Ethiopia…standing conspicuously on the horn of Africa, her fame sprawls from marathon greats to the physical features endowed upon her soil. The raging waters of the Blue Nile fall, the age-old sites of Lalibela.
The ruins of Aksum, the great and picturesque Ethiopian Rift valley, and the exquisite sunsets and wild animals that can be witnessed in Awash and Nechisar national parks make each and every trip to Africa incomplete with an Ethiopian touch to it.
Wild game and bird watching in Awash
Stretching from the southern parts of the afar region to the Misraq Shewa and characterized with the savannah grassland and acacia trees is the Awash national park. A journey to the grasslands in Awash would earn one a meeting with the elusive dik-dik, grazing herds of zebras, gazelles, and onyx; the baboons can also be found in this park.
Coloring the environment are the birds hence making Awash a favorite point for bird watching enthusiasts. Where prey abounds predators are in plenty, the lions, leopards and the cheetahs can be seen stealthily hunting in the plains.
The Bridge of heaven in Nechisar National Park
Behold the park that is bounded by two lakes! The outstanding beauty of the view of the land in between lakes Abaya and Chamo earned the name the bridge of heaven. The park is home to the bushbuck, Dik-dik, Grant’s gazelle, and the greater Kudu. The crocodiles and hippos man the waters of the two lakes. Birdwatchers will also be busy sampling both grey and red-billed hornbills, the fish eagle and the Abyssinian Ground-hornbill.
An attractive combination of hills and mountains gives the park beautiful scenery to take an award-winning snapshot. The trip to Nechisar can be made complete by visiting the locals living along the lake shores and learning hippo hunting from them!
Pilgrimage to Lalibela!
The Amhara region of Northern Ethiopia is home to one of the oldest historic sites in the land the churches of Lalibela! If one is yet to see rock-cut churches then Lalibela ought to be in their traveling plans.
The Church of St. George, BieteAmanuel, BieteMadhaneAlem and Bete Abba Libanos are some of the 12th and 13th-century churches that attracted pilgrims from the local Ethiopian Coptic Church. The land terrain can also be a favorite for hiking once pilgrimage has been paid to the churches in Lalibela.
Sampling the Ancient city
Aksum…ancient kingdom which was at its peak in 100–940. The ruins of this kingdom present an opportunity to learn and appreciate the history of northern Ethiopia. From the monolithic obelisks, royal tombs, ruins of ancient castles and the giant stale a historic touch is written all over the city.
The monolithic Stalae rising 75 feet is a definite landmark of Axum and a having a photo next to it should be a personal goal for all tourists visiting Aksum.
Behold the Greatness of the Valley!
The one word that can sufficiently describe Ethiopian Rift valley is…picturesque! Hot springs, rivers, lakes and wild animals sprawl all over this great physical feature thus it remains one of Ethiopia’s most favored travel destinations.
Lake Ziway, Abaya and Chamo and their all blue waters decorate the valley in a unique way. The highlight of the valley is the land that divides Lake Abaya and Chamo commonly referred to as the “the bridge of heaven”. The valley houses national parks like the Nechisar thus wild game is in abundance.
The smoking waters of The Blue Nile falls
Situated in the Ethiopian plateau, approximately 150ft in height and width of a half a kilometer or so…rushing waters crushing on stones creating a smoke-like bounce of countless water droplets is none other than the majestic Blue Nile falls.
Breathtaking…for lack of a better word can be used to give a description of the smoking waters. The sound of the raging water of the Blue Nile Falls beckons from far calling tourists to hasten their steps towards the beauty that is laid within.
Many words cannot fully explain the beautiful scenes that Ethiopia has in store for tourists, in order to fully understand, one must visit the magical scenes on site!
