With its fabulous 3,000-year history, diverse peoples, vibrant culture, wildlife, and magnificent scenery from high mountain plateaus to parched deserts, you have so many reasons to visit this incredible country.

Located in the northeast Horn of Africa, Ethiopia is the oldest nation in Africa. A country with one of the richest histories on the African continent, Ethiopia is home to extraordinary archaeological sites. Experience the bustling capital, Addis Ababa, with its vibrant markets, museums, and modern glass offices, all right next door to traditional homes. Watch the locals fishing in the Lakes region south of the capital, where you’ll witness a plethora of birdlife.

Head further south to the stunning Bale Mountains, where you’ll keep a lookout for the rare Ethiopian wolf. Visit the fascinating tribal region of the Omo Valley, where you’ll feel like you are living a National Geographic documentary. In the East, the 1000-year-old city of Harar, with its 99 Mosques, is the fourth-holiest city in Islam, after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem.

Ethiopia is one of the largest countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, covering over one million square kilometres. It features a wide range of scenery, from the peaks of the Simien Mountains in northern Gondar to the deep Dalol depression in the west. The landscape is dominated by a volcanically formed central plateau, known as the Ethiopian Highlands, with an average altitude of 2,000 metres and 20 peaks over 4,000 metres. These Highlands form the source of four major river systems, the best known being the Blue Nile, which rises in Lake Tana in the northwest. The same outpouring of lava also contributed to a giant tear across the Earth's surface, visible from space, known as the Great Rift Valley. The Valley is home to seven large, beautiful lakes in the heart of the country, formed by millennia of heavy rainfall that deluged Africa while northern Europe was experiencing its ‘Ice Age’.

The wildlife found in Ethiopia is quite different from that of the rest of East Africa, showing some affiliations with the Middle East, and includes the native Walia ibex, Gelada baboon, Simien fox and mountain nyala. However, it is the people of Ethiopia who truly round out the character of this land of enormous ethnic diversity. Communities of Semitic, Hamitic, Nilotic, and Omotic stock make up more than 80 ethnic groups (with as many languages). The majority of the population is Christian, and a third is Muslim. About 90% of the 130 million- strong population earns its living from the land, mainly as subsistence farmers.

Finally, no trip to Ethiopia is complete without witnessing the remarkable Timkat ceremonies, celebrating the Baptism of Jesus. The colours are nothing short of spectacular, and it ranks as one of the world’s greatest street festivals.