The Simien Mountains is a world-class experience offering stunning views of awe-inspiring jagged peaks and sharp precipices. Simien Mountains Trekking is a must for nature lovers.
The Simien Mountains National Park in Northern Ethiopia is an intriguing setting with special untamed life and stunning views on a landscape shaped by nature and conventional farming. The natural delights of this region have consistently filled guests with wonder. Gentle highland ridges at altitudes above 3,600m asl, covered with grasses, secluded trees (Erica) and the unique Giant Lobelia are found on the higher altitude that suddenly ends at 1000-to 2000-m deep escarpments.
The edges of this high plateau comprise steep bluffs and profound, ravine style gorges. In certain spots, the slope shapes little heights that offer magnificent natal post focuses. The spectacular views from the observation points at Gidir Got and lmet Gogo in the focal point of the Park offer unmatched panoramic scenes on the high level and down to the lowland regions. Given the right meteorological conditions, views coming to as much as 100 kilometres over the valleys and the terraces of the Tekeze basin are no exemption.
Geographically stating, the entire highlands of the Simien Mountains, also referred to as the ceiling of Ethiopia, comprise of dull Trapp basalt and brilliant, soft turf. They alternate and constitute an enormous complex that is in excess of 3,000m thick. This complex was formed by volcanic eruptions in the Tertiary Oligocene-Miocene Age some 20-30 million years ago; since the time it has been going through cycles of elevating and disintegration.
The fundamental fascination of the Simien Mountains National Park is its biosphere: cliffs and the cool climate at the altitude of the Erica tree-line (3600 to 4000m debris) have created conducive conditions for the survival of an ibex species (Capra ibex small) endemic to the Simien Mountains. Notwithstanding the extreme limitation of their environment throughout the last centuries, several hundred animals have survived up to the present.
Aside from the Walya/Abyssinian Ibex, a rare species, found nowhere else in the world, many other animal species are found in the Park, for instance, the endemic Simien fox or Ethiopian wolf, several birds of prey, the endemic Gelada mandrill (Theropithecusgelada), the Klipspringer (Oreotragus omotragus), and the bushbuck (liagelphus scriptus). The rareness of these species formed the backbone of the concept for conservation of the area, which prompted the foundation of the Simien Mountains National Park in 1969, and its listing as a World Heritage Site in 1918.
The human populace living in the area adds to the peculiarity of this unique natural habitat. The customary way of life of the rustic populace and their endurance and survival in a rather brutal environment and with scant natural resources established for the most striking connections a guest will have while crisscrossing in the Park and its surrounding rural area.
But it’s not just the national park and UNESCO status that has kept the Simien Mountains special.
The high altitude of this destination, its soaring craggy peaks and undulating terrain, have also worked to keep human interference at bay, meaning a palpable sense of untouched beauty can be felt here.
A mix of alpine forests and mountains savannahs, crisscrossed by epic ridgelines and deep canyons, right across the Simien Mountains National Park you’ll find open meadows scattered with wildflowers and sheer cliffs with cascading waterfalls. Depending on your level of fitness, you can enjoy anything from 1-8 days trekking the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia, with longer treks taking you into far more remote and off-grid places in this seemingly eternal, undulating landscape.
And of course, this all makes for some seriously great trekking!