|
Ethiopia conjures images of a mysterious and ancient civilization, vibrant tribal cultures and breathtaking
natural beauty. Cut off from the rest of the world for years, Ethiopia has recently started developing its
tourism infrastructure. Eager to welcome tourists, Ethiopia has primed the Northern Historic Route with
scheduled flights, paved roads and a selection of basic, but comfortable hotels. In the wild south, the
Lower Omo Valley, travel is rigorous but the pay-off is unique—spending time with some of the most intact
tribal societies in Africa.
Throughout Ethiopia, adventurous travelers will be pleased to discover well-preserved religious and historical
sites without throngs of tourists and long entrance lines—this is truly off-the-beaten-path adventure!
Africa’s fourth largest city and a blend of new and old. The city offers the largest outdoor market in Africa,
Italian cafes, museums and traditional Ethiopian song and dance venues. It’s worth an afternoon’s exploration.
Hotels range from simple tourist class to the luxurious Sheraton, complete with impressive fountains, a spa
and fine dining options. All of our Ethiopia tours include an Addis city tour.
Upon arrival, Axum doesn’t seem to offer much. It’s a simple frontier town, windy and dusty, but after first
impressions, Axum’s treasures are revealed. Axum was once the home of Ethiopia’s greatest ancient civilization.
Throughout the town and surrounding area, travelers will find soaring steale, ruined palaces, holy churches
(perhaps the resting place of the Arch of the Covenant) and underground tombs complete with ancient inscriptions.
Axum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site—one of eight in the country.
Home to the famous subterranean stone-carved churches dating back over a thousand years. The collection of
over 10 churches lies beneath the rich red-colored earth and is surrounded by hidden passageways, caves and
crypts. The site is a living museum and travelers can freely wander among the churches, watching pilgrims
and priests go about their daily lives. Visiting the site in the morning and evening light is magical.
Lalibela is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Known by many as ‘Africa’s Camelot,’ Gondar looks more like a medieval city than an Africa town. With 17th
century castles, bathing pools and churches covered in frescos, Africa often seems a far-away memory in
Gondar. The town is an ideal spot to enjoy a traditional coffee ceremony or a Ras Dashen beer at sunset
from the terrace of the Goha Hotel.
This lakeside city offer wide, palm lined streets, a true café-culture and beautiful vistas across Lake Tana.
Bahir Dar is also the base for explorations of the mysterious island monasteries that dot Lake Tana. The Blue
Nile Falls is also a short trip away.
Trekking in the Simien Mountains can be both a challenging and rewarding experience. Ras Dashen, the fourth
highest peak in Africa at 14,928 ft, is the tallest mountain in the range. Extended trekking options are
available, as well as shorter day hikes. The mountains are home to several of Ethiopia’s rare endemic
species including the Ethiopian wolf, the most endangered canid on the planet, and the populous gelada baboon.
The Lower Omo Valey is arguably one of the most remote destinations in Africa. Spanning a great distance
from the Kenyan border north along the Rift Valley, the Omo Valley is home to many of the most well-preserved
tribal groups in Africa. Travel in the region is arduous, with no few paved roads, only basic accommodations
and extreme climate conditions. The pay-off is spectacular, other-worldly scenery and the opportunity to
witness Ethiopia’s rich and colorful tribal population.
Culturally, the Omo Valley is quite rich with some 45 languages spoken by people of many different ethnic
origins. These nations, from the many thousand-strong Borena to the just 1000-strong Karo, exhibit a fascinating
range of cultural practices.
One notable cultural practice of these different groups of people is the way they build their houses. The Dorze,
the Sidama and the Gurage in particular are known for their domed or beehive-like constructions that demonstrate
the different uses of bamboo.
Once warriors, they now earn their living by farming and weaving. The Dorze name is synonymous with the best
in woven cotton cloth and the tall-up bee-hive shaped bamboo house. There is quite a big Dorze community living
and weaving on the northern part of Addis, on the way to Entoto. These peoples rarely use the administrative
and police force of the city. They settle all disputes in their usual cultural way, through their elders.
About 960 miles south west of Addis Ababa lies the widely cultivated Konso land that is embraced by Precambrian
serpentines and granites. The Konso peoples speak eastern Cushitic language and are agriculturalists and weavers.
They idealize the figures and heroic lives of their deceased symbolized with wooden totem.
In the far southwest Omotic region, beyond Mount Buska live the Hamar and Benna people. The Hamar and Benna are
two of the Omotic speakers of remote south west Ethiopia, with unique manifestations of traditional wisdom, the
'jumping of bulls'. The purpose of this rite is twofold: while one is the passage from boyhood to adulthood,
the other is the courting occasion when both men and women adorn themselves to win a mate. Traditional attire
includes men putting ochre buns with ostrich feathers in their hair, while the women wear their hair in short
tufts rolled in ochre mixed with fat.
In the remote wilderness of the southwest Ethiopia live the Mursi and Surma. These peoples were completely
forgotten by Ethiopia and the outside world at large, and they on their part had no notion of the outside
world including Ethiopia until the 1970s. While the women show their beauty and endurance by the ear lobes
and the piercing of the lips, the men demonstrate their courage and stamina in the stick fighting ceremony.
The Karo tribe residing along the borders of the Lower Omo River incorporates rich, cultural symbolism into
their rituals by using ornate body art, intricate headdresses, and significance within their community. The
most important ceremony in the life of a Karo is the Pilla, or jumping over a group of oxen. This ritual marks
the passage from adolescence to adulthood. The ceremony is similar to that of the Hamar, however the Karo only
have four chances to jump over the oxen without falling.
Speak a completely different language and are actually the Cushitic speaking group of the Omo Valley. The most
important ritual of the Dassanetch is the so-called dime. In theory, only a man who has had a daughter can be
circumcised, although in practice, circumcision is carried out on the entire age-group. The daughter is most
important in the dime ceremony. After the ceremony, which takes six weeks, the participants are upgraded to
'great men', or those that may engage in politics. The dime ritual is directly connected to the upcoming
marriage of the daughter when large quantities of cattle are slaughtered for the occasion.
|