Ethiopia is a continent within a continent, where all kinds of legends have been told since the Prester John created a kingdom where the fountain of youth was supposedly located, until all those who ruled were descended from the Queen of Sheba. There are places where time seems to have stopped Prehistory and others in which we find castles that seem to be taken from the European nobility. They even say there's a place where the Ark of the Covenant.
Africa is the continent where the species that gave rise to humans emerged, and Ethiopia is one of its cradles. The land that witnessed humanity’s birth is described in the sacred books of the three great monotheistic religions. So, in the Torah, and therefore in the Old Testament, the text refers to Zipporah, the Ethiopian wife of Moses. Muhammad recommended to a group of Muslims persecuted in Mecca to travel to the lands of Abyssinia, ruled by a “king who treats no one unjustly”; and the Lion of Judah, symbol of the tribe from which according to Hebrew tradition came the ancestors of David, was part of the Ethiopian flag at several historical moments.
Lalibela
Legend tells us that God commanded to King Lalibela the construction of 10 monolithic churches. Angels helped build them by day and worked twice as fast while the men slept. Another legend tells that St George was angry with King Lalibela for not building him a temple, and the monarch promised him the most beautiful church, building the greatest of them all, Biet Ghiorgis. And so, in the 13th century, Christians and Angels they drilled the volcanic rock of the ancient Roha and built what some consider the eighth wonder of the world: the 11 churches of Lalibela.
Hiking in Simien
Simien in Amharic means north. This mountain is in northern Ethiopia, in the Gondar massif, and is known for its varied flora and fauna.
Gondar
It is the place we choose annually to see the celebration of Timkat. celebrates the baptism of Jesus Christ and is the largest celebration of the Ethiopian Coptic Orthodox Church. Each church carries its Tabot in procession, a replica of the Ark of the Covenant guarded closely in the Holy of Holies throughout the year, reaching the Fasilides, where all the processions converge, with colourful groups of lively worshippers taking part in joyful, rhythmic dancing and singing.
Omo Valley
Southern Ethiopia is one of the most interesting areas in terms of ethnic of Africa. Home to more than 40 tribes –Hamer, Banna, Bashada, Mursi, Konso, Borana, Galeb...– who continue to adorn their bodies as their ancestors did centuries ago, is a window open to cultures, traditions and ways of life that have remained practically intact for thousands of years.
The Danakil Depression
Brilliant white salt, active volcanoes and black lava, lakes and geysers in every colour… this is the Danakil, a place where temperatures reach 50° and only the Afar herders, who trade in salt, live.
Sources of the Blue Nile
Lake Tana is like an immense freshwater sea, dotted with 37 islands and the source of the majestic Blue Nile. It is said that this is where the hidden Ark of the Covenant for 800 years before being transferred to Axum.
Addis Ababa
Founded in 1887, the story goes that King Sahle Selassie, grandfather of Menelik II, prophesied that his grandson would build a large house in the valley of Entoto and that a great city would rise there. Although firewood supply problems initially seemed likely to limit its growth, planting eucalyptus trees in its streets helped Addis Ababa (“New Flower” in Amharic) flourish and, years later, become the capital of the African Union.
Travel to Ethiopia 2023
✔️ 18-day trip
✔️ Departures 7, 28 JUL > 11 AUG > 8 SEP > 6 OCT 2023
✔️ From 3375€
The north is the land of Christians who have left their ancient monuments as testimony.
In the south, in sub-Saharan Africa, culturally diverse peoples live alongside one another along the Omo River.
