Our walks in the Simien Mountains were impressive as the scenery is magnificent with steep gorges, Geluda baboons and plenty of bird life.

It was our 2nd trip to Ethiopia but other than the abundance of new roads being built but not yet completed, and many new buildings being constructed in Addis little has changed.

Hotel accommodation in Addis is excellent but the city is very highly polluted by black smoke belching out of exhaust systems. Outside Addis reasonable accommodation is not easy to find and sometimes you will be without running water and/or electricity.

Local people benefitted as we booked directly with Eskinder of Highway Tours, so there were not any “between men” – all our expenditure went directly to the people there.

We would highly recommend using Eskinder because he was so considerate and attentive. He provided us with a tailor made tour and virtually everything went according to plan. The drivers and guides he used were very good, particularly Girma who accompanied us to the South.