Ethiopia is a fascinating country steeped in history, mystery and legend.

The north offers all of the above while the south offers diverse cultures and fantastic wildlife conserved in National Parks with minimal human interference!

My journey to Ethiopia began on the 21st of August, we got to experience 7 days on the Historic Route which can comfortably be done in at least 10 days to absorb all the information and appreciate the phenomena of these historic creations.

Day 1

Arrival at Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa the capitol of Ethiopia.
You are met by your Dinknesh Tour Leader and assisted with your luggage to the tour vehicle.

This vehicle is a comfortable coach style overland bus which can seat up to 27 passengers and offers excellent window space for photographic opportunities while traveling.

The drive through Addis Ababa to your accommodation is not long and soon you have checked into your room at the Queen of Sheba Hotel. There are many hotels in Addis Ababa of different standards. The Queen of Sheba is a 4 star hotel offering free internet to its clients, clean and friendly service, dinner restaurant and 2 bar areas. There is also plenty of comfortable lounging space so a good start to the tour was had by all.

Note: Changing money into Birr at hotels is more expensive than in a local bank. Try to change minimal cash and wait till you go into town to change more –

Day 2

An early start for the 07h30 flight to BARHIR DAR, 50 minutes flight north of Addis Ababa.

As this was an early start, the breakfast area had not yet opened so we left in the hope of finding a good coffee at the airport. To our delight we not only found excellent coffee but a smoker passed us with cigarette in hand which sparked much excitement, literally, as the majority of our 8 man group lit up – Coffee in one hand, ciggie in other!

After our final check and the boarding call we were bussed in one of those state of the art airport coaches wide enough to be a football field, almost, and fought our way to window seats in the smaller Ethiopian Airlines Domestic Plane. These were used through out our journey to the far north.

We left a rather miserable and grey city flying low enough to get a wonderful idea of the landscapes. Watching the city slip past turning into lush green farm lands and pastures was amazing and then we spotted a huge river snaking its way from afar through the farm lands. This was the first sighting of the Blue Nile and soon we were flying over its Source, LAKE TANA, before landing in what seemed like the middle of nowhere.

Dinknesh were on time waiting to greet us with strong, hot Ethiopian Coffee and fresh oranges. There is an abundance of oranges we soon discovered…

After a few cigarettes were smoked and the general excitement of being in this remote village combined with the rush of a strong cup of coffee sans milk, we finally embarked on our drive into Barhir Dar City.

First of all Ethiopians drive on the right side of the road, like Europe, so after much hooting at stray donkey’s, cows, sheep and children we arrived in a colorful town with our first stop… The Dashen Bank.

In this extremely primitive and insecure bank where wads and wads of cash was counted on a table right next to me, we seemed to safely, quickly and very efficiently change our Dollars into Birr at a very decent rate. Again, much better than at the hotel and they did not turn my older notes away.

I was impressed at the simplicity and blatant honesty of the locals and quietly thought to myself that if only our own South African Nation could be a bit more like this. I felt safe, safer than I do at home and I was standing in a tiny African Village in what the media makes out to be a dangerous country. Really makes you think…

Some of the kids tried to sell us a strange assortment of things from chewing gums to lemons and thick bamboo looking sticks which I learnt helped to clean teeth. The kids were far more interested to know where we were from and after a little while we were back on the road heading towards the Blue Nile Falls, something I had not quite anticipated and was very pleasantly surprised.

On arriving at the muddy path to the Blue Nile Falls I realized that a pair of crocs might not make it but ventured forth with the group and a group of young locals trying to offer us a helping hand or stick while offering their wares at the same time.

I noticed none of them wore shoes and nimbly sloshed through the mud with ease. My crocs were not allowing me to move quite as swiftly and were soon off leaving me bare foot and muddy like the locals. “When in Rome…”

The sun blared down on us and we walked for what seemed like quite a while before reaching the river and a little motor boat which transported us over the river to the opposite bank. This was not before the group took it upon themselves to photograph me in my muddy state!

On the other side of the river we continued to walk through the mud but surrounding us was this wonderful green and lush landscape with pyramid shaped mountains and exotic vegetation.

This part of the Nile is called the Blue Nile because its waters flow down from the Blue Mountain Region of Sudan.

We finally reached our destination and no words can described how I felt when I saw the Blue Nile Falls. I had not been expecting this magnificent sight and felt very honored to witness the Falls in their glory. Each view point got better and better until we had a full frontal view of the entire works. Half of the Falls were not flowing and this is due to the water being dammed further up for electric turbines.

In awe we trudged back in the mud and finally arrived at our hotel to check in.
The Summerlands Hotel in Barhir Dar was extremely comfortable and the first hotel with mosquito nets. This is the wet season and I must admit, I had not been to bothered with mosquitoes yet.

After check in we visited a ‘shopping’ market. Very colorful experience and great bartering opportunities!

We loved the wooden scaffolding which we discovered more of on our journey to each city as they are all growing at a rapid pace, or so it seems.

The men use their feet to weave the most beautiful blankets and scarves while the women use sewing machines like the one below to sew intricate designs on scarves.

Dinner was hosted by the stunning Lake Tana Hotel which we combined with a site inspection. Westernized food on the menu is simple and enjoyable but traditional food is phenomenal. We were all looking forward to our first traditional evening!

After a good roast lamb dinner and a desert of un-peeled orange with side spoon we headed back for the Summerlands Hotel and bed!

A funny note: At lunch time today we asked the hotel for toasted chicken sandwiches. Half of us ordered ours on brown and half on white bread.

The sandwiches arrived and the brown bread was in deed brown because it had been toasted a little longer than the ‘white’ bread! There are no health breads including loaves of plain brown bread but it may be worth while telling the waitron whether you like your toastie ‘brown’ or ‘white’.

Day 3

We woke feeling refreshed after quite an energetic day in the sun yesterday.

A wholesome breakfast consisting of either scrambled egg, fried egg or plain omelet with lots of toast was warmly received. Of course the wonderful strong coffee was top priority but for those who like a little milk you do need to order this too as coffee is not served with milk usually. I learnt the word for milk quickly too and found myself ordering Wattat with my coffee each morning.

We checked out of our Barhir Dar Hotel and went back to Lake Tana Hotel for the final excursion before departing.

On arriving at the hotel we boarded a little paddle cruiser and sailed off on Lake Tana towards the dotted islands which house hidden monasteries dating as far back as the 16th Century.

The morning was fresh but not cold and the motion of the boat put us all into a peaceful thoughtfulness as we all gazed out at the jungle like vegetation surrounding us. A passing man in his papyrus boat out early to catch something or get somewhere, amazing to see this old boat in action!

After about 45 minutes we docked at what seemed to be more like a peninsular or ponta. Everyone got off the boat and again many young boys and girls offered helping hands and asked the usual, “Where are you from?” and “What is your name?” We loved that the answer to South Africa was ALWAYS “Bafana Bafana” and “Nelson Mandela”!

The vegetation surrounding us was made up of coffee bean vines and tall shady trees, I felt like I was in the Amazon, not Ethiopia!

About 2 minutes later we entered through a little arch and laid eyes on our first piece of History, a Monastery named AZWA MARIAM after Mary, Mother of Jesus. This round Monastery was built in the 16th Century in the repeated fashion which consisted of 3 rooms depicting The Trinity, The chanting room, prayer room and room for the Holy of Holies being the Priests and Deacons.

A young Deacon explained about his church and the colorful paintings all over the walls which depicted the story of Jesus and the most important parts of his life.

There was also a picture of St George, a famous Saint always depicted by his act of slaying the dragon.
After a very educational discussion, we headed out and visited a tiny museum hosting ancient artifacts which included a beautiful old Manuscript about 1500 years old amongst other interesting things.

The next adventure took us on the road this time to a town called GONDAR. The 4 hour drive was extremely scenic and enjoyable. It adds a nice touch to spend some time passing through the villages and getting an idea of normal every day life.

I noticed that each tiny and ever more remote village we passed would contain often more than one Foosball Table which I thought was excellent but most bazaar to find these tables out here. There is big support for Football as a whole in Ethiopia.

We stopped half way under a gigantic rock which is named Amora after the Italians tried to colonize the country in the mid 1930’s. This rock was quite a sight and it added a beautiful touch to have lunch in this quite startling area.

After a further 2 hours and a very well organized change of vehicles, due to a collapsed bridge, we arrived in quite a thriving little town called Gondar. In the 16th Century Gondar was the capitol of Ethiopia but this changed in the 1800’s as many battles between different religions and emperors resulted in most of the Churches and Castles being completely destroyed.

Our first visit in the town was to King Fasilides Castle which wasa marvelous sight of huge castles and some of the ruins left behind after the many years of battles. The King’s Castle was still in perfect tact some 900 odd years later.

We were taken on a grand tour with a very well spoken and knowledgeable guide. The land contained castles for the King’s sons and his wife. There were steam rooms, lion’s dens and banqueting halls with special stables for the guests horses. What a way of life in those days!

After the tour of his Castle Grounds we visited a near by church situated in a garden with the original trees from all those years ago. Huge old Olive, Eucalyptus and Cedar Wood Trees shade the church which housed the 3 rooms of Trinity and many beautiful, brightly colored paintings of Mary, Jesus and good old Saint George with his dragon.

We left the church to check in at the Gohar Hotel which was high up on a cliff top overlooking the city of Gondar. I was very impressed with the setting and took some lovely landscape photographs.

This evening we were told to be ready by 7pm for dinner which was to be a surprise! We all got freshened up and prepared for an interesting evening ahead…

Once again, the same style of room. It was here I battled with mosquitoes in the night but otherwise they did not bother me at all!

Our Dinknesh Dinner was hosted by Mulugeta himself (the Owner of the tour company, Dinknesh) and it was a great evening!

We tasted all sorts of new and different kinds of foods as well as the special bread make from a grass called Teff. This bread looks like a thick pancake which you tear with your hands and use to handle your food. No need for knives and forks tonight!

We were also introduced to the Royal Honey Wine which was a real treat. In the early days of Fasilides and the like, only royals were fortunate enough to drink honey wine which was distilled in their castles.

Once we had eaten a 2nd round of the traditional food we experienced some local music, singing and dancing. The Ethiopians have a traditional shoulder dance which we all tried to master.

To end off the night we were treated to The Coffee Ceremony which is an extremely important social part of every day life. The lady will sit from the beginning of the mean roasting the green beans on some coals. She then brings the pan over to the guests to let the aroma of these flavorsome roasted beans sink in. These beans are then crushed and grinded by hand before they are poured into a ceramic jug placed on open coals. Together with water the coffee boils and is poured into tiny coffee cups which are the pride of any good ladies coffee ceremony set. Everyone was in awe of this process and loved the fresh coffee which was served before we left.

Day 4

After battling with a couple of mosquitoes during the night and waking to the sounds of hundreds of people chanting in the distance we enjoyed another breakfast of scrambled egg, fried egg or omelet and coffee before setting off on the road again.

We bid our farewell to Gondar with one last stop at King Fasilides Baths which are a little way away from his castle! This massive building surrounded by water must have been the height of royalty in those days. To think that one could simply decide to go and spend the day at their very own castle in a pool the size of a small lake is sheer decadence…

The drive to Gondar Airport was not long but filled with an abundance of children, cows, donkeys wondering aloofly around and sheep following each other in their herds. As it was a Sunday, the chanting we had heard was the beginning of the Holy Day and every church in Gondar was filled with Deacon’s, Priests and followers chanting in a sort of holy unison. I must admit, I did at first think it was the mosque but the sound was different and interesting to note that such an event takes place every Sunday from 12am to 6am.

Once again we boarded our domestic flight, this time for a town with even more history dating back to the 12th Century! LALIBELA is a 100% Christian Orthodox village where the more children you have, the wealthier you are. I suppose this is much like most of the African countries…

We landed in another tiny airport surrounded by rolling green hills and mountains with flat plateau’s reminding me of Table Mountain.

Our new driver was there to meet us and off we went to check our luggage in first before venturing out to explore the most amazing sites from a time long, long ago…

The ROHAR Hotel, again part of the Ghion Group, was built in the same style as the other hotels we had visited. By this stage I was running out of memory and not as trigger happy anymore.

All of the hotels had internet facilities in some form or other but we discovered that there was no internet at all on a Sunday.

We were very fortunate that today was a Sunday because we were able to meet the priests and see their unique crosses made of brass, silver and even gold!

The first of the 11 churches we visited today was called a Monolithic Church because of the way it was built down into the ground with supporting pillars on the outside and on the inside. To actually witness this site will be a moment I will treasure forever. There is no evidence or fact as to exactly how these churches were built but as the legend goes, they were built for King Lalibela who ruled in the 12th Century and the only means of construction in those days were hammer and chisel.

These HUGE stone structures were chiseled into the red volcanic earth in one King’s lifetime. This alone is a fascinating thought due to the enormity and monstrosity of each church!

We visited the 1st Group of Churches before lunch and after lunch came back to visit the 2nd Group of Churches. It is here we finally saw the famous St. George Church which was King Lalibela’s pride and joy. The most perfect out of all his churches which he honored to his friend the Crusader, Saint George.

This Church is built deep down into the ground in the form of a square cross. There are no supporting pillars inside this church.

We met the priest who allowed us to photograph him with his Lalibela Cross made out of a combination of silver, brass and gold. A most beautiful cross! The priest wore sunglasses so that we could use our flashes, very thoughtful.

All these churches are connected by under ground tunnels and hidden passageways. It is an amazing network in the form of architectural art and I loved every minute of our visit to these historic creations.

By the end of the day, we had heard so many names that the only church I clearly remember is the St George purely because it is the most famous one. I do recommend that extra time is spent here, ideally 3 days so that you can absorb the first 2 groups of churches in 2 days and on the 3rd day you can enjoy a hike to the Cave Like 3rd Group of Churches which we did not have time to do.

After a long but very educational day we all relaxed at the Rohar Hotel. Some of us did a little market shopping and a good tip is to buy what you can when you find something you like. The markets out here are cheaper and the negotiating is a little easier.

Addis Ababa is also a good place to go shopping –

We had dinner at the Hotel and went to bed fairly early.

Day 5

Waking on a Monday morning and enjoying another egg breakfast we all prepared for our last historic town for this journey – AXUM.

Axum dates back to BC and is famous for the gigantic pillars which stand erected in the village center.

We took another domestic flight in the morning and flew over what looked like the Simien Mountains. I learnt that they were part of these mountains but not the full range.

After an early check in at the YEHA Hotel we headed out to see the first church which is the newest out of all of them having been built in the 1960’s for Hilieis Sallasis.

This was a very large round building with stained glass roof and again inside there were more pictures and another ancient manuscript from 1500 years ago in perfect condition.

We visited an interesting museum that could do with a little more attention because the artifacts housed here are old emperor’s gowns sown with gold thread and real crowns worn 100’s of years ago.

In front of this little museum was the church in which the Ark of the Covenant is supposedly kept guarded by one very trusted and noble man. Only men are allowed to enter this church and no one is allowed anywhere near the room that housed the Ark.

Our next visit was to the huge pillars erected in different stages of the past. The first one to have been erected has collapsed, no one knows how or when this happened but it was erected in the 1st Century BC and weighs 550 tons. In its day it stood about 27 meters high. The legend says that in this time there was elephant in the area and these elephants along with 1000’s of workers were used to erect the gigantic pillars.

While we were there, a pillar was being re-erected after having recently been returned from Italy who had taken it to Rome in the 1930’s!

After visiting another museum with stone tablets also dating back to the 1st Century as well as pottery pieces and clay statues in the form of cat’s heads which indicated a day and age when animals were very important.

Our last stop was Queen of Sheba’s Bath and her ruined Palace where she lived after giving birth to Menelik, Son to King Solomon.

This last stop marked the end of our Historic Route and we headed back to the hotel to reminisce and have some dinner.

Day 6

We had our last egg breakfast and returned to the airport for the hour long flight direct to Addis Ababa.

In the big city again, we visited the museum which contains the bones of Lucy. Although the original bones are being studied in Housten, USA, there was a replica along with some more skeletons and a lot of information on these tiny human creatures. It was very interesting to think that this forms part of evolution in a scientific world but the bones were found in such a religious country. Bit of a contradiction –

We were treated to some shopping time before our last dinner which turned out to be a very enjoyable evening of singing and dancing as well as traditional cuisine.

A wonderful way to end off our 7 day journey into the mysterious history of Ethiopia!