Eastern Ethiopia holiday

Environment

We are promoting the ancient heritage and natural landscape of Ethiopia by not only visiting Awash National Park and Bale Mountains National Park, but also Lalibela and Harar, UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Sites are chosen by the UNESCO committee and must "bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to civilisation", "an important interchange of human values" or be outstanding examples of major stages of Earth's history or ecological and biological processes in evolution. Through visiting these sights, we are sustaining the protection of Ethiopia’s natural and cultural wonders.
In Yirgalem and Debre Zeit you will have the opportunity to explore the area on a bike, horse or canoe. This allows you to step back and soak in the environment at a slower pace, but also reduces environmental impact of tourist vehicles. Also, visit the Sidama people in Debre Zeit to understand their traditional huts made of local materials.
We attempt to reduce plastic bottle use wherever possible by promoting use of reusable and filtered water bottles. Our partnership with Water-To-Go provides a discount on filtered water bottles to our clients. We do not provide water from plastic bottles to our clients in country but always ensure there is regular access to drinking water on our tours.
On each Group tour we use local ground handlers. This means that all operational costs go directly into the local economy and help improve employment opportunities in remote regions. Such support can also be seen in our incorporation of homestays, locally owned hotels, family run restaurants and the services of local guides and drivers into our itineraries, which ensures that the money you spend with us goes directly into the local economy and local community.

Community

On Day 1, you will walk to a local village and cook with a local family. They will show you how to make a traditional meal and a typical Ethiopian coffee ceremony. The best way to share stories and meet new people is over a plate of great food and a drink in hand. On Day 7, we will also visit the abundant market in Nazareth. The town is not normally on the tourist trail as it hasn’t got sublime rock churches and sites. Supporting the local food industry in Ethiopia not only maintains the cultural identity of Ethiopia but connects cultures through the most ancient of pastimes, eating!
Life for the majority of Ethiopia’s 73 million people is harsh, even by the standards of Africa’s poorest nations. The average Ethiopian person earns less than $100 per year and will not live beyond 44 years of age. North Wollo is amongst the poorest areas of the country, depending largely on rain fed subsistence agriculture. Our guide Mark established TESFA - a local charity organisation that was set up in 2003 with the specific aim of developing community-based tourism in Ethiopia WITH communities.
By putting communities in charge of their own tourism resources, payment goes directly into the communities - 60% for the communities, 25% to a local guides service (that also transmits bookings to the communities), and 15% to cover administrative costs. After the communities have paid their staffing costs and for the consumables (food, toiletpaper, soap etc) the remainder is split between profit and a fund to allow for reinvestment and depreciation. The profit is then put into a community fund for the whole community to decide how it should be spent, such as the purchase of a community grain grinding mill.
The Wild Frontiers Foundation is proud to support Camara, an international charity and social enterprise that uses technology to deliver 21st century skills to improve education in disadvantaged communities around the world. In 2012, with £2500 initial funding from the foundation, Camara was able to install 25 recycled computers, loaded with educational software, and create a new eLearning Centre at Aba’ala Secondary School in the remote Afar region of northern Ethiopia. Teachers from the school have also been trained in basic digital literacy skills, simple hardware maintenance and how to use computers to teach other subjects.
In 2015 we sponsored our second school with a further £2500 to establish an elearning classroom at the Bruh Tesfa Primary School, in Addis Ababa. These students now have access to affordable technology and are learning new skills to improve their education and ultimately gain better future employment.
We are continuing to raise money to install more e-learning centres in other Ethiopian schools.