Ethiopia

Ethiopia was never colonised, and its culture has developed along its own path for millennia. The country follows its own calendar, writes in the Ge’ez-derived script and is one of the oldest Christian nations in the world. Its highlands, often called the “Roof of Africa”, are cool, green and spectacular.

The Historic Route in the north links the stelae of Axum, the castles of Gondar, the island monasteries of Lake Tana and the extraordinary rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, still in daily use by pilgrims. Between them, the Simien Mountains offer trekking along vast escarpments where troops of gelada graze.

In the south, the Bale Mountains protect the world’s largest population of the rare Ethiopian wolf, and the Omo Valley is home to diverse pastoralist communities. For the adventurous, the Danakil Depression — one of the hottest places on Earth — has otherworldly salt flats, sulphur springs and an active lava lake.

October to March is the dry season and the best time for travel, with green landscapes after the rains. Festivals such as Meskel (late September) and Timkat (January) are spectacular. The main rains fall from June to September, when some trekking routes are harder.

Ethiopian Airlines flies to Addis Ababa from across the world, and its domestic network connects Addis with Lalibela, Gondar, Axum, Bahir Dar, Mekele, Jinka and Robe, making the Historic Route easy to explore by air.