Ethiopia

Ethiopia feels like several countries stacked on top of each other. Vast highlands roll into serrated escarpments, cool plateaus and deep valleys, then drop suddenly into the Rift’s chain of lakes and the salt-and-lava extremes of the Danakil Depression. Add misty montane forest in the Bale Mountains, and you have a landscape built for contrast, where a short drive can take you from hot lowlands to crisp, high-altitude air.

It is also one of Africa’s most historically resonant destinations, famous for the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, the ancient sites around Aksum, and a cultural thread that runs back for millennia. Coffee’s origin story begins here too, and in many places the ceremony is simply the customary way coffee is prepared and shared.

Walk the Simien Mountains for close views of gelada baboons on cliff-edge grasslands, search the Bale highlands for the rare Ethiopian wolf, then trade hiking boots for stone corridors and incense at centuries-old churches. End your trip in Addis Ababa for markets, museums and strong espresso, or take the long road north and watch the country change, kilometre by kilometre, into something wilder and more ancient than you expected.

With so many options, why not speak to our Africa expert, Madri, for the best advice to ensure your holiday of a lifetime?