Tracing its history back to the Queen of Sheba, you can be sure any trip to Ethiopia will be loaded with mysticism. Far from the scenes of famine still often associated with this east African nation, Ethiopia is an ideal holiday destination. Besides a rich history, Ethiopia is rightly famous… Continue reading
By most accounts Ethiopia has 20 national parks. They can be roughly (and artificially) divided by the periods in which they were created. Some of the country’s most famous national parks date back to the 1960s. There was then an expansion of the national park system in the 1990s, and… Continue reading
One of the biggest stumbling blocks to people visiting Africa’s treasures are safety fears. This guide aims to answer the question is Ethiopia safe to visit. You should then feel confident that travelling to this east African nation isn’t foolhardy or stupid. What is Ethiopia like? If you’ve never visited… Continue reading
There are some things you can only learn by actually travelling. If travelling around the coast of Africa with a notebook for 13 months, through 31 countries and crossing 36 frontiers, taught me anything it was to never be mistaken for a journalist (or an Israeli). It is one of… Continue reading
At the very heart of the geographical establishment, London’s Geographical Society (now the Royal Geographical Society) laughed at the thought of snow in Africa. Rebmann’s sighting of the snows of Mount Kilimanjaro in 1849 was considered complete fantasy for the next decade. Bob Geldof ignored the existence of snow in… Continue reading
Long before Richard Burton married Elizabeth Taylor, he (or at least a namesake) was a Victorian explorer fluent in 29 languages. Being barely fluent in one makes me inordinately jealous of the man’s skills, as well as what he termed his “wanderings”. Burton’s wanderings took him through Asia, the Middle… Continue reading
My extended stay in Alexandria means I have time to mention food, something I have not done since west Africa. Perhaps that the month of Ramadan began the day of my arrival in the city (when eating is forbidden for Muslims in daylight hours) got me thinking of it. Food… Continue reading
I have no reason to visit Khartoum, Sudan’s capital. I could stick ever so slightly closer to the coast of what has become the Red Sea in my absence by visiting Kassala. The Sudanese authorities have a reason for me to visit Khartoum though. I must register since I’m an… Continue reading
Visas finally sorted until the Egypto-Libyan frontier, I catch a coach to Gonder. It takes 2-3 hours to wind up and over a mountain range, at close to walking pace to stop us plummeting below. The road leads on to Lake Tana (the source of the Blue Nile). Its then 4… Continue reading
Being back in Ethiopia is a joy after Djibouti. The mentality seems to change as soon as I crossed the border. Suddenly people were eager to help me on my way, even if it was only to the embassy down the road. There are smiles, politeness, and cool highland air…. Continue reading
