In the past, what many people knew about Ethiopia was that her population is poor and the country is a symbol of world hunger. And although there are still remnants of that poverty, Ethiopia has begun to revive relying on cultural tourism and economic development. Ethiopia holds many of the most amazing treasures of Africa, medieval cave churches in Lalibela and 1700-year-old stone obelisks in the northern city of Axum. Luxury travel to Ethiopia has similarly begun to be more developed in recent years.
Ethiopia, which calls itself the Land of the Queen of Sheba, also said that in her city of Axum lies the Holy Ark, a box of gold and acacia wood, which is considered that there were held the Ten Commandments.
Although the country cannot compete with Kenya or South Africa when it comes to wildlife, Ethiopia has more than a dozen national parks, which are considered some of the most beautiful in the area below the Sahara desert. The area covers the plateau of the Simien Mountains to the white water rapids of completely uninhabited Omo Valley.
Luxury tents with floors of teak and five-star dinners are what some tour operators offer to luxury safari-goers in Ethiopia: the Rift Valley, Mago National Park and other remote reserves. Visitors can spend the day among leopards and watching birds, before rushing back to their hotels.
For tourists interested to visit Addis Ababa – the bustling capital with its exotic nightlife, or Gondar – slower growing town called Camelot of Africa, because there are many castles.
A helicopter safari in Ethiopia is intense: one minute you’re above the clouds, taking in vast plains, mountains, distant clusters of monolithic churches – the next you’ve swooped in for an eye-popping close-up.
Afar area is 800 kilometers northeast of Addis Ababa and away from the historical path that attracts international visitors,” said Pamela Leyzars, spokesman for the American company that organizes luxury journeys to Ethiopia. The country in sub-Saharan Africa is known for its beauty (Simien Mountains, Lake Tana and Blue Nile waterfalls) and because of its history (rock caves of XII century; Stelae Park, the palace of the Queen of Sheba; Axum museum, and the strongholds of Gondar).
Ethiopia, with its o wn calendar and time system, only welcomed the new millennium in 2007, the African country still adheres to the Julian calendar, according to which the new millennium (2000) began on 12 September.
The new millennium was greeted in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa by thousands of tourists. Some of the events, however, were canceled due to threats of attacks – a reminder of the fragile situation in theHorn of Africa and the tense relations of Ethiopia with its neighbor Eritrea.
The Danakil is a desert located in the Horn of Africa, north-eastern Ethiopia and southern Eritrea – where it forms the district south of the Red Sea.
Centered on the block and the Danakil depression , part of the Afar depression, its annual rainfall of about 100 to 200 millimeters. The highest temperatures are found in Dancalie [unclear] whose lowest point is located a few hundred meters below the level of the sea. Despite the aridity of the region and the presence of salt deposits, the main resource operated in the region (salt deposits in places reach 2,000 meters thick, constituting almost inexhaustible reserves), many animals, mainly herbivores such Grevy’s zebra, gazelle Soemmering or wild ass of Africa, live.
Rock-hewn churches is what Lalibela is known for. Rock-hewn churches in Lalibela dating from the 13th century BC. They are a miracle that was created by human hands as if to amaze its visitors and puzzles. The place is inaccessible. Located in a secluded area of the mountain The Last. Amazing in these churches is the way in which they are carved into the rock and practically located underground. Lalibela is considered the most important from a religious point of view place in Africa and is a cultural monument of Christianity under the open sky. Lalibela is a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Located in the desert of northeast Ethiopia, Erta Ale is a unique area where thirsty for adventure tourists can see some of the most troubled and dangerous volcanoes on the African continent. Some of the volcanoes in this highly isolated and inaccessible area constantly churn out large quantities of lava. Murderous heat midst of this almost lunar landscape creates the feeling that you are caught in the middle of hell! Burning sun increases the temperature to over 50 degrees, and the ground is so hot that it could be baked egg. The hot sun like aim to challenge the vitality of every living creature that has fallen here, and if you think it is possible to find shade of this place, you are deeply mistaken.
Food. Ethiopian food is very justifiably world-renowned and has been developed mainly on the basis of a wide variety of vegetables prepared in different ways. The reason for this is that the traditions of the local inhabitants include many days in which meat consumption is not desirable. For example, besides the traditional periods of fasting, Ethiopians must eat vegetarian meals on Wednesdays and Fridays. All this had locals need to learn to prepare a wide variety of vegetable dishes using a wide range of spices.
The most common vegetables in the country are potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, carrots and others. Probably one of the most commonly used spices in local cuisine is cayenne, which is added to almost every meal. Garlic, which locals added to meals, gives a strong and rich taste of each dish. Ethiopians put on the table meat products less frequently than other nations. Most commonly consumed meats are chicken, beef, sheep and goat. As a rule, does not consume pork. Quite popular are the various types of freshwater fish. The country grow different types of thermophilic fruits. The most widespread are citrus and bananas. Ethiopia is known for its great variety of pastries, including muffins stuffed, pastries, and a very specific and characteristic type of bread whose shape resembles a large pancake. This bread is called injera and is often used in traditional Ethiopian cuisine as a tray on which are arranged a variety of foods.
