Ethiopia (Part 2)

Debark

1 October 2012. We leave Gondar about 7:30 am and after a few hours driving through green fields we arrive at the "wild west town" of Debark. This starts off as our toilet stop and we end up staying here for lunch. Many people here riding horses or using horse drawn carts but very few cars. After a couple more hours drive  we arrive in the Simien Mountains National Park. Some of us head off on foot to our camp site while others get there in the van. We see many Gelada Baboons in our 4.5 hour walk as well as spectacular views across the many steep ravines. It's a bit drizzly which makes sections of the walk slippery. Our camp site is at 3,250 metres above sea level (masl) and Lyn who vanned it to camp has organised our tent and luggage by the time the trekkers arrive. The weather closes in with some serious rain overnight and for the first time the thermals get a workout.

2 October 2012. The weather has cleared by
breakfast time and we drive further into the mountains to another base at 3,620 masl. During the drive we see fields of barley and many wild flowers. There are teams of oxen pulling ploughs through the stoney and steep terrain. We stop for a photo opportunity and a young boy appears. One of the tourists gives him a tee shirt which he promptly puts on. There's a rumour that the elusive Wallia Ibex is about so a few of us follow our guide on foot. When we arrive at the supposed site we discover that the rest of the tourists have vanned it and are waiting for us. Why wasn't I told. Anyway we see a couple of Ibex at a distance of about a kilometre and some pain is alleviated. After lunch there is some disagreement between the local guide and our tour leader about how long it would take to trek back to camp. The tourists start to get nervous and in the end only Andy and I go with the local guide, Fanti. The local guide is proven right as the trek takes the 2 hours he said it would. This trek is a highlight seeing a 500 metre drop water fall, thousands of wild flowers, spectacular landscapes, Baboons, a Klippspringer and a Bushbuck.
3 October 2012.After a cool but fine night we leave camp. On the drive out of the park we stop to watch a troop of Gelada Baboons before arriving at Derback. A very young girl with a baby on her back runs alongside the van for more than  kilometre before we stop. So this is how they train for the Olympics. The drive to Aksum is one for the ages. The 160 kilometres takes nearly 12 hours over winding, hilly, dirt roads. The entire length of the road between Debark and Aksum is under construction. At one time we are forced to stop as boulders block our way. Kabel  gets out of the van
and disappears around a bend. Next thing we know there's a bulldozer clearing the road. We arrive in Aksum about 7:30 pm have dinner and then to bed.

View of Gondar

Find the Klippspringer