12-Day Hiking on the Simien Mountains 'Roof of Africa'

• You'll be collected from the airport.
• Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.

The sights of Addis Ababa

After your arrival & immigration you will meet with your guide at the airport and you will be transferred to your hotel/lodge for some refreshment. Depending on your arrival time your guide will go on a city tour through Ethiopia’s vibrant and lively capital. In the National Museum you can discover the cradle of mankind where the skeleton of “Lucy” is kept. Entoto Mountain with its Eucalyptus forest is a nice short escape out of town to see Mariyam Church and Menelik Palace the place where the Emperors resided. Others might enjoy one of the city’s weekly markets. You can choose your itinerary with your guide.

Main Destination:

Addis Ababa (City)

Accommodation:

Sunspot Hotel

• Mid-range hotel located in Addis Ababa (City)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Get an insight in Ethiopia's medieval history in Lalibela

A domestic flight will take you to the holy city of Lalibela. There are eleven churches carved out of solid rock there, and many people believe that this miracle happened because of the work of angels. When you arrive in the morning, you'll need to check in at a hotel.

Today, you will be touring the Holy City of Lalibela. On your guided tour, you walk through the labyrinth of trenches and tunnels to visit the eleven rock churches of Lalibela. Beta Medane Alem (“Church of the World Saviour”) and Beta Gyorgis (“St. Geogre Church”) are two of the biggest rock churches in Ethiopia, and Beta Mariam (“Church of St. Mary”) has a beautiful painted interior and frescoes. You will have the whole day to explore these churches in depth before your sunset dinner will be in the mountains with amazing views.

Main Destination:

Lalibela (Town)

Accommodation:

Cliff Edge Hotel

• Budget hotel located in Lalibela (Town)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

The castles of Gondar

Today you will fly to the ancient capital of Gondar. Gondar’s 17th century castles are listed as UNESCO World Heritage. You will visit the Royal enclosure with its 5 palaces. The late afternoon sun puts them in a good light on your guided tour through the compound. In the evening you will have a good traditional dinner in one of the local restaurants. Who feels like dancing is welcome to visit one of the bars around town where the Ethiopian shoulder dance (‘eskista’) is pretty famous.

Gondar is also the most common starting point for Simien Mountains Trekking. So tomorrow you will head towards the national park from here.

Main Destination:

Gondar (City)

Accommodation:

Goha Hotel

• Mid-range hotel located in Gondar (City)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Dive deeper in the sights of Gondar and visit a charity project

In the morning you will have some more time to dicover Gondar even closer and you will visit the Debre Birhan Selassie Church (Church of the Holy Trinity) which interior is beautifully decorated with 17th century religious paintings. Truly one of Ethiopia’s most beautiful churches.

After lunch you continue through the Ethiopian highlands to the gate of the Simien National Park. In Debark, a small town with about 30,000 inhabitants at 2,800m altitude, some formalities need to be done in the administration offices of the park (SimienEcoTours will do this). In the meantime you have the possibility to visit a hospital or a school for disabled children that SimienEcoTours supports. Overnight in hotel in town.

Main Destination:

Gondar (City)

Accommodation:

Tsehay Zeleke Hotel

• Budget hotel located in Debark (Town)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

First trekking day from Sankaber to Geech

Ethiopia's highest mountain, Ras Dashen, is also home to the highest bird species, the Thick billed Raven and the Bearded Vulture. The National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site was established to protect endemic animals such as the Walia Ibex Capricorn and Ethiopian Wolf. You will also get to know the already rare afro-alpine flora with juniper, St. John's wort and heather, Kniepofia, tree heather species and the Kosso tree. Today you drive to the Sankaber camp (3,250m). You get a first impressive view over the dramatic mountain range. Here you meet the Gelada monkeys, a docile baboon species, which gather up to 100 animals and spend most of the time nibbling on grass and roots. During the entire trekking, we are accompanied by a local guide and park Renger.
From Sankaber the path leads through an area with vegetation such as bushes and giant heather trees. Various birds are circling in the thermic of the gorge, including vultures and buzzards.

Main Destination:

Simien Mountains National Park

Best Time To Visit September to December (Beautiful scenery)

High Season October to April (Lodges are busy)

Best Weather October to April

Wildlife in Simien Mountains NP

Gelada monkey Abundant

Walia ibex Occasional

Ethiopian wolf Rare

Klipspringer Rare

Bushbuck Rare

Show more

Golden jackal Rare

Hyena Rare

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• Inside Simien Mountains NP

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Along the spectacular North-Eastern walls of the Simien Mountains

First, the hike leads you up to Mount Imet Gogo (3,926m). The path is lined with giant lobelias, which grow up to 10m high here and stretch their antennae-shaped flower candles far into the sky. Once a lot of these plants were cut down, and only with strict regulations by the national park administration the stock could recover. From Imet Gogo, the trail goes first over the 4,000m peak Inatye (4,070m) and then down to your second camp Chennek (3,650m). Overnight in tent.

Main Destination:

Simien Mountains National Park

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• Inside Simien Mountains NP

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Climb Bwahit Pass at 4 , 200 m - the highest point during the trek

Today you may see the endangered Walia Ibex. At a stop on the Bwahit Pass (4,200m) you enjoy the wide view over the Ethiopian mountains and then descend to the village of Sona (3,500m). Just below the village at 3,200m altitude is a nice campground. Overnight in tent.

Main Destination:

Simien Mountains National Park

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• Inside Simien Mountains NP

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Entering the lowlands and villages

The first part of today’s trek leads slightly more than 1,000 meters steeply down to the river Ansiya. Here we take lunch in the shade of the trees and can swim and wash ourselves in the river. In the afternoon we walk in about two hours to the Camp Mekarebya (1,900m), where SimienEcoTours financed the construction of a water well for the village people. Overnight in tent.

Main Destination:

Simien Mountains National Park

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• Inside Simien Mountains NP

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Steep valleys and rivers to cross

Again you walk down to the river Ansiya and then turn into a side valley. A beautiful small lake invites you to take a bath again, then we ascend to the village of Hawaza before continuing straight to your last camp in the village of Mulit (2,000m). Last night in the tent.

Main Destination:

Simien Mountains National Park

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• Inside Simien Mountains NP

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Last trekking day to the village of Adi Arkay & drive to Lake Tana

After just 2-3 hours of easy walk, we reach Adi Arkay. It is located along the main road to Axum and so we are back in civilization. The vehicle is already waiting for us and we drive to the small fishing village of Gorgora at the Northern Shore of Lake Tana. Dinner at the lodge restaurant and overnight in the pleasant Tim & Kim Village Lodge.

Main Destination:

Lake Tana

Accommodation:

Tim & Kim Village

• Budget lodge located at Lake Tana

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Ending your trip at Lake Tana

Your eyes wander endlessly over a sea of water, kingfishers fish and a papyrus boat paddles past in the distance in the morning light. Welcome to Lake Tana, the largest lake in Ethiopia. Here on its northern shore, nature is still alive. More than 300 bird species live in the lake region and can be observed very well. You will spend the day with lake view in the small and sleepy fishing village of Gorgora, which looks back on a glorious history. Once upon a time this warm tropical exclave was the residence of the Ethiopian emperors. Today, centuries-old monasteries with colorful frescoes still bear witness to this past. The church can be visited a short walk or you do a kayak trip on the lake with the lodge guide. The perfect day to relax and slowly say goodbye to Ethiopia.

Main Destination:

Lake Tana

Accommodation:

Tim & Kim Village

• Budget lodge located at Lake Tana

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

An adventure comes to an end

On a short drive you will be transferred to the airport in Gondar. A domestic flight will take you then back to the capital Addis Ababa. After a nice traditional farewell dinner, you will be transferred to the airport.

Main Destination:

Addis Ababa (City)

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

• Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
• You'll be dropped off at the airport.