Much more is known about the historic highland city of Axum, once a great commercial centere, trading via the Red Sea port of Adulis and founded perhaps 500 years after the decline of Yeha. Axum stands in the highlands of north western Tigray, commanding spectacular views over the nearby Adwa hills. This ancient settlement is frequently referred to as ‘’the sacred city of Ethiopians’’- a description that adequately sums up its significance in national culture as a center of Orthodox Christianity.
Many remarkable monuments here attest to the great antiquity of religious expression in this country, and as a former capital that has never lost its special appeal to the hearts and minds of all Ethiopians.

Lalibela is an ancient settlement, which is also famous for its rock hewed churches. Lalibela is a city carved from legend-a medieval settlement in the Lasta area of Wollo that is the site of II remarkable rock-hewn monolithic churches, believed to have been built by King Lalibela in the late12th century. These notable structures are carved inside and outside the solid rock, and are considered among the wonders of the world. Each building is architecturally unique, and several of them are decorated with fascinating rock paintings.
The unadulterated biblical atmosphere and vivid local colour of the Timket celebration provide an ideal opportunity to see Lalibela as a sacred centre whose roots go to man’s very early years.

Bahar Dar is 578 kilometres and is located on the southern shores of Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile, with its ancient island monasteries and both the Blue and the White Nile’s most spectacular feature, the Tis last falls. on the island of Dega Estefanos you will find the church of Saint Stefanos, which has a priceless collection of icons and manuscripts and houses the mummified remains of a number of Ethiopian emperors. For the modern traveler, the starting point of any visit to the Blue Nile Falls, or to the islands of Lake Tana, is the busting market town of Bahar Dar on the lake’s south-eastern shore.
The colorful markets and a variety of handicrafts and weaving centers also make it a comfortable base for excursion by land or water. Bahar Dar port provides access by boat to a number of historic lakeside churches and monasteries near and far. Most date form the 14th- century and have beautifully painted walls. Some monastic islands are forbidden to women, but others can be visited by all.

Gondar is founded by Emperor Fasilidas in 1636. The city was Ethiopia’s capital until the reign of the would-be reforming Emperor Tewodros II, also know as Thedore. Gonder is famous for its many medieval castles and the design and decoration of its churches. The earliest of the castles was created by Fasilidas himself and is still in such an excellent state of repair that it is possible to climb its stairs all the way to the roof, which commands a breathtaking view over much of the city.
Besides the famous palaces, visitors should inspect the Bathing Place of Emperor Fasilidas, which is used for the annual Timket or epiphany celebrations, and the abbey of the redoubtable 18th- century Empress Mentewab at Qwesquam, in the mountains just outside Gonder.

Awash national Park is the oldest and most developed wildlife reserve in Ethiopia. Featuring the 1,800-metre Fantalle Volcano, numerous mineral hot springs and extraordinary volcanic formations, this natural treasure is bordered to the south by the Awash River and lies 225 kilometers east of the capital Addis Ababa.
The wildlife consists mainly of East African Plains animals. Oryx, bateared fox, caracal aardvark, colobus and green monkeys, Anubis and hamadryas baboons, klip-springer, leopard, bushbuck, hippopotamus, Soemmering’s gazelle, cheetah, lion kudu and 450 species of birds of all kinds live with in the park’s 720 square kilometers.

accessible by land or air through the western Ethiopian town of Gambela, remains a place of adventure and challenge. Traveling across the undulating plains of high Sudanese grass, visitors can enjoy a sense of achievement in simply finding their way around. This is Ethiopia’s true tropical zone and here are found all the elements of the African safari, enhanced by a distinctly Ethiopian flavor Nile perch weighing too kilos can be caught in the waters of Baro, snatched from the jaws of the huge crocodiles that thrive along the riverbank,
The white-eared kob also haunts the Baro along with other riverbank residents that include the Nile lechwe, buffalo, giraffe, tiang, waterbuck roan antelope, zebra, bushbuck, roan antelope. Abyssinian reedbuck, warthog, hartebeest, lion elephant and hippopotamus.

massif is a broad plasteau, cut off to the north and west by an enormous single crag over 60 kilometres long. To the south, the tableland slopes gently down to 2,200 metres, divided by gorges 1,000 metres deep which can take more than two days to cross Insufficient geological time has elapsed to smooth the contours of the crags and buttresses of hardened basalt.
Within this spectacular splendor live the Walia (Abyssinian) ibex, Simien red fox and Gelada baboon-all endemic to Ethiopia- as well as the hamadryas baboon, klipspringer and bushbuck.

Birds such as the lammergeyer, augur buzzard, Verreaux’s eagle, kestrel and falcon soar above this mountain retreat. Twenty kilometers north-east of Gonder,the Simien Mountains National Park covers 179 square kilometers of highland area at an average elevation of 3,300 meters. Ras Dashen at 4,620 metres the highest peak in Ethiopia stands adjacent to the park.
The Simien escarpments which are often compared to the Grand Canyon in the United States of America have been named by UNFSCO as a World Heritage Site.

Omo Valley is dominated mainly by many ethnic groups who speak omotic language as classified by linguistics. The region and the people of this are one of the least affected by the modern world. The life style of the people has hardly changed for centuries. People still live in simple make shift huts, dress animal skins and drink with calabashes. The area is a veritable paradise for photographers and naturalists.
The people of the Omo Valley and their culture have been source of fascination for travelers. The Hammar who are well known for their sense of elegance are the major ethnic group in the region.
The Surma and Mursi women, who wear lip plates by piercing their lower lip have been compelling tourists to travel to their land to see what seems impossible.

The Afar region is part of the Ethiopian Rift Valley. Since the late 1960s it has attracted the attention of researchers because of its uniqueness as the world’s only active, superior triple junction where the complex tectonics and volcanism of an area between three separating lithosphere plates (African, Eastern African, and Arabian) can be observed on dry land. From archaeological point of view it was from this region that LUCY, the most important hominid skeleton dated at about 3.5 million years discovered.
Any one who wants to visit the homeland of this Great, Great, Great grandmother of the 6 Billion people of the world have to travel to the Afar region. The Denakil Depression, at 120 meters below sea level is one of the lowest points on earth’s surface and it is found in the Afar region.

With a population of more than three million people, Addis Ababa is not only the political capital but also the economic and social nerve centre of Ethiopia Founded by Emperor Menlik in 1887 this big, sprawling, hospitable city still bears the stamp of his exuberant personality. More than 21,000 hectares in area, Addis Ababa is situated in the foothills of the 3,000 meters Entoto Mountains and rambles pleasantly across many wooded hillsides and gullies cut through with fast flowing streams.
Addis Ababa is also considered as unofficial capital of Africa as many embassies and international organization head quarter is located in Addis. Ancient buildings, unique churches, many museums, the famous open air market of Mercato are few attractions in Addis.