on the shore of Lake Tana
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DAY 3: 29 December 2012
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DAY 4 : 30 December 2012
Drive from Gondar to Simien Mountains National Park , which is a distance of approximately 125 Km and can take up to 4 hours .
The Simien Mountains National Park is 190 km square and achieved world heritage status in 1978
Some of the species we saw here are :
MAMMALS :
Gelada baboon
Walia Ibex
BIRDS :
PLANTS :
Overnight : Siemien Lodge (3260 metres , highest lodge in Africa )
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DAY 5 : 31 December 2012
Great day in Simien Mountains National Park .
The scenery is stunning , the air a bit thin and the experience quite unique .
Today we were driven from Simien Lodge to a campsite further inside the park , called Chenek . This is a place where there are regular sightings of Walia Ibex . We saw them first across a valley at about 500 metres , but then were rewarded with a much closer look later on at another location , there was one below us moving in the open.
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DAY 6 : 1 January 2013
Today we were driven from the Simien Mountains National Park returning to Gondar .
Overnight : Goha Hotel ( Gondar )
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DAY 7 : 2 January 2013
We flew Ethiopian Airlines from Gondar to Lalibela
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Tags: Addis Ababa, Adwa, Blue Nile Falls, Ethiopia, Gondar, Haile Selassie . Menelik, Lake Tana, Lalibela, Paul Grobler, Queen of Sheba
