And now for something new
DESPITE being home to nine
Unesco World Heritage Sites
– including the renowned
stone churches of Lalibela that are
referred to as the eighth wonder of
the world, Ethiopia is yet to attract
a significant share of the South
African market.
Gordon Triegaardt, owner of
Traveltroll Africa, puts this down
to a lack of knowledge about the
destination and negativity in the
press. South Africans tend to
be wary of travelling to relatively
unknown countries in Africa, like
Ethiopia.
Abel Alemu, Ethiopian Airlines
regional manager Southern Africa,
expounds on the country’s cultural
and historic offering – the people
of Ethiopia speak more than 80
different languages; it is believed
to be the first Christian nation
in the region, while the peaceful
co-existence of the Christian,
Muslim and Jewish religions is
testament to the tolerance of the
people.
The country is still largely
untapped as a tourism destination
but Gordon points out that the
growth of Ethiopian Airlines has
piqued interest. Trish Clayton,
divisional operations manager of
Tourvest Travel Services, also says
that, while the country is relatively
uncharted in terms of tourism,
the destination is on the rise. It
shouldn’t come as a surprise then
that Lonely Planet listed Ethiopia as
one of its top 10 travel destinations
last year.
The time to start selling Ethiopia
is now. Trish advises travellers to
make their way to Ethiopia soon,
arguing that the destination’s appeal
is that it’s undiscovered and that
when the country establishes itself
as a tourist destination, its offering
will be different. “I really enjoyed
Ethiopia as it is still a virgin country
to visit and you really feel the
culture and traditions of the people,
who are very warm and friendly,”
she says. Ethiopia was voted the
most welcoming country by readers
of Rough Guides.
When it comes
to Africa’s cultural
offering, Gordon
says there are three
countries that stand
out: Morocco, Egypt
and Ethiopia. He
says clients who
are interested in
Egypt and Morocco
and are interested
in history are
prospective clients
for Ethiopia. “It has
a history that is as
old as Egypt and
people don’t realise
this,” he says.
For first timers, he
suggests a circuit of the historic
northern parts, starting in Addis
Ababa and visiting Lalibela, Axum
and Gondar. He adds that Ethiopia
is not an expensive destination,
especially when compared with
similar alternatives.
Lance Zackey of Rove Africa
suggests no fewer
than seven nights
for travellers wanting
to see the country’s
historic sites, with
an additional two
to three nights
for travellers also
wanting to visit the
Simien Mountains,
where the country’s
endemic wildlife –
including the Walya
ibex, Gelada baboon
and Ethiopian wolf –
can be found.
The Ethiopian
Travel Organisation
says that while
the country can
be visited all year round, visitors
may want to avoid the rainy season
between June and August, with
September to early October being
the optimal time to visit. Travellers
may also want to time their trips to
coincide with the religious festivals
of Timkat or Meskel.
Three must-see historic sites
1. Lalibela
The 11 medieval churches found
in Lalibela were hewn by hand
from rock in the 12th and 13th
centuries. The monolithic buildings
have been carved from a sloping
mass of red volcanic rock and
are interconnected by a network
of tunnels and passages, some
of which open into caves and
catacombs.
The labyrinth of churches is
the world’s largest rock-hewn
excavation and is referred to
as the Jerusalem of Africa. It is
believed that the king of Lalibela
built the churches as a symbol of
the Holy Land, when pilgrimages to
Jerusalem were stopped by Muslim
conquests. The churches are still
the focus of pilgrimage for Coptic
Christians today and the stone
churches have remained in active
use since their excavation nearly a
thousand years ago.
“Each of the rock churches is
carved out and crafted beautifully
from a single volcanic rock,” says
Lance, adding that the site of the
rock-hewn churches of Lalibela will
take travellers back to the 11th
century.
Did you know?
Ethiopia has rolled out online visas. The e-visa is processed and issued online. Once the
application is approved, applicants receive an email authorising them to travel to Ethiopia,
where their passport is stamped on arrival.
Ethiopian Holidays offers 10% commission to Iata agents for packages booked through the
operator and 7% commission to non-Iata agents.
Ethiopian Airlines operates a thrice-daily service between Johannesburg and Addis Ababa
