Massive erosion over the years on the Ethiopian plateau has created one of
the most spectacular landscapes in the world. The Simien National Park, a UNESCO
World Heritage site, consists of jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and sharp
precipices dropping some 1,500 m along with rocky massif - cut through by the
streams and the gorges - which slopes dramatically down to the grasslands and
wide valleys. The pinnacle of the Simien Mountains, Ras Dejen 4620 meters, is
the highest point in Ethiopia and 4th highest in the continent of Africa.
The Simien national park has general botanical regions; the lower slopes for
cultivation and grazing, the forested Alpine and the splendid red hot pokers as
well as the giant lobelia. Not only are the views from the mountains
breathtaking, but the park is also the home to some extremely rare animals such
as geleda baboons with their distinctive red breasts, the obscure Simien fox,
the Walia ibex, Ethiopian wolves and large birds of prey including the
lammergeyer. The park was created primarily to protect the 1000 walia ibex, a
type of wild goat found nowhere else in the world, which also lives in the park
along with other wild animals.
Location:
The Simien Mountains are in the north-west Ethiopia, east of the highway from
Gondar to Aksum.
Simien National Park is a world heritage site with dramatic and spectacular scenery, flora and fauna.. Therefore, trekking in the Simien's is excellent and the park is easily accessible from Dabareq, 101 km from Gondar. The infrastructure is good: equipment, provisions and guides are easily available. Although it is not too far from the equator, snow and ice commonly appear on the highest points of Simien mountains and temperatures at night often fall below 0 degree centigrade. Therefore it is always advisable to be prepared and carry some warm clothing.
