After so much time i went on vacation and it was epic. A true rush on northern part of Ethiopia so we called it Ethiopia: Fury Road.
I just want to share some photos, i don't post on photo album because photos are bad amd it's mostly descriptive. Just don't ask me the name of places because i'm so bad at that.
We were 3 friends and aimed to visit Simiens Mountains with a peak and Danakil in 2 weeks and we made it, with some juicy extras. Other tourists (mot so many) took more days.
A note: Ethipian food is epic. So spicy and nealy always hot (and quite intense often). I want to learn some of that stuff.
Day1, 10th november: start flight at afternoon from Milan. Nothing interesting (except the wonderful pizza i had at Verona train station while going to Milan, really unexpexted).
Day2, 11th: So we arrived in Addis Ababa at night/early morning. We had the awful idea to take a van to bring us to the hotel instead a regular taxi. They didn't know where to go and even with gps it was a problem (guess they were trying to scam us). They wanted the money that we agreed for each of us but we didn't gave to them we just went to the hotel. That didn't care for our booking... A good start! They had places but make us pay more than agreed and they didn't care of our complaints. At least it was a good place (except i never managed to get hot water xD).
We slept a bit then took a tour to the city. We were approached by a guy that guided us and was an excellent thing casue he was a good guy. We gave him a tip that we learnt to have been huge... We bought ticket for Gondar, eaten some local stuff (that's so good),had beer, visited mausoleum of Menelik in Addis with a true Michelangelo paint!
Last is our dinner and the first big mistake. Kitfo. Waiter told us that it was cooked, we asked like 8 times. It was not. We were scared because we eaten some of that. Well, i just ate all! It was so good! I costed me some problems for 1 day but was well worth it!
Day 3, 12th
Eaaaarly start, to Gondar by bus! Like 600km in 14 hours. Bus departed at 4:45 am.
Seen a lot of scenery, eaten local again ad Debre Markos.
Driver for first 7 hours was the god of autobus drivers, he went to over 140kmph, turn at 110. slalom between humans, animals, cars. With heavy usage of clacson. Really furious.
Arrived at Gondar stayed not in the cleanest place but the guest was awesome.
Day4, 13th
Visting Gondar, we asked to our guest for a guide and he brought us a cool guy.
Seen trinity church and other stuff, but the big one was indeed the castle. A medieval european one like and was grandiose, with 6 buildings in the suburb.
Dinner in maybe the best restaurant we had seen, maybe not so tipycal but with a great sight.
The river is the Nile!
Day 5, 14th
We met with the guide for our 3 days trek to Simien mountains, they took us form the guesthouse to Debark, got permission and the armed guard (mandatory) and we traveled by car to Sankaber Camp then started walking.
We have seen Jimbar Falls and lots of majestic scenery some geladas, thick billed crows. and a small wild goat like called springer.
Also lots of lammergeier, at some points 10 at once. That are majestic birds indeed!
We arrived at Gich Camp (about 3600m high) then we took a small trek to a near peek.
That was probably the best part of all the vacatione, with sun setting, we saw a lot of gelada moving, maybe the coolest thing i've seen on my life!
There was an huge group of hundreds and another big one (could be lead from an usurper monkey or a different group). Gelada are the coolest monkeys. Similar to baboons but not baboon and cuter.
Then we returned to camp and eaten. The cook was good, soup was exceptional, food in general was good.
We had a big entourage: guide, guard always with us. Then other guys prepared tent and camp for us (driver, cook, aid cook, 2 guys with donkeys, maybe some more). Well, we gave work to some guys indeed!
Day 6, 15th
Longest trek stage, good breakfast, went to Imet Gogo (3926) a panoramic point but with clouds! Still really cool. Then went down and up again to Enati, over 4000!
Arrived at Chennek camp (3600m), seen lots of geladas, 2 walia ibex (like steinboks), many crows. Small gelada were a bit agressive and hissed, but big ones were zen calm.
Again good dinner and slept in tent!
Day 7, 16th
Day of the peak. Climbed to Ras Bwahit, 4430!
Yeah... Snow! I guess that was a true privilege to see snow in Africa! Unforgettable!
Peak shot, AK courtesy of the guard!
Returned to Debark, went to a place quite dirty, seemed much worse that tents of trekking... In the end it wasn't so bad and rice was awesome.
Small note about the guard: he was the biggest badass i've ever met. He walked without effort during the day and he was like 50 years old (50 yo in Ethiopia, not in US or EU) with his AK in hand, in the night he covered with a small blanket and sat on another in plastic... The first night it went below 0 and the second rained...
Day 8, 17th
Travel to Shire then to Axum. Seen again quite some much scenery.
Wanted to see more of Axum but it was dark at obelisks... Good dinner at restaurant. I've eaten some roasted lamb pieces, some of the best stuff i've ever had. Also i had a 2015 Syrah wine of rift valley. Awesome!
We arranged a van and tigray curches visit instead if just another bus travel to Mekele
Day 9, 18th
Awesome day just by chance.
Tigray churches are something special. We visited 3, included Abuna Yemata that required some easy climbing (easy if you are used to.... If new at that it could be scary). It's something incredible.
Mountains were amazing. I was one of the best hike i ever had.
Arrived at Mekele, finalized for Danakil, problem with showers (we had 2 rooms, 1 couldn't be hot, the other gave a small electroshock so we had to use some clothes to regulate water ) but we were able to take one.
Day 10, 19th
Danakil!
So we passed from 4430 to -130 of Dallol in Danakil... Spectacular place indeed! Also too ka bath in taht small lake, it was much more salty that sea water.
Day 11, 20th
No words needed. Just jawdropping.
Day 11 continued and day 12, 21th
So we went for Erta Ale a volcano. Sadly we didn't saw the lava lake. We ascended the volcano in the evening with the dark and it was cool.
I was stupid, we slept near the crater and i didn't accepted the sleeping bag thinking it was ok. It was not, it was windy and cool. Damn me!
So we returned down, we took a bath in Afrera lake and washed in the near source (it was hot!).
Day 13, 22th
Flight to Mekele to Addis Ababa.
We visited Lucy museum. We knew that light in that museum couldn't be very good. In fact,just before seeing Lucy, there was a blackout!
Dinner in a cool place where i dind't eat, i wasn't feeling well
Day 14, 23th
On the night i lost like 3 liters of liquids in 3 minutes, i guess i payed the night at volcano.... I stayed all the day in bed but i was ok in the evening. I missed a couple of museums, but nothing so special.
A small note of pride: my friends, that are more experienced in travels, couldn't find the hotel without me so i had to catch up with them at the airport with their bags.
Day 15, 24th
Flight to Milan at 4.15. Scaled at Cairo. I bought some egyptian wine at the airport. Hopefully it's good.
It was a rush and also because of that it was so cool! By far best vacation i ever had.
I just want to share some photos, i don't post on photo album because photos are bad amd it's mostly descriptive. Just don't ask me the name of places because i'm so bad at that.
We were 3 friends and aimed to visit Simiens Mountains with a peak and Danakil in 2 weeks and we made it, with some juicy extras. Other tourists (mot so many) took more days.
A note: Ethipian food is epic. So spicy and nealy always hot (and quite intense often). I want to learn some of that stuff.
Day1, 10th november: start flight at afternoon from Milan. Nothing interesting (except the wonderful pizza i had at Verona train station while going to Milan, really unexpexted).
Day2, 11th: So we arrived in Addis Ababa at night/early morning. We had the awful idea to take a van to bring us to the hotel instead a regular taxi. They didn't know where to go and even with gps it was a problem (guess they were trying to scam us). They wanted the money that we agreed for each of us but we didn't gave to them we just went to the hotel. That didn't care for our booking... A good start!
They had places but make us pay more than agreed and they didn't care of our complaints. At least it was a good place (except i never managed to get hot water xD).We slept a bit then took a tour to the city. We were approached by a guy that guided us and was an excellent thing casue he was a good guy. We gave him a tip that we learnt to have been huge... We bought ticket for Gondar, eaten some local stuff (that's so good),had beer, visited mausoleum of Menelik in Addis with a true Michelangelo paint!
Last is our dinner and the first big mistake. Kitfo. Waiter told us that it was cooked, we asked like 8 times. It was not. We were scared because we eaten some of that. Well, i just ate all!
It was so good! I costed me some problems for 1 day but was well worth it!Day 3, 12th
Eaaaarly start, to Gondar by bus! Like 600km in 14 hours. Bus departed at 4:45 am.
Seen a lot of scenery, eaten local again ad Debre Markos.
Driver for first 7 hours was the god of autobus drivers, he went to over 140kmph, turn at 110. slalom between humans, animals, cars. With heavy usage of clacson. Really furious.
Arrived at Gondar stayed not in the cleanest place but the guest was awesome.
Day4, 13th
Visting Gondar, we asked to our guest for a guide and he brought us a cool guy.
Seen trinity church and other stuff, but the big one was indeed the castle. A medieval european one like and was grandiose, with 6 buildings in the suburb.
Dinner in maybe the best restaurant we had seen, maybe not so tipycal but with a great sight.
The river is the Nile!
Day 5, 14th
We met with the guide for our 3 days trek to Simien mountains, they took us form the guesthouse to Debark, got permission and the armed guard (mandatory) and we traveled by car to Sankaber Camp then started walking.
We have seen Jimbar Falls and lots of majestic scenery some geladas, thick billed crows. and a small wild goat like called springer.
Also lots of lammergeier, at some points 10 at once. That are majestic birds indeed!
We arrived at Gich Camp (about 3600m high) then we took a small trek to a near peek.
That was probably the best part of all the vacatione, with sun setting, we saw a lot of gelada moving, maybe the coolest thing i've seen on my life!
There was an huge group of hundreds and another big one (could be lead from an usurper monkey or a different group). Gelada are the coolest monkeys. Similar to baboons but not baboon and cuter.
Then we returned to camp and eaten. The cook was good, soup was exceptional, food in general was good.
We had a big entourage: guide, guard always with us. Then other guys prepared tent and camp for us (driver, cook, aid cook, 2 guys with donkeys, maybe some more). Well, we gave work to some guys indeed!
Day 6, 15th
Longest trek stage, good breakfast, went to Imet Gogo (3926) a panoramic point but with clouds!
Still really cool. Then went down and up again to Enati, over 4000!
Arrived at Chennek camp (3600m), seen lots of geladas, 2 walia ibex (like steinboks), many crows. Small gelada were a bit agressive and hissed, but big ones were zen calm.
Again good dinner and slept in tent!
Day 7, 16th
Day of the peak. Climbed to Ras Bwahit, 4430!
Yeah... Snow! I guess that was a true privilege to see snow in Africa! Unforgettable!
Peak shot, AK courtesy of the guard!
Returned to Debark, went to a place quite dirty, seemed much worse that tents of trekking... In the end it wasn't so bad and rice was awesome.
Small note about the guard: he was the biggest badass i've ever met. He walked without effort during the day and he was like 50 years old (50 yo in Ethiopia, not in US or EU) with his AK in hand, in the night he covered with a small blanket and sat on another in plastic... The first night it went below 0 and the second rained...
Day 8, 17th
Travel to Shire then to Axum. Seen again quite some much scenery.
Wanted to see more of Axum but it was dark at obelisks... Good dinner at restaurant. I've eaten some roasted lamb pieces, some of the best stuff i've ever had. Also i had a 2015 Syrah wine of rift valley. Awesome!
We arranged a van and tigray curches visit instead if just another bus travel to Mekele
Day 9, 18th
Awesome day just by chance.
Tigray churches are something special. We visited 3, included Abuna Yemata that required some easy climbing (easy if you are used to.... If new at that it could be scary). It's something incredible.
Mountains were amazing. I was one of the best hike i ever had.
Arrived at Mekele, finalized for Danakil, problem with showers (we had 2 rooms, 1 couldn't be hot, the other gave a small electroshock so we had to use some clothes to regulate water
) but we were able to take one.Day 10, 19th
Danakil!
So we passed from 4430 to -130 of Dallol in Danakil... Spectacular place indeed! Also too ka bath in taht small lake, it was much more salty that sea water.
Day 11, 20th
No words needed. Just jawdropping.
Day 11 continued and day 12, 21th
So we went for Erta Ale a volcano. Sadly we didn't saw the lava lake. We ascended the volcano in the evening with the dark and it was cool.
I was stupid, we slept near the crater and i didn't accepted the sleeping bag thinking it was ok. It was not, it was windy and cool. Damn me!
So we returned down, we took a bath in Afrera lake and washed in the near source (it was hot!).
Day 13, 22th
Flight to Mekele to Addis Ababa.
We visited Lucy museum. We knew that light in that museum couldn't be very good. In fact,just before seeing Lucy, there was a blackout!
Dinner in a cool place where i dind't eat, i wasn't feeling well
Day 14, 23th
On the night i lost like 3 liters of liquids in 3 minutes, i guess i payed the night at volcano.... I stayed all the day in bed but i was ok in the evening. I missed a couple of museums, but nothing so special.
A small note of pride: my friends, that are more experienced in travels, couldn't find the hotel without me so i had to catch up with them at the airport with their bags.
Day 15, 24th
Flight to Milan at 4.15. Scaled at Cairo. I bought some egyptian wine at the airport. Hopefully it's good.
It was a rush and also because of that it was so cool! By far best vacation i ever had.
