ETHIOPIA – the land of myth and legend

Ethiopia is a land of wonder and enchantment, a country with one of the richest histories on the African continent, a land of contrasts and surprises, of remote and wild places, home to cultured and friendly people who are descended from some of the world's oldest civilizations. It is a land of mixed race and mixed religion, of countless tribes and even more languages, mingled and matured by time and history. Today nothing seems straightforward - Amharic, the national language, has an alphabet of over 200 characters; the year, following the Julian calendar, has 13 months!

This is the land of the fabled Queen of Sheba, home of the Ark of the Covenant, the birthplace of Coffee. 'Lucy', the world's oldest known almost complete hominid skeleton, more than three million years old, was discovered here.

Ethiopia has so much to offer visitors: the Historic Route, covering the ancient town of Axum, with its amazing carved obelisks, Christian festivals and relics; Gondar, with its castles and palaces; Lalibela, with its remarkable rock hewn churches; and the walled Muslim city of Harar. At Dire Dawa you can see cave paintings considered to be thousands of years old.

Lake Tana, source of the Blue Nile, is one of a string of Great Rift Valley Lakes, many with national parks, home to a wealth of bird and animal life .The high, rugged, Simien Mountains in the north and the Bale Mountains in the south are also home to some unique wild life, and are ideal for trekking, whilst some of Ethiopia's fast-flowing rivers are becoming famous for white-water rafting.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's Capital City, has so much to offer, too, with its first-class hotels and restaurants, museums and palaces, and the Merkato - Africa's largest open-air market.

... unmistakably one of the best recommended countries for all breathtaking scenery, rugged but majestic mountains, exotic flora, fauna and pristine cultural diversity maintained by perpetual history