A short guide about Active travel to Ethiopia
The African continent has a long and disturbed history and Ethiopia remains the only country never to have fallen under the brutal ruling of colonization. Often referred to as "The Cradle of Man", Ethiopia is believed to be one of the oldest countries in the world and the beginning of mankind. Herodotus the Greek historian of the fifth century B.C. describes ancient Ethiopia in his writings. The Old Testament of the Bible records the Queen of Sheba's visit to Jerusalem and the fossil of the oldest living man (said to be 3.5 million years old) was discovered in the northern section of Ethiopia.
The natural beauty, with high mountains, lakes, waterfalls as well as arid deserts are among the natural attractions of Ethiopia. Highlights include the cities of Harar Addis Ababa as well as the churches of Lalibela in the North. Rafting on the Omo River is spectacular too, but you’ll need to be aware of crocodiles.
The great Omo Valley region in the south is where tribal people still live and dress as they have for centuries, it is one of the few places in Africa that people still dress in their native ‘tribal attire’. The Surma and the Mursi tribe’s women still wear those huge lip plates, and animal skins for clothing and their men own a single wrap which they only bother to wear when away from their village. A good place for visiting tribal people is JINKA and flights leave twice a week from Addis Ababa. But a two-day journey by car is much more fascinating as you'll see interesting combinations of dress that include both Western and tribal attire, and their Saturday and Wednesday markets are pretty spectacular on their own.
Renting a car and driver is the most expensive thing while travelling in tribal Ethiopia, but food and lodging is cheap. It is hard to imagine any kind of luxury travelling here, but the untouched grasslands, gorges and soaring mountains combined with castle cities, markets and bazaars will alter your perception of this truly magical place. Ethiopia is a place that you should visit a least once in your lifetime.