Major Attractions and tour Destinations in Ethiopia.

Heading to the north part of the country, Axum was the centre of civilization and the first to accept Christianity as a state religion in Sub-Saharan Africa and before most European countries. Axum has got 3,000 years of history. The oldest church in Africa south of the Sahara is St. Mary of Zion Church first built in the 4th century AD. This was later destroyed in the 9th century and its basement is seen near to another old church built in the 17th century by king Fassilades, which is still in use. Next to it is the small modern chaple that hosted the original Ark of the covenant, brought by Minilik I, the son of king Solomon and Queen of Sheba

Cultural Route

The Omo Valley is dominated mainly by many ethnic groups who speak Omotic languages as classified by linguists. The region and the people of this area are one of the least affected by the modern world. The life style of the people has hardly changed for centuries. People still live in simple make shift huts, dress animal skins and drink from calabashes. The area is a veritable paradise for photographers and naturalists.




The Rift Valley
Ethiopia is a country of endless culture and geographical diversity from the country’s natural attractions to its most colourful ceremonies. It is a country of endless natural beauty and wild life. The cornucopia of natural beauty that bless Ethiopia offers an astonishing variety of landscapes: Afro-Apian highlands soaring around 4,620 meters, deserts sprinkled with salt flats and yellow sulfurous lakes with rare and beautiful birds, are the splendours of the Great Rift Valley. White rivers, savannah grass lands teeming with game animals, giant waterfalls and dense jungles.




Trekking
The rugged mountains of Ethiopia are trekker’s paradise as they are spots of attractive and breath taking sceneries and host most of the endemic mammals and birds in the country.

Among many of them the most frequented one is the Simien Mountains National Park, which had been explored and adorned by many trekkers that flock there. Simien Mountains National Park is an area of highland country in north part of Ethiopia, encompassing much of the eastern part of the extensive administrative region of Gondar. The name Semien means “North” in Amharic, Ethiopian official language.

Birding
The birds of Ethiopia are so numerous, so colourful and so diverse that even the die-hard non birder will find it difficult, given time, not to become hooked. More than 830 species have been recorded, and although other African countries claim more species, Ethiopia boasts special distinction for possessing a high number of endemics. Of these 16 are found only in Ethiopia and 14 are semi-endemic, shared with Eritrea. Additional advantage of birding in Ethiopia is the ease of spotting many of the species (including at least 20 of the semi-endemics or endemics) and the possibility of birding on foot (due to the scarcity of dangerous animals).