Walking through remote rural Ethiopia

Trip Code
ZET 039
Duration
5 days / 4 nights
Any date departure
Group Size
1- 15 Participants
Transportation
Air & Surface (Minibus)
Discount
10% OFF

Mekite Community trekking - 5 days

The Tefsa village walk, spending three nights in a homestay with local communities. TESFA (Tourism in Ethiopia for Sustainable Future Alternatives) is a wonderful way to escape the tourist circuit and scratch below the surface of Ethiopian life, all the while knowing your money goes directly into the local community. The accommodation is simple, made out of two or three tukuls (cone shaped mud huts) with an eco loo (with a view). The camps are set up on the edge of amazing highlands offering spectacular views.

If harmony and peace of mind are what you are looking for the Ethiopian walking tour in Mekete is for you.

For travellers with a sense of adventure, this trekking route along the ridge of the vast, towering Mesket escarpment (to the south of Lalibela) provides a truly unforgettable opportunity to explore Ethiopia’s stunning mountain scenery and meet the people of the rural highlands, whose lives have changed little in many hundreds of years.

The treks, which can last from two days upwards (we recommend a four day trip), are part of an excellent tourism programme run by TESFA (Tourism in Ethiopia for Sustainable Future Alternatives), who work in partnership with small local communities, enabling them to register as private businesses and develop tourism-related ventures, whilst safeguarding their traditions and preserving the local environment.

The MCTW project consists of a number of rustic lodgings in truly spectacular locations, which are dotted along the rim of a plateau running east to west, from Woldiya to Gondar, and are in turn connected by an exciting walking route in an area rarely visited by tourists. There are currently 6 accommodation sites on the route (Mequat Mariam, Wajela, Aterow, Yadukulay, Boya Mikael and Aina Amba), and now that the planned chain all the way to Lalibela is complete, there are 8 community projects, allowing travellers keen on longer treks the option to spend over a week hiking amidst glorious scenery, together with the chance to explore in greater depth the landscapes around Ethiopia’s greatest site of religious pilgrimage.

The Mesket area offers an excellent alternative to the Simien Mountains — being a few thousand feet lower, the climate is a little warmer, gradients are smoother, the walking is fairly easy, and accommodation is vastly superior to camping options in the Simiens. The escarpment itself features a wide variety of plant, bird and animal life as well as caves, rock hewn churches, remote villages and affords stunning views north towards Lalibela and south towards Magdala, even Ras Dashen on a clear day.

Walking the Meket Community Tourism Walk you are unlikely to see many tourists. In fact, when there recently some young children we encountered had never witnessed a non-Ethiopian before, and cried at the sight of us! Except for the odd grind mill and braying donkey, there is no noise pollution and, if it were not for you and your fellow walkers, the scene would appear much like it would have done in the Bible.

At the end of a long day in the sub-tropical heat, rest assured that even though you might be sacrificing some home comforts, overnighting in the tukul (thatched hut) accommodation sites is all part of the experience, made all the more pleasant by the hot shower, home-cooked meal and cold beer which awaits you!

Modest but cosy and welcoming, the sites all boast fantastic views off the escarpment and count three tukuls each, sleeping a maximum of 10 in basic but clean and comfortable beds. (Mequat has one tukul divided into 2 bedrooms sleeping 8 maximum, however they are upgrading by adding an extra tukul which can sleep an additional 3.) There is a separate dining room, shower and eco-toilet all built in the local style. Hot water is hoisted into canvas shower bags on demand each evening. The food prepared by local Ethiopians is hearty and more than adequate. A limited range of drinks are also stocked including beers, colas and bottled water.

Day 1:Fly to Lalibela

Today we fly to Lalibela, Ethiopia’s cultural crown jewel. A cradle of Ethiopian Christianity, Lalibela is famed for its magnificent ancient churches and is the scene of many major religious ceremonies. Christianity in Ethiopia dates to the 1st century AD, the only pre-colonial Christian presence in sub-Saharan Africa and one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. Today, about 60 percent of Ethiopia’s people, with most part of the orthodox tradition.

Often called the eighth wonder of the world, Lalibela’s mystical rock-hewn churches evoke a profound sense of awe and admiration. Churches below ground level are carved straight from the rock, ringed by trenches and subterranean courtyards and connected by a maze of stone tunnels and passages. Of these, Bete Giyorgis is most famous and most photographed, as it is unobscured by any shelters erected over the site. The churches above ground are equally wondrous feats of engineering, built out of a single hunk of rock, using no blocks, bricks, joints, seams or mortar. While individual churches are often built in the shape of a cross, multiple churches together also form a larger cross. Among the churches we will visit is Bete Amanuel, a 36-foot-high monolith considered by architectural historians to exhibit the finest and most precise workmanship in Lalibela. Bete Medhane is the largest of Lalibela’s churches and the largest human-carved monolith in the world, while the most majestic and best preserved of all Lalibela’s churches is Bete Markorios, a cave church originally used for secular purposes and thought to be approximately 1,400 years old.

Meals: B/LD

Overnight: Tukul

Day 2: Drive to Mekuate

after early breakfast drive to Meket , where we start trek .after 3 hours of walking arrive to Mekote.

Mekuate mariam is one of the oldest campsites of all , it is situated at an altitude of 2820m South East of lalibela .it takes about three hours of driving to get to trek starting place. The trekking is easy ,mekuate campsite is famouse for hosting brad pitt in 2004. The community is consists of 288 house holds, Mekete escarpment is part of Ethiopian plateau, there are about seven campsites laying on the escarpment. At Mekuate Mariam you can enjoy lammergeyers, vultures, buzzard, kites, ravens and many other birds soar over the site, it boasts a ‘rock bar’ a smooth sheltered ledge that is warmed by the afternoon sun and invites guests sit with a sundown drink a watch the golden glow at the end of the day turn red as the sun sets over mount Guna.

Meals: B/LD

Overnight: Tukul

Day 3: Mekote —Wajela

Wajela is the second campsite site on mekete escarpment, it is situated at about 2803m above sea level, the trek involves gentle stroll along the magnificent views, across the escarpment .what makes wajela so special, it sits on the age of a cliff surrounded by the ancient villages and the campsite faces cave complex and the old church of weketa mariam set among juniper woodland .

Meals: B/LD

Overnight: Tukul

Day 4: Wajela — Atero

Aterow is the third campsite on mekete escarpment; it is situated at about–3000m above sea level. The campsite is–near to seasonal waterfall and some old–cave churches, it is mostly a playing ground for gelada baboons. It is a perfect site to enjoy their (baboons) company. The community is consists of 88 households. Aterow is famous for its

Striking chasm stretching across the escarpment.

Meals: B/LD

Overnight: Tukul

Day 5: fly back to Addis Ababa

after 1 and half hour walking meet the car and drop at Lalibela airport and Back to Addis Ababa .We fly back to Addis this morning.

Meals: B/LD

End of the Tour and Departure

This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirement.

Date and Availability = All the year This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirement and itinerary can be adjusted according to your time, budget and interest. Price: , if you want quotation or any other tour information about this trip we are very happy to help. Request a quote

suit your requirement and itinerary can be adjusted

Information

The sites are part of wholly community owned enterprises, run for and by the local community in which they are situated. Environmental considerations are an integral part of the enterprises.

Ecotourism is a fundamental part of the project.

– Numbers of tourists per site will be limited to 8 – 14

– Eco-toilet (dry composting urine separating toilet)

– Water available for washing, but tourists made aware of limited resource

– Shower — (sun heated water) water diverted to promote tree growth (not all sites have shower facilities – we are working on this).

– Indigenous tree planting

– Protecting cliff faces with terracing

– Encouraging local community to see flora and fauna as a resource to protect

The tourism generates incomes for some community members and the profit goes in to a fund for the whole community. The communities have received training on management and running of a business as part of the setting up process. They also gain confidence from running the community tourism to work together for joint benefit.

The communities are your hosts. Fifty-five percent of your payment goes directly to them(48% to the hosting communities and 7% to the community that provides lunch), twenty five percent goes to the guides and their business (which supports the community run trekking sites) and twenty percent goes to cover marketing costs and coordinate the bookings.

Getting By plane

Ethiopian Airlines has scheduled two flights a day to Lalibela Airport. Flights are often overbooked: make sure you reconfirm your seat at least 1 day in advance and show up at the airport on time! The airport is mid-sized.

By car

The road to Lalibela is fine until you get to the village of Gashena, the last 1-2 hours consists of a small and unreliable road which is partly made of tarmac and partly sand. From Bahir Dar the drive takes about 7-8 hours and from Gondar about 10-11 hours.

What to bring & what to expect?

Seasons and weather

Ethiopia maybe in Africa but it is sometimes cold in the highlands (our sites range from 2,600 – 3,000 meters above sea level). Generally the sun is warm and the air is cool. Sometimes it rains, especially in the main rainy season-a veritable monsoon-between July and September. During this season the tourist sites are closed: the mud makes walking unpleasant even if it is not raining – believe me! There is a short rainy season, important to the farmers, with sporadic rain (often late in the afternoon and at night) between February and April. Sometimes the short rains come late and merge into the main rains with May and June wet. All part of global changes in weather patterns perhaps!

Best time to Visit : September — June

Clothing

Light clothes are best for trekking, but remember it cools down in the shade so a thin long sleeved top or fleece is good to carry in the day pack. It will get cold at night, especially if there is a wind and so a jacket will be nice to put on top. Also remember that Highland Ethiopians are conservative people, and if you are going into churches and their compounds, respectful clothing should be warn, covering your body to include at least shoulders and thighs.

Sun

The sun is also strong at altitude and so a good sunhat and sun cream are important. The air is dry too so lips often need lip-balm, and moisturising cream is a good idea.

Bedding

The communities provide freshly laundered and aired bedding for the lodges. However if you feel the cold you could bring a sleeping bag.

Water

All community sites will sell clean bottled water, as do shops in even small towns. Drink plenty.

Amenities

All sites have a toilet (composting, urine separating toilet) and some have a shower (water warmed by sun only, but wonderful after a long walk). In addition to the sleeping rooms (we call the local style buildings ‘tukuls’) there is a restaurant tukul.

Walking

Most of the walking is on the flat or with short or gentle gradients, but some walks do take all day (with stops). For those unsure of wanting to walk all day, horses can be hired. These will be tough local ponies, but not really suitable for heavy people (over 80kgs) and not comfortable for those with long legs .

Your Luggage

Porters and donkeys/mules will be on hand to move your belongings from where you are dropped by car to each site and on to the rendezvous with the car. However please keep the amount to a reasonable limit (1 bag each), and please if possible pack in soft bags.

Health

There is no malaria at the Meket sites, being 1,000 meters above the 1,800 limit of the malarial mosquito. Although not as high, Lalibela, Gondar and Axum are also above the malarial cut-off point. More likely to be a problem are tummy bugs, often just from unfamiliar food. Some precautions are worth taking. A basic medical kit is available in Meket and local clinics sell many items (paracetamol, plasters etc cheaply) however it may be a good idea to bring some medicines such as Imodium in case of a tummy upset.