The Great Ethiopian Run

In 2001, the legendary athlete Haile G/Selassie initiated a grand annual event known as The Great Ethiopian Run. It draws in as many as 40,000 participants.  Many world famous athletes come from the world to participate. This annual national pastime is more than a running event; it’s a celebration of fellowship.

Enkutatash (Ethiopian New Year)

Enkutatash is the name for the Ethiopian New Year, and means “gift of jewels” in the Amharic language. The Ethiopian New Year honors the seasonal transition from the heavy rainy season to the bright and sunny seasons. A typical New Year greeting that is often heard is "May He brings you safely from the year of Luke to the year of John…" Every believer passes through this time wishing for a safe transition to the next season. Hence, when Meskerem comes, it is the time of blissful happiness and relief. The safe transition from the rainy season to the breathtaking bright Meskerem is symbolic of the passage from an awe inspiring night into a beautiful morning.

While going in the villages, singing the traditional Enkutatash song, children, particularly in the country side, carry gifts of bunches of flower. This tradition is thought to be proactive stemming from the Queen Sheba's homecoming from Israel after her visit to King Solomon of Israel. It represents the gifts children presented her.

Chambalala

Sidama nation has its own New Year. Fiche Chambalala is New Year celebration and the Festival Chambalala called “Gudumelē” in Sidama language. This New Year celebration, Chambalala is celebrated annually for two weeks. In Sidama language it is called “Fiche”. The exact date (introduction of a new age) is determined by traditional astrologists named “Ayenitowoch”. Ayenitowoch followed by their disclosure to the community the long festival is celebrated preserving the traditional system. Fiche Chambalala registered as UNESCO World Intangible cultural heritage. 

The town of Lalibela is a medieval settlement found in the Lasta area of the Wello- Zone and lies at the center of an extensive complex of churches hewn from rocks. Formerly the capital city of the Zagwe dynasty under the name of Roha, Lalibela was renamed in honor of king Lalibela. Legends has it that the king received his name when his mother saw him surrounded by a dense swarm of bees in his cradle and prophetically named him ‘Lalibela’ or the ‘bees recognize his sovereignty’ 

The Danakil depression is part of the great east African rift valley which extends some 7200 km from Syria in the north all the way to coastal area of Mozambique in the south 5600 km laying with in Africa. It covers an area of 200,000 km2 and is flanked on the west and southeast by the Ethiopian Somali plateau, and on the east by the Danakil Block or Danakil Alps. The Danakil escarpment displays some of the most spectacular examples of faulted landscapes in the world with an altitude drop from 2500m.a.s.l. to some 125m b.s.l. One of the driest and most tectonically active areas on the planet, the Danakil is an area of singular geological fascination, a strange lunar landscape studded with active volcanoes, malodorous sulfur– caked hot springs, solidified black lava flows and vast salt – encrusted basins. This shearing of the earth's surface occurred at the same time that the Arabian Peninsula, geologically a part of Africa, was sundered from the rest of the continent.

The Siemen Mountains National Park is situated about 100 kilometers north of Gondar to the alongside of Axum road. The Simien Mountains offer a uniquely wonderful sight: high peaks and deep gorges, valleys and rivers, golden barley fields as far as the eye can see. One of Africa largest ranges, studded with at least a dozen peal topping covering 179 square kilometers of 4000 mark possibly the fourth highest range. Mountain Ras Dashen (4,620 meters) high and the highest peak in Ethiopia stand adjacent to the park. And the second highest mountain (4439 meters) is Ras Dejen, hut a lot of the peaks are above 4000 meters. The Simien escarpments, which are often compared to the Grand Canyon in the United States of America, have been registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Gheralta is a dry plain with steep outcrops of cliffs and Table (chain) Mountains with very dramatic landscapes. But for most tourists to Ethiopia, the main reason to come to the Gheralta region is for it’s about 35 churches, the largest concentration of cliff churches of Ethiopia. While Lalibela may be the place with the highest density of rock-hewn churches, the Tigray region has plenty more, most of them being much older, with more paintings, special architecture at remote locations.
Maybe not the oldest, but the rock hewn churches on Gheralta often have the most colorful paintings and church treasures, while many are Set in the most stunning scenic landscapes.

Sof omar is one of the most spectacular and extensive underground caverns in the world .Formed by the web river as it changed its course and carved a new channel through limestone foothills in antiquity the sof omar system is an extraordinary natural phenomenon of breath taking beauty.The caves are a natural marvel of architecture with twenty meter high soaring pillars, flying buttresses, fluted archways and tall airy vaults. A balcony near the roof offers a spectacular view of the river rushing on its course below. The fantastic limestone caves of Sof Omar make a day's outing from Dinsho, Robe or Goba.

Sheik Hussein insiuated on the border between Arsi and Bale about 600 km south east of Addis Ababa is the most important site for Muslim pilgrimage in Ethiopia. The site consists of large complex of mosques, shrines and tombs surrounded by a thick wall. The shrine and sacred enclosure honors the renowned Sheik Hussein for his miraculous powers. His death, 700 years ago, has resulted in a amalgam of saint cult and ancient ritual

The glistening white domes float in a vast sea or emerald green scrub. This remote shrine and its sacred compound house the tomb of a saint renowned for his miraculous powers. Although little is known of Sheik Hussein history, his shrine has become the site of one of Ethiopia’s most extra ordinary pilgrimages. Twice a year, you can witness some 50,000 pilgrims take the journey to prey at this shrine from all over Ethiopia as well as from neighboring countries to visit this complex of shrines and tombs. The pilgrimage lasts several days. As the final prayers are offered and preparations are made for the long journey home, the pilgrims are considered to be spiritually enriched. Their journey has brought renewal and welcome break from the harsh realities of their lives. There is also a network of manmade caves and artificial ponds in the area.