The Simiens

The Semien Mountains in northern Ethiopia, north east of Gondar are part of the Ethiopian Highlands. They are a World Heritage Site and include the Simien Mountains National Park. Massive erosion over the years on the Ethiopian plateau has created one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world, with jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and sharp precipices dropping some 1,500 m. The tallest peak is Ras Dejen (4550 m). The park is home to some extremely rare animals such as the Gelada baboon, the Simien fox and the Walia ibex, a goat found nowhere else in the world. Information sourced from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semien_Mountains and http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/9. We spent a couple of days in the national park at around 3000 m photographing the superb landscapes and the Gelada Baboons. The baboons were amazing, allowing us to photograph them close up as they grazed. The Simiens are must when visiting Ethiopia.

We stopped for lunch on the way between Gondar and the Simiens. Not a bad spot for a picnic.

Our first view of the Simiens.

In 1996, the Simiens were included on the UNESCO ‘List of World Heritage in Danger’ due to the impact of a new road across it, excessive cattle grazing, agricultural encroachment and a drop in Walia ibex, Simien fox and other large mammal populations. Due to subsequent improvements in park management and measures taken to reduce overgrazing and visitor impact, the national park was removed from the list in 2017 (https://en.unesco.org/news/ethiopian-world-heritage-site-simien-national-park-no-longer-danger). As a visitor, it is difficult to get the full story of what has transpired over the recent years, although we were told that the number of farmers in the park area has declined, at least partially as a result of incentives provided to them to move to regional towns to take up other employment opportunities.

Simien Lodge, the highest accommodation in Africa (3260 m ASL)...and very nice too.

The start of a morning walk. Superb scenery and Gelada Baboons

All visitors are required to hire a local guard during their visit to the Simiens.

A troop of Gelada baboons.

The Gelada are incredibly trusting of tourists.

The remainder of these images don't need a caption, except to say that it was an incredible experience to be able to mingle so closely with an animal that is now found nowhere else.

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