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Ethiopia Travel and Destination Guide
PLACES TO SEE
Rift Valley Lakes
The seven lakes of the Rift Valley sit in a wide, fertile valley between Addis Ababa and the Kenyan border, one of the best parts of Ethiopia for bird watching. Lakes Lagano, Abiata and Shala are perhaps the most popular of the seven - one lake is blue, one silver and one brown.
Addis Ababa
Of the 5 million people who live here, 3 million have arrived since the 1991 revolution. Founded in 1887, the city was almost abandoned due to lack of fuel until eucalypts were introduced to the area. A huge, sprawling place, it has very few street signs beyond the main strip, Churchill Ave.
Simien Mountains National Park
The Simien Mountains National Park is easily accessible and excellent for trekking, with stirring views and a large variety of wildlife. The mountains are home to three of Ethiopia's larger endemic mammals: the walia ibex, the gelada baboon and the elusive Ethiopian wolf. Other mammals sometimes seen are rock hyraxes, jackals, bushbucks and klipspringers.
Lalibela
The Middle-East has Petra, Ethiopia has Lalibela. Its rock-hewn churches are arguably Ethiopia's top attraction, and they elicit an instinctive awe, whether you're a religious architecture buff or not.
Aksum
Sprawling, dusty, and rural - Aksum is modest almost to a fault. On first sight, it's hard to imagine that the town was ever the site of a great civilisation. Yet Aksum is one of Ethiopia's star attractions.
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