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THE
WORLD'S BEST TOURIST DESTINATION FOR 2015?
By Oliver Smith 09 Jul 2015
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The East
African country, which suffered a series
of famines in the 1980s but can boast
some of the continent’s most dramatic
landscapes, was praised by the
non-profit association of EU tourism
organisations for its “excellent
preservation of humanity landmarks”.
The
country’s highlights include the
monolithic rock-hewn churches at
Lalibela; the Simien Mountains National
Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site that
is home to a number of endangered
species, including Ethiopian wolf and
walia ibex; and the otherworldly Danakil
Depression, with its colourful sulphur
and salt lakes.
Other
attractions flagged up during the annual
ceremony were Fasil Ghebbi, the
residence of the Ethiopian emperors
during the 16th and 17th century; Harar
Jugol, containing 82 mosques and 102
shrines, and the Konso Cultural
Landscape, featuring 55km of stonewalled
terraces and fortified settlements.
In its
application for the award, the Ethiopian
government identified tourism as a key
area if it is to tackle poverty.
“Ethiopia is the deserving candidate,
with a perfect record of promoting
social-friendly tourism, and a
ecological and poverty reduction
strategy based on tourism,” said Senator
Ionel Agrigoraoiei from the European
Council.
The group
clearly enjoys backing an underdog –
last year’s winner was Zimbabwe; in 2013
it was Laos.
However,
few of the candidates that applied for
consideration this year were typical
tourist destinations – they included
Nigeria, Algeria, Congo DRC, Jordan and
Kazakhstan.
Its trips
feature Lalibela, the low-key capital
Addis Ababa, the towns of Gondar and
Bahir Dar, the Bale Mountains National
Park and the Simien Mountains National
Park.
Parts are
off-limits,
however. The Foreign Office advises
against all travel to within 10km of the
borders with Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya
and Eritrea, and to parts of the
country's north-eastern and
south-eastern regions.
TOURS AND TRAVEL IN
ETHIOPIA
While in Ethiopia on two occasions during ATA's
25th Jubilee, our editors had the opportunity of
experiencing the hospitality and services offered
by Getachew Habte Jesus, (below) and our
professional guide at
Abay
Travel &
Tourism
near Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa.
Abay's fleet of vehicles is brand new, and we were
impressed with the knowledge and courtesy of the
driver assigned to us. The following is a typical
tour of Ethiopia's famous Holy
Route:
Axum:
Ark of the
Covenant
 (from
previous
page).
Axum, Ethiopia's most ancient city and capital
of the historic Axumite state, is the site of many
remarkable monolithic stone stelae, or obelisks,
the three most important being decorated to
represent multi-storied buildings, complete with
doors and windows. The largest obelisk, which was
35 metres long and weighed 500 tons, is the biggest
piece of stone ever cut by humanity anywhere in the
world but today it lies broken on the ground. Near
it stands a smaller but nevertheless most
impressive 24m high obelisk - the pride of
Ethiopia. A somewhat larger obelisk was taken to
Rome, on the orders of the Italian fascist dictator
Benito Mussolini, in 1937, but its return to Axum
is expected. Plans are also under consideration for
the re-erection of the fallen obelisk. Axum, in its
glory days, was a great commercial centre, issuing
its own currency and trading with Egypt, Arabia,
Persia, India and even Ceylon.
Queen of
Sheba
The settlement was also the site of Ethiopia's
oldest church, which dated back to the coming of
Christianity as the state religion, early in the
4th Century. The original building has long since
disappeared but a structure erected on its site by
Emperor Fasiladas in the early 17th Century is till
there.A nearby outhouse is the reputed repository
of the biblical Ark of the Covenant. This historic
relic cannot be seen but visitors there can see and
photograph a number of the remarkable crowns that
belonged to several notable Ethiopian monarchs of
the past.
Just out of the
town, the remains of an early Axumite palace,
popularly thought to have belonged to the Queen of
Sheba, are well worth a visit. The remains are
located at Dangur, near the mountain from which the
obelisks were originally excavated. The beautifully
worked tombs of several ancient Axumite rulers and
the local archaeological museum are also worth a
visit. Lalibela, a medieval settlement in the Last
area of Wallo, lies at the centre of an extensive
complex of rock churches.
Some can be reached by one or two hours' drive,
others are a full day's journey. Lalibela has 11
remarkable rock-hewn monolithic churches, believed
to have been built by King Lalibela in the late
12th or early 13th Century.
These notable
structures are carved, inside and out, into the
solid rock, and are considered among the wonders of
the world. Each building is architecturally unique
but each reflects beautifully executed
craftsmanship, and several are decorated with
fascinating paintings. These astonishing edifices
remain places of living worship to this day. Sof
Omar, a tiny Muslim village in Bale, is the site of
an amazing complex of natural caves, cut by the Wab
River as it found its way into the nearby
mountains. The settlement, which is a religious
site, is named after a local Sheikh.
Sof Omar:
Visitors to Sof Omar make their way -armed with
torches and official map - underground, far into
the bowels of the earth, beside a subterranean
stream, and there can see an extraordinary number
of arched portals, high, eroded ceilings and deep,
echoing chambers. Some 35 per cent of the Ethiopian
population is Muslim. Nearly half the population is
Christian, belonging to the Ethiopian Orthodox
Church, whose 4th Century beginnings came long
before Europe accepted Christianity. A further
small percentage of the population adheres to
traditional and other beliefs, including Judaism.
Ethiopia.
like many other African countries, is a
multi-ethnic state. Many distinctions have been
blurred by intermarriage over the years but many
also remain. The differences may be observed in the
number of languages spoken-an astonishing 83,
falling into four main language groups: Semitic,
Cushitic, Omotic and Nilo-Saharan. There are 200
different dialect. The Semitic languages of
Ethiopia are related to both Hebrew and Arabic, and
derive from Ge'ez, the ecclesiastical language. The
principle Semitic language spoken in the
north-western and central part of the country is
Amharic, which is also the official language of the
modern state. Other main languages are Tigrigna,
Guraginya, Adarinya, Afan Oromo, Somalynya,
Sidaminya, Afarinya, Gumuz, Berta and Anuak. The
Tigrigna-and Amharic-speaking people of the north
and centre of the country are mainly
agriculturists, tilling the soil with ox-drawn
ploughs and growing teff (a local millet), wheat,
barley, maize and sorghum. The most southerly of
the Semitic speakers, the Gurage, are also farmers
and herders, but many are also craftsmen. The
Gurage grow inset, 'false banana', whose root, stem
and leaf stalks provide a carbohydrate which, after
lengthy preparation, can be made into porridge or
unleavened bread.
The Cushitic
Oromo, formerly nomadic pastoralists, are now
mainly engaged in agriculture and, in the more arid
areas, cattle-breeding. The Somali, also pastoral
nomads, forge a living in hot and arid bush
country, while the Afar, semi-nomadic pastoralists
and fishermen, are the only people who can survive
in the hostile environment of the Danakil
Depression. Living near the Omo River are the
Mursi, well-known for the large clay discs that the
women war inserted in a slit in their lower lips.
The people of Ethiopia wear many different types of
clothing. The traditional dress of the Christian
highland peasantry has traditionally been of white
cotton cloth. Since the time of Emperor Tewodros 11
(mid-1800s), men have worn long, jodhpur like
trousers, a tight fitting shirt and a shamma (loose
wrap)
The Muslims of
Harar, by contrast wear very colourful dress,
the men in shorftish trousers and a coloured wrap
and the women in fine dresses of red, purple and
black. The lowland Somali and Afar wear long,
brightly coloured cotton wraps, and the Oromo and
Bale people are to be seen in the bead-decorated
leather garments that reflect their economy, which
is based on livestock. Costumes to some extend
reflect the climates where the different groups
live-highlanders, for instance, use heavy cloth
cape sand wraparound blankets to combat the night
chill. In the heat of the lowland plains, light
cotton cloths are all that is required by men and
women alike. Traditional dress, through often now
supplanted by Western attire, may still be seen
throughout much of the countryside. National dress
is usually worn for festivals, when streets and
meeting-places are transformed into a sea of white,
as finely woven cotton dresses, wraps decorated
with coloured woven borders, and suits are donned.
A distinctive
style of dress is found among the Oromo horsemen of
the central highlands, who, on ceremonial days such
as Maskal, attire themselves in lion's manes or
baboon-skin headdresses and, carrying hippo-hide
spears and shields, ride down to the main city
squares to participate in the parades. Ethiopians
are justifiably proud of the range of their
traditional costumes. The most obvious
identification of the different groups is in the
jewellery, the hair styles and the embroidery of
the dresses. The women of Amhara and Tigray wear
dozens of plaits (sheruba), tightly braided to the
head and billowing out at the shoulders. The women
of Harar part their hair in the middle and make a
bun behind each ear. Hamer, GXeleb, Bume and Karo
men form a ridge of plaited hair and clay to hold
their feathered headwear in place. Arsi women have
fringes and short, bobbed hair. Bale girls have the
same, but cover it with a black headcloth, while
young children often have their heads shaved.
Jewellery in silver and gold is worn by both
Muslims and Christians, often with amber or glass
beads incorporated. Heavy brass, copper and ivory
bracelets and anklets are also worn.
Music:
Ethiopia also has a rich tradition of both secular
and religious music, singing and dancing, and these
together constitute an important part of Ethiopian
cultural life. Singing accompanies many
agricultural activities, as well as religious
festivals and ceremonies surrounding life's
milestones-birth, marriage and death. Traditional
musical instruments in widespread use include the
massinko, a one-stringed violin played with a bow;
the krar, a six-stringed lyre, played with the
fingers or a plectra,; the washing, a simple flute'
and three types of drum-the negarit (kettledrum),
played with sticks, the kebero, played with the
hands, and the atamo, tapped with the fingers or
palm. Other instruments include the begena, a huge,
multi-stringed lyre often referred to as the Harp
of David; the tsinatseil, or sistrum, which is used
in church music; the meleket, a long trumpet
without finger holes, and the embilta, a large,
simple, one-note flute used on ceremonial
occasions.
Though often
simply made, the massinko can, in the hands of an
expert musician, produces a wide variety of
melodies. It is often played by wandering
minstrels, particularly near eating houses, where
the musicians entertain the diners. The rousing
rhythms of the negarit where used in times gone by
to accompany important proclamations, and chiefs on
the march would be preceded by as many as 30 men,
each beating a negarit carried on a donkey. The
tiny atamo is most frequently played at weddings
and festivals, setting the rhythmic beat of folks
songs and dances. Modern-style bands have come into
existence in recents decades, and there are noted
Ethiopian jazz musicians. Such bands are especially
to be heard in the capital.
Addis
Ababa: With a population of more than two
million people, Addis Ababa is not only the
political capital but also the economic and social
nerve-centre of Ethiopia. Founded by Emperor
Menelik in 1887, this big, sprawling, hospitable
city still bears the stamps of his exuberant
personality. More than 21,000 hectares in area,
Addis Ababa is situated in the foothills of the
3,000 metre Entoto Mountains, and rambles
pleasantly across many wooded hillsides and gullies
cut with fast-flowing streams. Wide, tree-lined
streets, fine architecture, glorious weather and
the incongruity of donkey trains along the
boulevards make Addis a city of surprises and a
delightful place to explore. The clear mountain air
gives the city the bracing atmosphere of a summer
highland resort. It enjoys a mild climate, with an
average temperature of 61 degrees Fahrenheit.
Addis Ababa stands
at the very heart of Ethiopia and there is much to
do and to see. The city has a flourishing cultural
life, with regular exhibitions and lectures. There
are many opportunities to experience Ethiopian
music, song and dance, to visit museums and to see
the city sights. The Horticultural Society and
Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society both
organize visits to local gardens and trips out into
the countryside. And after all that, what better
than to sample some of Ethiopia's culinary
delights? Injera, a large, soft, pancake like
crepe, forms the basis of most Ethiopian meals,
served with a communal tray on which are a tempting
array of spicy sauces. Also distinctive is the
Ethiopian traditional drink, tej, a honey wine, or
mead. Traditional restaurants abound in Addis
Ababa, and offer entertainment in the form of the
ubiquitous massinko minstrels and traditional dance
troupes. There are also many other specialist
restaurants in the city, including Chinese,
Italian, French, Indian, Armenian, Arabic and
Greek. The Ethiopian experience is thus one that
offers something for everyone. Truly, there is no
other place on earth quite like it.
Sample
Itinerary by Abay Travel &
Tourism
DAY
1: Morning
transfer to the Airport for the flight to Axum upon
arrival be transferred to Yeha Hotel. P.M. sight
seeing of Axum which includes:-
a) The Stelae Park
b) St. Mary's Church
c) Emperor Ezana's Park;
d) Tombs of the Kings;
e) The bath of the Queen of Sheba;
f) The Ruins of Queen Sheba's Palace, overnight in
a hotel in Axum.
DAY
2 : AM fly
from Axum to Lalibela & Transfer to Hotel P.M.
sight seeing in the town.a) the Eleven Rock - Hewn
Churches of Lalibela
b) Tour of the town. Overnight in a
hotel;
DAY
3 : AM
transfer to the irport for the flight of Gondar
upon arrival
transfer to Hotel PM visit Gondar which
includes:
a) the Imperial Castles;
b) Debre-Berhan Selassie Church
c) Quesquam Mariam Church;
d) Felasha village;
e) Bath of Emperor Fasiledes, overnight in a
hotel;
DAY
4 : A.M. fly
from Gondar to Bahir-Dar & transfer to
Hotel.
P.M have sight seeing of Bahir-Dar which
includes:-
a) The mighty Tississat Falls ( The smoke
water)
b) Boat trip on Lake Tana to visit the monasteries
of Ura Kidane-Mihret & Bete-Mariam.
DAY
5 : Transfer
to Bahir Dar Airport for the flight back to
Addis
The cost for the
above tour program for a group size of :
4-7 PAX is USD 430.00 Per Person;
8-11 PAX is USD 396.00 Per Person;
12-15 PAX is USD 376.00 Per Person;
16-19 PAX is USD 367.00 Per Person;
20-23 PAX is USD 346.00 Per Person;
Cost includes :
Hotel accommodation out of Addis on B/B basis &
double room sharing all ground transportation all
sight seeing, entrance fee guide service, portages.
Cost does not include: Any air fare, visa, Air Port
tax & all other expenses of personal nature.
Single room supplement out of Addis is USD 15 per
person and per night.
For the above and
a full selection of tours to other parts of
Ethiopia, and neighboring countries,
contact:
ABAY TRAVEL
& TOURISM
P.O. Box 2901 , Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Phone: 61-43-87, Fax: 251-1 61 43 87
 
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