Ethiopia Safari Tour

Ethiopia - Ethiopia is a country of northeastern Africa. Ethiopia's landscape is splendid, the people are welcoming, the sense of history is tangible and you won't have to worry about crowds of tourists! Ethiopia is just about the only country in Africa never to have been colonized, and its people have a proud tradition of fighting for their independence - their pride is justified. Much of the fascination of Ethiopia lies in its myriad historical sites, the obelisks and stele of Axum, the churches and coptic monasteries in the Tigre, the Lake Tana isles and the Lalibela (the African Jerusalem with its monolithic churches). In Ethiopia there are also nine national parks, two of which include the mountain groups of the Simien and the Bale, while the others lie in the Rift Valley towards Kenya. The unforeseeable wild landscapes are surely the main attraction of these parks, where many of the animal species are protected, and some of them are endemic to the area. The proximity of Ethiopia to the Equator and the variety of its habitats make it one of the richest countries in Africa in wild bird life.

History & Background: Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Sub Saharan Africa. The earliest evidence of Ethiopian history was in about 1000BC when the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon. Unique among African countries, the Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from the colonial rule throughout the twentieth century, with the exception of the Italian occupation of 1936 - 1941. In 1974 a pro-Soviet Marxist Leninist military junta , the Derg , deposed Emperor Haile Selassie , who had ruled since 1930, and established a one-party socialist state. The ensuing regime suffered several bloody coups; uprisings, wide-scale drought , and massive refugee problem. It was eventually defeated in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces under the name Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). In 1994 a constitution was adopted leading to Ethiopia's first multiparty elections in the following year.

Scheduled and Tailor-Made Safaris: Ethiopia is Africa's hotbed of culture and history. Below you will find numerous small group (maximum of 10 clients) safaris that Jenman African Safaris runs in and around Ethiopia. You can join one of our scheduled camping or lodge safaris or if you'd like, one of our experienced travel consultants can tailor–make a private safari to meet your departure date, time period, group size and budget. A popular way of traveling around Ethiopia is via 4x4 vehicle where we tailor-make your itinerary for you.

Best Time to travel: Ethiopia has two main seasons, the dry season which lasts from mid-September to the end of May, and the rainy season which goes from June to August, with an average temperature of 25° C. The best time to visit Ethiopia is from September to May.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ETHIOPIA IMAGE GALLERY 

• Area: 1,127,000 sq km²
• Capital: Addis Ababa
• Currency: Ethiopian Birr
• Climate: Ethiopia is mainly pleasant all year round, with temperatures in Addis Ababa averaging around 20°C (68°F) no matter what season it is. The rainy season is from mid-June to the end of August.
• People: Oromo (40%), Amhara and Tigrean (32%), Sidamo (9%), Shankella (6%), Somali (6%), Afar (4%), Gurage (2%)
• Official language: : Amharic, Tigrinya, Orominga, Guaraginga, Somali, Arabic, English
• Time: GMT plus three

• Bahar Dar
• Rift Valley Lakes
• Simien Mountains
• Addis Ababa