4-Day Trekking to Simien Mountains National Park

Transfer to the airport of Addis and fly to the medieval town of Gondar. We pick you up at Gondar Airport or your hotel, drive along a good paved road from Gondar to the park headquarters in Debark. The 100 km journey will take around two hours. At the headquarters, we will arrange our permits to the park and pick up our scout. After that, we will drive for another hour before we start our first-day introductory walk. This first hike is an easy one along the northern edge of the escarpment with nice viewpoints over the foothills and plains of northern Ethiopia. You will a chance to encounter Gelada baboon along this hike. Your overnight will be at Sankaber.

Main Destination:

Simien Mountains National Park

Accommodation:

Budget camping

Inside Simien Mountains NP

Meals & Drinks:

All meals included

Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

We follow the northern escarpment eastward before we descend a little into the Kaba Valley. After that, we climb up before we reach Gich Abyss and continue over a narrow ridge to a cliff where we have a spectacular view of the abyss towards the Simien foothills. We also find a large waterfall here, where the Jinbar River plunges 500 m into the abyss. We proceed for about two hours and have lunch at the Jinbar River. After lunch, we walk through fields of barley before we arrive at the idyllic village of Gich. Here we can enjoy a traditional coffee ceremony in one of the huts and learn more about local farm life. From Gich village, it is a short walk to Gich camp which is a good area to look for lammergeyer and thick-billed raven. After a relaxing afternoon, we will take a short hike up to Kedadit to enjoy sunset plus the gorgeous shaded landscapes down to the cliffside towards the eastern direction and return to the camp.

Main Destination:

Simien Mountains National Park

Accommodation:

Budget camping

Inside Simien Mountains NP

Meals & Drinks:

All meals included

Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

From Gich camp, we stroll through endless fields of Giant Lobelia before we reach the towering cliffs of Imet-Gogo (3926 m). Here we will spend some time absorbing the superb views over the mountain valleys below and strange-shaped domes in the distance, which we will see from up close at the end of the trip. After that, we descend into the Jinbahir River Valley. In this way, we get a very different perspective of Imet-Gogo and the volcanic landscape, where it looks like big chunks of mountains have been blown away. The trail follows the edge of the escarpment, which is completely vertical here for several hundred meters. We climb to a summit of 4070 m where we will have lunch. After lunch, we descend to Chennek for about two hours along a steep trail. From Chennek camp there are spectacular views in all directions. Sit down on a bench at the escarpment and try to spot Walia Ibex in the late afternoon or early morning. Sometimes Walia Ibex visit the edges of the campsite.

Main Destination:

Simien Mountains National Park

Accommodation:

Budget camping

Inside Simien Mountains NP

Meals & Drinks:

All meals included

Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Enjoy a morning climb from Chennek camp to the second highest peak in the Simien Mountains, Buwahit (4430m). During the climb to the summit, we will spot a variety of animals including Walia ibex and, if we are lucky, a rare sighting of another mammal endemic to Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Wolf. You'll be rewarded by scenic views into the verdant valley extending westwards beyond Chennek camp. We return to Chennek camp for early lunch, and the afternoon will begin with a scenic drive through the National Park back to Gondar. On arrival at Gondar, you will take a flight to Addis.

Main Destination:

Simien Mountains National Park

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

All meals included

Drinking water (Other drinks not included)