The second largest city in Ethiopia, Gondar is a fast growing, dusty and not hugely attractive city. However it’s well worth an overnight stay to visit Gondar for its slightly surreal collection of 17th century castles – with a distinct Portuguese and Moorish stylish – which would not look out of place in Europe.
You can spend a happy afternoon visiting the castles, which have a serene ambience, the 18th century church of Debre Birhan Selassie which has one of the most impressive interiors of any of Ethiopian churches we visited and the mesmerising Fasil’s Pool, which was my favourite.
Fasil’s Pool which is the centrepiece of celebrations on Ascension Day when the moat is filled – taking a week – and then after a lengthy service, thousands of young men jump simultaneously into the pool. At this time of year (mid January) Gondar throngs with people and if you want to visit Gondar to witness the colourful and vibrant processions, you need to book far in advance.
For the rest of the year, the palaces of Gondar offer an oasis of tranquillity in this bustling city.
Simien Mountains
We immediately headed north from Gondar for an easy three hour drive to the Simien Mountain National Park. (We would be returning to Gondar afterwards.) The National Park protects both some of the most stunning mountainous country in Africa but also vast groups of gelada primates, only found in the Simien Mountains.
As I love mountain walking, I was in my element here. The Simien Mountains made for a great contrast with the culture and history experienced in much of the rest of the northern Ethiopian highlands and a chance to stretch your legs. The walking is not strenuous as you stay on the ridge of the plateau and enjoy plunging views down into the valleys far below and across to the jagged peaks of other mountains. We saw loads of the charming gelada primates (Not ‘baboons’ as our guide would constantly remind us). They were charmingly unfazed by your presence and you can watch their elaborate grooming rituals – which often seemed to lead into mating rituals – from only a few metres away.
Note: The establishment of the Simien Mountain National Park has meant the removal of many village communities from within the park. Partially to compensate for that, everybody visiting the area must take in both a Simien guide and an armed scout from the nearby town of Debark. This means that it could be relatively expensive to visit as a couple as you’ll have your driver-guide plus a Simian guide and a scout.
Simien Lodge
The Simien Lodge is currently the only lodge in the Simien National Park but not for long… The plus points are spacious rooms, pleasant bar where they show a fascinating documentary on the gelado each evening. But having a monopoly has somewhat bred complacency. TThe hot water is solar-heated and serves two rooms which means it’s often non-existent at certain times of the year, or if your next door neighbour gets to the shower first. The food is average, though the soups were delicious, but the drinks are way over-priced compared to other Ethiopian lodges.
