Home to the Ark of the Covenant, the spectacular Simien Mountains, the mind-blowing cave churches of Lalibela, the impressive castles of Gondar, the source of the Blue Nile and the tumultuous Blue Nile falls, Ethiopia is a land of constant surprises.
Majestic scenery, diverse natural history, the richest historical heritage in sub-Saharan Africa, enough myth and legend to excite a puritan and an exuberant and welcoming people who are, to quote the celebrated travel writer Philip Briggs, 'quite gloriously bonkers', Ethiopia has it all.
In terms of the facts Ethiopia is situated in the Horn of Africa and has been landlocked since the independence of its northern neighbor Eritrea in 1993. Apart from Eritrea to the north, Ethiopia is bordered by Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Djibouti to the northeast, and Somalia to the east.
Group Tours and Tailor-Made Holidays in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia is one of the oldest nations in the world and Africa's second-most populous nation. It has yielded some of the oldest traces of humanity - such as the 3.5 million year old huminid, Lucy, discovered in the Danikil Depression in 1974 - making it an important area in the process of human evolution.
Another thing that marks Ethiopia out is that it was not colonized during the Scramble for Africa after defeating Italy at the Battle of Adwa in 1896; however, it was occupied by Mussolini's Italy from 1935 to 1941. Having converted during the fourth century AD, it is also the second-oldest country to become officially Christian, after Armenia. Since 1974, it has been a secular state and has also had a considerable Muslim community since the earliest days of Islam.
A trip to Ethiopia will educate as well as stimulate and leave you wanting more. That is guaranteed!
