Ethiopia
Gelada baboons against a backdrop of dizzying cliffs, then the royal castles of Africa's "Camelot"
Ethiopia
A journey between the peaks of the UNESCO-listed Simien Mountains National Park, where gelada baboons graze at the edge of cliffs over a thousand metres high, and Gondar, the former imperial capital nicknamed "Africa's Camelot" for its 17th-century castles.
When
Oct to March
Price
From 3 900€ excl. flights
(based on 2 people sharing)
How long
6 nights
Ideal length
Days 1-2
The first chapter unfolds in Simien Mountains National Park, a spectacular massif where erosion has carved dizzying peaks and gorges, sometimes compared to Ethiopia's own Grand Canyon. A hike across the Chennek plateau allows a close approach, just metres away, to gelada baboons — an endemic species recognisable by the red, heart-shaped patch on their chest, living in troops of several hundred with no fear of humans.
Day 1
Hiking the Chennek plateau
A morning hike across the Chennek plateau, encountering troops of gelada baboons grazing confidently just metres from the trails, with the Simien cliffs as a backdrop.
Day 2
Imet Gogo viewpoint
A hike to the Imet Gogo viewpoint, a promontory offering a three-hundred-sixty-degree view over the Simien gorges, one of Ethiopia's most spectacular panoramas.
Days 1-2
A descent to Gondar, capital of the Ethiopian empire from the 17th to the 19th century, whose royal enclosure of Fasil Ghebbi gathers six stone castles blending Portuguese, Indian, and Arab influences — earning the city its nickname "Africa's Camelot." The visit ends at Fasilides' Bath, still used every year during the Timkat festival for a collective blessing of the water.
Day 1
The castles of Fasil Ghebbi
A visit to the royal enclosure of Fasil Ghebbi and its six stone castles, evidence of an empire that blended local, Portuguese, and Arab influences well before Europe colonised the continent.
Day 2
Fasilides' Bath and Debre Berhan Selassie Church
A visit to Fasilides' Bath, still filled with water, then to Debre Berhan Selassie Church, whose ceiling painted with a hundred and forty winged angel faces is considered one of the jewels of Ethiopian art.
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