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Janos
HU
Visited:
September 2019
Reviewed: Nov 16, 2019
Email Janos | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic place
I have travelled a lot, seen many countries, so it is not easy to surprize me. well, Ethiopia did it in the positive sense of the word. Knowledgeable, well edicated guide, fantastic scenery, huge variety of ethnics. Food was good, not outstanding, except their local one, the injera, that's tasty and interesting. From wildlife point of view you do not have the big fives, not big cats, but you have many indigenous species, ethiopian wolf, mountain nyala, gian ratmole, rock hyrax and it is a paradise for birdwatching. Accomodations are ok, you should not expect more in a country just opening for tourism. Often issues with electricity and internet, still fine accomodations.
.sl.
CA
Visited:
April 2019
Reviewed: May 17, 2019
Email .sl. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
You go to Ethiopia for people and culture. And what there's to see it's just amazing !
The quality of the guides in Ethiopia is really good. I did two tours with Magma Tours at Mekele at the Danakil Depression and Tigray mountains and they guides were really good. The same in Harar. The scenery at Danakil Depression is unique. There's landscapes you see in very rare places : salt desert, volcanoes, fumeroles, ...but you also go to Ethiopia for the people and the culture : the churches of Labibela craft in stone, the ones in Tigray at the top of mountains, the culture of Harar, the folk and jazz music, ....
Jorge
ES
Visited:
April 2019
Reviewed: Jan 13, 2020
Email Jorge | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unique safari in an unique country
Safaris in Ethiopia are different to what to might expect: that is why you will probably end positively surprised. Parks are wilder, less crowded, more genuine. Landscapes in Ethiopia are superb, difficult to fully capture by even the best of cameras. If you add this to an exciting congregation of animals which make you feel they are freer -and happier- than other safaris you've been to, you get an authentic safari. Perhaps not as confortable, or even as safe, as others. But you will never forget this one.
Phil Roberts
SA
Visited:
September 2019
Reviewed: Nov 20, 2019
Email Phil Roberts | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A country with incredible unique wildlife and birdlife that as a avid birder was simply amazing
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Other wildlife highlights included Beisa Oryx, Salt's Dik Dik and Golden Jackal in Awash Falls National Park.In general the accommodations were good and the food provided by them was also good and very plentiful. The staff in all locations were very friendly and could not have been more helpful. The costs of extras, where applicable, such as alcoholic drinks was also reasonable. Due to arriving in Addis Ababa in the early hours of the morning we stayed the first night there. The hotel was from an international chain, and the good thing we found was that all the hotels run a 24 hour shuttle service to and from the hotel. A couple of things we learned were to take care in checking accommodation prior to departure as some of the local hotels have problems with water etc. Also we found internet coverage was hit and miss. More importantly we found it was important to check and double check regarding allergies as one hotel in particular did not have a good process in place to address this issue.
Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our visit and would recommend Ethiopia as both a unique and fascinating destination with charming people. We hope to return to visit the places we missed on our first visit.
Shrinidhi
IN
Visited:
May 2019
Reviewed: Sep 27, 2019
Email Shrinidhi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Lalibela, Aksum, Harar - must see architectural and religious centers in Ethiopia
My trip was mostly to see religious and cultural places in Ethiopia. Lalibela Aksum & Harar are most recommended places to see the ancient architecture and kingdoms of Ethiopia. Range of professionally managed accommodations are available at all destinations. The locals are the best mannered and most places are safe to travel alone. Ethiopia is a unique place in Africa, so take the plunge...
Ninga´s
GB
Visited:
April 2019
Reviewed: Jun 14, 2019
Email Ninga´s | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing place but....
Ethiopia is full of amazing places, very unique landscapes and lovely people that in some places made your stay a wonderful experience. The highlights for us were the Simien Mountains where we did a eight days trek and we had the chance to see Gelada monkeys a couple of Waila Ibexes and many birds and the landscape was just beautiful. The Danakil Depression, the lowest place on earth (100mt below sea level), although it requires lots of driving at the end it worth all the journey because it is such a unique environment with lots of things to do from the right moment you arrive in the desert until you climb the top of a volcano, the heat sometimes can be challenging. After that we went to the Tigray area where you can hike and climb some of the amazing rock hills to visit a medioeval church, again a very unique experience. And the Abuna Josef
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mountain was the last trek in the country where we were lucky to see three Ethiopian wolfs many monkeys and an amazing view of the mountains around also we had the chance to spend a couple of days with a local family.At the end we did lot more and we visited many places but these were our favourites, it is a big country with too many people, interestingly diverse from north to south and with plenty of activities that can make the experience unforgettable but for us that we were backpacking sometimes moving from one place to another was difficult and challenging because the lack of official and reliable information especially for prices.
It is an amazing place that can be enjoyed easily with an organised tour operator but at higher cost but for backpacking style it can be a very challenging and expensive experience but it worth it.
Thanks
Stephane
CA
Visited:
April 2019
Reviewed: May 17, 2019
Email Stephane | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The scenery in Ethiopia is just amazing !
The quality of guides in Ethiopia is amazing. I had very good experiences with most of my tours. The scenery of the north is just amazing : Tigray region, Danakil Depression. At Danakil, you will see landscapes you only on rare locations : salt desert, volcanoes, fumaroles,...You also go to Ethiopia for the people and the culture : the churches of Tigray on the high plateaux, the ones at Lalibela carved in rock, the people of Harar, the folk music and the jazz...
Zach
US
Visited:
March 2019
Reviewed: Mar 28, 2019
Email Zach | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lake Ziway is a birder's paradise!
We stayed at a resort along the shore of Lake Ziway which was fitting of the name. They have nice, clean accommodations, a good restaurant on site, a nice pool, manicured grounds, spa, etc. They can arrange a very inexpensive (US$6 per
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person) boat ride out on the lake to view hippos and "bird island," which is a forested island that serves as a rookery for cormorants and African Darters. The boat ride was just over an hour in length and we had great views of hippos at a close, but safe, distance. With a field guide and several hours walking along the shoreline of the lake you can easily see 100-150 species of birds. The sheer number of birds can be overwhelming at times. There is a paved walking trail that runs parallel to the shoreline that is good for birding, but you'll also want to get off the path and walk out onto the mud flats to get closer to the water and away from people. Most of the roads in Ziway are dirt and it is safe to walk about and talk to the locals. We saw very few tourists during our two days in Ziway. I think maybe a total of 3 Europeans and that was it.All of the local restaurants and hotels serve Ethiopian food, which is delicious. Even during fasting seasons, which most Ethiopians observe, these restaurants have meat available for their guests. Several also have western food items, if you are so inclined. The Haile Resort has Grilled Nile Perch, which was delicious. We also visited a local fish market, which was little more than a lakeside fire ring and someone cooking fresh caught fish, which was really good and a fun experience. There are many Marabou Storks hanging out in this area, eager to eat your leftover fish bones, which you can toss to the birds.
ronys
Beautiful country, proud people, unique landscapes, amazing culture.
Highlights of the trip to Northern Ethiopia were the Danakil Depression, with amazing springs and salt lakes, and the active Erta Ale volcano.
These are among the most desolate places on the planet - no wildlife to speak of around these locations, although we did spot some wild ostriches and antelopes en-route. The terrain in these areas is very rugged, Jeep with a local driver were really needed.
Day treks to the Maryam Kurkor monastery and Abuna Yemata church were well worth the effort. On the way down from Abuna Yemata we spotted a group of monkeys in the distance - very impressive!
The cities we stayed at, Mekale, Adis Ababa and Axum, were less impressive, for me at least.
Maybe safari is not the main motive for an Ethiopian trip.
Ethiopia is a country with millennia-old culture. A highlight are the 11 monolithic churches in Lalibela. At the same time, it is still one of the most original countries in Africa. But the roads are excellent, the hotel business is good and overall it is a country where you can feel comfortable. Those who travel along the Rift Valley can observe many birds, there are also smaller national parks with antelopes, ostriches, hippos and crocodiles. In the west of the country there are large national parks with all the impressive animals of East Africa. A hike to the Geladas in the Simien Mountains (Simien National Park) is highly recommended. The weather in November 2018 was mostly dry, but often cloudy due to the end of the rainy season. The temperatures are very pleasant, as Ethiopia is partly very high. The local food consists of flat bread (baked from the teff = dwarf millet) and various sauces, mostly made from legumes. Occasionally there is also pasta, lasagne, beef or mutton.