Ethiopia
Ethiopia is one of Africa’s most culturally rich country's, steeped in ancient Christian history and home to the Arc of the Covenant - allegedly! St. George, the patron Saint of England, has his roots here and can be seen depicted on the insides of ancient Ethiopian monasteries and at Lalibela, you will find a rock hewn church, dating from the 13th century, carved as a St. George’s cross. This is not the country that you will remember from the video in 1985 when Bob Geldof highlighted the drought in Ethiopia that hit north of the country. Far from it, Ethiopia has many great waterways and lakes. Indeed it is home to lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile and from the Simien Mountains flows the Great Omo River.
This river gives its name to a section of Africa’s great rift valley. The Omo Valley is one of Africa’s most remote areas and home to diverse tribes that have not changed in there daily lives in over 1000 years. Featured in the BBC`s Tribes documentary, these people have customs and decoration found no were else on earth. In the upper sections, the river flows through beautiful mountain scenery covered in lush jungle. Hear you can see Colobus Monkeys in the trees and Fish Eagles soaring high above, Crocodiles basking in the early morning sun and Hippos cooling off at the shores. The lower and flatter sections are where the tribes’ people are able to farm the land, as they have for millennia, carrying on their lives without any knowledge of the outside world. The river is slow and flat, allowing you to take in this strange and rarely visited land - there is only one way to get to this area, by river. Visit this incredible area before it goes forever beneath a dam. A journey through this enchanting land is a memory that you will carry with you for the rest of your life.
