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Great country for adventurous travel

By: Cicely K. Leblanc

Ethiopia is a great travel destination for adventure travel. If you are prepared for bad roads, harsh conditions, and cold nights camping out, then get ready for having the time of your life visiting Ethiopia.

Unhappily, when many people think about Ethiopia, it maybe is because of yet another famine disaster that hit the region. They envision the images shown on television, of skinny children with big bellies and flies all over their faces. Sad, however this is not the only aspects of this country in the Horn of Africa.

It’s true that Ethiopia is not a rich country, and the threat of famine always lingers here, especially in the dry north and southeastern regions. Visitors will be confronted with poor people, dressed in worn clothes and asking for money if they are familiar with tourists.

Ethiopia has a lot of interesting places, and makes a incredible destination for adventure travel.

Flying in to Addis Ababa (the capital), get set for your first surprise: you can see noticeably how the capital of Ethiopia is situated on a highland plateau, surrounded by a landscape of canyons and mountains. At more than 2000 meters, the climate is thus not as hot as you would imagine it to be.

Addis Ababa is just another big African city, however as you move away from the city, you will be surrounded by great landscapes and views of the highlands.

Blue Nile Falls: Further north in these highlands lies the origin of the Nile, often searched for by Livingstone and other explorers. The stretch of Nile in Ethiopia is called Blue Nile, and along its way are the beautiful Blue Nile Falls and Lake Tana, an ideal place to relax on a campsite.

In Lake Tana, you will discover the 1st signs of the rich Coptic Christian heritage in Ethiopia. Churches with classic Ethiopian Coptic art and relics are hidden in the forests of the islands. And if you think these are interesting, move up north, to the true religious historic treasures of Ethiopia.

Visit the historic town of Aksum, with its stelae and the well known obelisks. You should also see the castle ruins in the old Royal city of Gondar. But especially wonder at the rock hewn churches of Lalibela.

Lalibela: The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lalibela features 11 monolithic churches, shaped from the rocks over five hundred years ago. The massive structures are only 2nd to the well known structures in Jordan's Petra. However Lalibela is still a holy site, and the priests, ceremonies and pilgrims here are as interesting as the churches themselves.

Ancient African Tribes: Southwest of Addis Ababa is the descent from the highlands into the Omo Valley. This isolated region is intricate to reach, partly the reason why some of the most ancient African tribes are still living their traditional lives here.

The town of Jinka is the heart from which to explore and visit the villages of the Bana, Dorse, Aari, Hamer, Mursi tribes. The primitive Mursi tribe are now familiar with tourists, for which they insert their famous lip plates. However the more you move away from the town, the more possibility of meeting individuals who may have never met white people before.

The remarkable Muslim city of Harar in the East, spotting rare wildlife species in the Simien Mountains of the North or one of the other National Parks, and the relaxing lakes in the Great Rift Valley in the South are other Ethiopian adventure travel highlights to enjoy. Therefore if you're looking for an "out of the ordinary" adventure vacation, travel to Ethiopia!