Simien mountains trekking in Ethiopia

Planet

The Simien Mountain National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site, home to the endangered Wali Ibex, only found in these mountains, and to the endemic Ethiopian Wolf, who are endangered and only found in numbers in several highland locations including the Simiens. it is also the most important refuge for the Endemic Geladas. The park is under threat from human use notably grazing livestock. The park itself is very fragile and has been damaged by fires that we think are lit on purpose by surrounding villagers. it is vital that it remains a source of employment for these surrounding villages, to counter the human threats to the park. We use a local team, born and raised in these mountains who will guide, cook for a look after you throughout your trip.

As additional environmental measures we use water filtration rather than packed water, and we do not use single use plastic or metal foil in the park (we provide our cook team with lunch boxes to avoid this).

Limalimo Lodge - which we use, is locally owned and staffed by local people, trained up from the local villages. And which we prefer also has local ownership. The lodge practice many positive environmental measures including providing filtered drinking water, local produce is used and much of the construction of the lodge uses rammed earth and much less concrete.

"The lodge has been built using locally sensitive green technology wherever possible and we operate with minimal environmental impact. Buildings are constructed using rammed earth, wood and thatch. The earth for the rammed earth was all collected from the site and has produced beautiful walls that blend into the surroundings. Waste is minimized as much as possible and managed in a responsible manner. Toilet waste is treated through an on-site biowaste system, greywater is used to water the grounds and kitchen waste is composted wherever possible. Electricity is provided as much as possible through renewable sources and solar is used to supplement hot water heating." (from. their website)

Tesfa Tours has been supporting a community based tourism initiative outside the park since 2016, but with the outbreak of conflict and growth in insecurity in the region, it has been impossible to travel to these remote communities.

People

Only local people are used as drivers, guides, and the trek team. And we use the lodge which has not only local ownership but a positive record in employing local villagers and training them up. Our trek team is led by cook Abjew Endale who we have worked with for 20 years. He and his family have been through hard times with COVID and conflict massively impacting their livelihood. Through the bad times we have supported Abjew (and others) and now look to get them on their feet through work.