Ben's Escape to Ethiopia

Two action packed weeks exploring Ethiopia's historical route

Ben
Ben
Africa Specialist and CEO
Published on
23 May 2018
Updated on
25 Apr 2025
Simien Mountains

If you've read my article 'For The Eye's OF Ben Morison Only' you'll know that I've recently met my father, who is Ethiopian, for the first time. Having done that, I simply had to visit Ethiopia as quickly as I could, both to see the country - and to meet my Aunt Gennet and Uncle Molla. Flights booked, bags packed, a map of Ethiopia in my pocket, and I was off... and as my guide I took my mum who's last visit was in the mid 1970's!

Mum At Lake Tana
Mum next to Lake Tana

First stop and my first true experience of Ethiopia was Bahir Dar, home of Laka Tana, Ethiopias largest lake, and the source of the Blue Nile. Bahir Dar is a vibrant town, with pleasant tree-lined avenues and stunning lake views.

Most of the hotels in Bahir Dar look out over Lake Tana... and the lake itself is a pleasant inland sea containing 30 or so islands, many of which are home to spectacular churches and monasteries. The lake is best explored by boat - which we did - visiting the Ura Kidane Mehret on the Zege Peninsula and passing the Island monastery of Kibran Gebriel.

The Blue Nile falls are also a short distance away from Bahir Dar, so Mum and I took an early morning trip to see them before heading to Gondar...

Reed Boat On Lake Tana
The start of the Blue Nile
A Lake Tana Church
Ura Kidane Mehret Church
Blue Nile Falls
The Blue Nile Falls

We ventured north to Gondar a city dominated by the great walled Fasil Ghebbi fortress and imperial compound... a very impressive place to walk around. It is so important to have a guide with you throughout Ethiopia... the historical sights are impressive on their own, but you really need to understand the context and their places in history to really get the most from them.

Gondar is also the gateway to what ended up being a surprise trip favourite... The Simien Mountains!

Gondar Imperial Compound
Fasil Ghebbi - Gondar's Imperial Compound taken with my the panorama setting on my iPhone.

Driving north from Gondar for a couple of hours, we visited the Simien Mountains National Park, and I was quite unprepared for quite how spectacular the landscape would be. A landscape of high altitude plateaus, mountain grasses and woodland, and breathless drops - it is no surprise that the park is a UNESCO world heritage site.

I'd have been happy with just the views, but the chance to sit amongst the semi habituated population of Gelada Baboons* was another of the trip highlights. You can sit down on the grass around them and, completely impervious to your presence, they just continue going about their business... mainly eating, fighting and posing from what I saw.
(*Apparently they are actually monkeys, not baboons - don't ask me the difference - and the only primates in the world to graze!).

We stayed at Simien Mountains Lodge and visited Limalimo Lodge. Both were great... I'll be writing detailed reviews on our main site shortly.

Simien Mountains
What a view.
Gelada In Simien Mountains
A Gelada in the Simien Mountains
A Group of Geladas
Getting up close and personal

No trip to Ethiopia would be complete without visiting Lalibela to see the extra-ordinary stone churches. It was the one place I'd seen lots of photographs, so it had a big red circle on my map...

And the stone churches did not disappoint. They are remarkable. Both for their scale, and more simply for how beautiful they are. Built around the 12th Century, we visited eight of these rock hewn churches, all of which are connected by various stone staircases, and underground tunnels. Highlights were the ornate Biet Medhane Alem - a giant rectangular church and Biet Giorgis - the cross shaped church in the photo below. Both have been carved out of the surrounding stone hillside - monumental feats of engineering that must have taken many years, many stone masons and a great deal of skill.

A short distance from Lalibela we also visited Yemrehanna Christos, one of Ethiopia's best-preserved late Axumite churches... another experience that warrants its own separate article (which I'll link to from here once I've written it).

Biet Giorgis
Biet Giorgis Lalibela
Biet Medhane Alem
Biet Medhane Alem

Axum was the final stop on our Ethiopia heritage tour. We had a full day to explore Axum (and if we'd had had more time we'd have had a second full day here, as there was plenty more to see).

The Axum historical sites all date from a much earlier period (around 300AD) and the best known of them are the Axum Stelae Feild. This is an open site containing a number of enormous stone oblelisks some measuring as high as 25 metres, and weighing over 150 tonnes. The Stelae were carved from a single piece of granite at a quarry site 5 kilometres from Axum and it is unknown how they were transported to their current site. But there is a lot more to Axum than just the Stelae... churches, cathedrals, Queen of Shebas Baths, monasteries & tombs... we didn't see them all... but there'll be there for the next time.

The Stelae at Axum
The Stelae at Axum

With the Ethiopia 'holiday of discovery' at an end - I sat at a restaurant in Addis with our Far and Wild ground agent and immediately started to plan two further trips. One to Danakil region of in north eastern Ethiopia, and the other to visit the Bale Mountains and the remote Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia. I'll be back!!

Wondering when to visit? Take a look at our best time to visit Ethiopia.

Looking for some more inspiration? Take a look at our best safari holidays ideas, our favourite family safaris, our big five safari guide or our top African safari honeymoon suggestions.


(*Itineraries for both those trips will shortly be on our website - along with the specific dates - and anyone wishing to join me will be most welcome.)

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Shirley Newman

What can I say….my son and myself had the most wonderful time in Kenya thanks to the first-class itinerary that Ben and Louise put together for us. We spoke with Ben many times to ensure he ‘got it right’. This was our 2nd visit to Kenya, and it certainly lived up to our expectations and memories. We stayed in four locations, firstly at the wonderful El Karama Lodge, Laikipia Wildlife Conservancy, where we even had a visit from Ruth from Far and Wild! Then, for a return visit, to Saruni Samburu, which is absolutely stunning and still one of our favourite places in the world. Next came Basecamp Mara Camp, where we saw our first Cheetah, the only animal we didn’t see on our first visit. After that, onto the wonderful Leopards Hill in the Naiboisho Conservancy, what a way to spend the last four days of this trip. Here we finally spent many hours with a beautiful leopard. Throughout our time in Kenya, we saw many lions, giraffes, elephants, ostriches, hyenas, cheetahs, and leopards, to name just a few. Nothing was too much trouble for all the staff; we cannot have been looked after any better. Since our return again Ben phoned to see how it went in addition to emails. I would highly recommend Far and Wild; they are so knowledgeable and have personally visited the lodges and areas. We are already planning another visit, and we cannot wait.

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Elizabeth Spells

I have just returned from the most amazing trip to Tanzania, booked with Far & Wild. Everything went so smoothly from the first time I spoke with them. The planning was great, the itinerary was perfect for us, and the lodges were amazing. We spent 10 nights with an amazing guide, travelling through Northern Tanzania and even got to see the migration, which was a lifetime ambition of mine. This wasn't our first safari, so we were nervous as to how it would compare, but it was spot on. We're particularly grateful that she suggested a private 'bush lunch' in the Ngorongoro Crater as the public picnic spot was very busy! I will certainly be using them again to book our next trip....we're thinking of a relaxing beach stay next time to get over the excitement of safari!

17 Sept 2025
Orla Rhodes

Just back from another amazing F&W organised trip to Namibia with the family (8 adults). Having been there before, Alistair tailored our trip to include our favourite locations and added a new one for us, Okonjima Plains camp, which we loved.The quality of accommodation and guiding, activities, food and drinks was exceptional throughout. Although not inexpensive I felt it was good value for the level of luxury we had. Kwessi Dunes, Shipwreck lodge, Ongava, Okonjima with pit stops Windhoek (city tour recommended ), Swakopmund (Sandwich Harbour and Walvis Bay tour) and Grootberg lodge (best sundowner drive )

31 Jul 2024
Arnhild Schia

We had a wonderful trip to São Tomé and Príncipe - a small island nation in the Gulf of Guinea with paradise (almost empty) beaches and jungle forest. It was all well organised by Far and Wild and we stayed at Omali lodge at Sao Tome, then on Roca Sundy, and Sunday Praia at Principe - a great combination of different types of resorts/hotels. Omali is close to Sao Tome town with its colonial buildings, markets, hustle and bustle. Roca Sunday gives an old plantation experience and Sundy Praia a luxury beach experience. Very friendly (from time to time a bit slow) service, great fresh food, specifically if you like fish/seafood, vegetables and fruits (almost all sourced locally). Nice temperature between 23 and 30 degrees Celsius, nice swimming conditions. We really recommend this for those who want to experience a pristine destination with few other tourists and friendly and welcoming people. The islands also feel (and I believe are) very safe. At Principe, there are no dangerous animals, snakes or whatever, and it was great to be able to hike in the jungle without being very conscious of where to put your hands and feet. Go before everyone else does!

3 Jul 2024
Henri Papenfus

Back home again, basking in the joys of a superb safari. Every aspect you arranged for us, including linking up with Mack Air and Wild Horizons locally to transport us. The choice of camps, Camp Hwange in Zimbabwe and Muchenenje Safari Lodge in Botswana, was spot on and exactly what we had hoped for - ideally situated, comfortable, in good surroundings, and with excellent wildlife on the doorstep and throughout the wider country. The service staff in each looked after us very well, catering was excellent, and the game guides were professional, knowledgeable and helpful. The weather was, as usual for that part of the world, also good at the time of our visit. Blue skies and stunning sunsets. Warm but not too hot during the day, although quite cold at sunrise when viewing game. The viewing started. You made us happy, and we recommend you to similar safari enthusiasts with confidence.

28 Jun 2024
AC

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Tiny

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5 Jun 2024
Stodge

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5 Jun 2024
Fiona C

It was a dreamy holiday on the Kenyan Coast - Far and Wild, their efficiency and professionalism allowed us to relax and be the happiest family alive !! We cannot fault them, their care and understanding of what we wanted from a holiday ensured we had the most memorable trip. We will be booking with them again for sure!

5 Jun 2024