Things to do in the Simien Mountains
One of the best natural attractions in Ethiopia and maybe some of the best trekking in the world is in the Simien Mountains. When visiting Ethiopia it should definitely be on your hit list.
Time to Do the Simien Mountains: The Simien Mountains can be done on a day trip from Gondar but to appreciate the scenery a 3 day trip is definitely recommended. Of course if you have the time then the longer the better. As you are probably coming from Addis Ababa there is a significant journey time to get there but plenty of sights on the way. Check out my Addis Ababa to Gondar post
Things to do in the Simien Mountains
The Simien Mountains are one of the main tourist attractions and sights in Ethiopia and this UNESCO Heritage Site will not disappoint with sheer cliffs, super scenery and animals and plants found nowhere else in the world except in this park.
The Simien Mountains park starts off very slowly with nice scenery, short grass, a few trees but nothing to blow you away. The park is on a plateau so although it doesn’t feel like it you will be above 2500mtrs all the time. An average level of fitness is required as there is no major hiking required unless you want to but the days do require over 7hrs of walking.
There are several campsites where each night your cook, mule porter will set up the tents before you arrive as although you will walk the scenic route there is a road that can be driven to all these campsites. The nearest is Sankabar then Geech then Chenek campsite. On your first day you will come across troop of Gelada baboons (indigenous) with their bleeding heart, long rocker hair and unbelievable climbing skills. You will notice some strange trees that are actually plants like the Giant Heath or Giant St. Johns Wort that are small garden plants in Europe but as big as trees in the Simien Mountiains.
The second day the scenery turns from nice to spectacular with huge cliffs the norm and hopefully a few walia ibex (indigenous), the large thick billed ravens (indigenous), bushbucks (type of deer) and klipspringers (type of deer). As you pass some of the villages you may get invited in for coffee in a local one room mud house where the lady of the house roast the coffee beans and serves you coffee in an old bean can. It is still very nice though. These are not cafe’s but they will do it on request from your guide for a small donation. It is very humbling to see how a 5 person family with chickens and goats etc all live together.
The third day the scenery goes from spectacular to whatever the next superlative is with even bigger cliffs and longer views with the rocker monkeys racing down seemingly vertical cliffs. You will be lucky to spot the Simien/Ethiopian wolf (indigenous) which actually looks more like a fox and around the same size. The lammergeyer (indigenous) is a huge vulture that stands over 1mtr (3ft) in height that you may see from a great distance from the ground below.
I was on the trek for 4days and I managed to spot all of these amazing animals (gelada baboon, walia ibex, raven and Simien wolf) that can be found nowhere else on the planet and all up close. Hopefully you will be as lucky.
Things to do in the Simien Mountains – Need to Know
If you want an organised tour and are not going to organise it yourself in Debark, then make sure to shop around in Gondar. Going in a group makes it cheaper for everyone. We found a big differences in prices between tour agencies. When I did it there were 4 of us (2 other random people we met in the hotel the day before as most tourists in Gondar are trekking the Simien Mountains) and we met 2 others on a separate tour when in the park. They had paid nearly double the price that we paid for the exact same trip they organised in the town on the same day we did. Same route, same accommodation and same food.
It is possible to organise it all yourself in Debark by getting a bus from Gondar. A local guide is compulsory so make sure to organise this first in the Park Office so that you won’t get hassle from others. The guides operate in a queue system so you will be just given the next in the queue. If his English isn’t great you can change him. The guide will then get a cook and mule to carry the tents etc. Food should be bought in Gondar as there is much more of a selection. The guide and porter will also expect to be fed by you. The only way into the park is to hire a 4 x 4 or walk. Tourists are prohibited from using the trucks and there are no buses. It is approximately a 5day trek from Debark- Sankabar Camp to Geech Camp to Chenek Camp and back to Debark via Sankabar. Ras Dashen return takes about 9days.
Practicalities – About Ethiopia
€1 = 24Birr, $1 = 18.5Birr
Language = Amharic. English is widely spoken in tourist areas.
Flights – Can fly with Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Ethiopian Air, Emirates from outside the African continent
Internal flights are common and frequent with Ethiopian Airlines (http://www.ethiopianairlines.com) and are a reasonable price. Addis Ababa is the hub but journeys only cost approximately 2000Birr one way at a weeks notice. For example at one weeks notice it is possible to get Axum return for 3600Birr. This is a great way to get around if stuck for time. Ethiopian Airlines has an office in all the major cities.
Accommodation – 380Birr per night for a reasonable double room (Addis Ababa)
Population – 84.7million
Visas – You can recieve a visa on arrival for $20 and 2 x passport photos when you arrive if you are from the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea Republic, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States. If you are not then you need to apply in advance. Please check before going as the situation changes on http://www.ethiopianembassy.org/ConsularServices/ConsularService.php?Page=VisaRequirement.htm#1
Map of Ethiopia
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 |  National Museum of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Oromia, Ethiopia |
| Abune Petros Memorial, Addis Ababa, Oromia, Ethiopia |
| Ghion Hotel (Addis Ababa), Addis Ababa, Oromia, Ethiopia |
| Tekle Haimanot, Addis Ababa, Oromia, Ethiopia |
| Tekle Haimanot, Addis Ababa, Oromia, Ethiopia |
| Bahir Dar, Amhara, Ethiopia |
| Gondar, Amhara, Ethiopia |
| Debark, Amhara, Ethiopia |
| Sankabar, Amhara, Ethiopia |
| Geech, North Gondar, Amhara, Ethiopia |
| Chenek, North Gondar, Amhara, Ethiopia |
| Mekele, Tigray, Ethiopia |
| Dallol, Afar Zone 2, Afar, Ethiopia |
| Erta Ale, Afar Zone 2, Afar, Ethiopia |
| Axum, Tigray, Ethiopia |
| Lalibela, Amhara, Ethiopia |
My Route in Ethiopia
Nice post and I enjoyed Ethiopia too! The hyena feeding at Harar was awesome. Safe travels, Jonny
Hi there! I am actually planning a flight route across Africa. I want the route to stop via Danikal Depression and Erta Ale.
Could you possible tell me how long it too to drive from Berhale to Hamedela?? would there be a place to hire vehicles from Mekeke?
Would there be any where to land small aircraft at either Behrale or Hamedela? Or will we need to land and begin at Mekeke do you think?
Rebecca,
To drive from Mekele to Hamed Ela takes about 6 hours. I am fairly sure you wouldn’t be able to hire your own jeep but you could hire a guide that will take you to Hamed Ela. I am unfamiliar with the type of ground that you would require to land an aircraft. Is sand with some stones okay? How hard does the sand need to be. Around Erta Ale there are a lot of very spikey rocks from the volcano so landing a plane is not advisable.
A word of caution on flying into the Danakil Depression. This location is officially the hottest place in the world (on average). Even at night is around 35deg. The roads are dirt tracks and from Hamed Ela onwards there are no roads. Guides must bring two jeeps at all times in case one breaks down. If your plane gets stuck in the sand (it is a desert) or something breaks then you really could be up sh!t creek. Just make sure that you take this into consideration before heading out there on your own.
Best of luck,
Ross