Ethiopia Highlights

The Simien Mountains National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Africa's most dramatic landscapes — a high plateau dissected by deep gorges and dramatic escarpments, with peaks rising to 4,550m (Ras Dashen, the fourth-highest mountain in Africa). The park is home to three endemic species found nowhere else on earth: the gelada baboon (the world's only grass-eating primate), the Ethiopian wolf (Africa's most endangered carnivore), and the Walia ibex. The trekking routes through the park — from 3 to 10 days — are among the finest in Africa.

The Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia is one of the world's most extraordinary cultural destinations — a remote region where over 16 distinct tribal groups maintain traditional ways of life largely unchanged for centuries. The Mursi (known for the lip plates worn by women), the Hamar (famous for the bull-jumping initiation ceremony), the Karo (masters of body painting), and the Dassanech are among the most distinctive. The weekly tribal markets — particularly at Turmi and Key Afer — are extraordinary gatherings where different tribes come together to trade.