Your Guides – in Lalibela area (Wollo)
The Community Tourism Guiding Enterprise in Lalibela has been operating since 2008 and will provide you with a trained guide for your trip. Your guides are experienced, trained, enthusiastic and all committed to the concept of community tourism. They all speak good English and will be happy to help you to see the kind of things you are interested in seeing. They will be the bridge between you and the community on your trek.
The Community Tourism Guiding Enterprise (CTGE) is an organisation linked to the community sites. TESFA has supported the CTGE to become its own independent business, professionally guiding guests on their trek through the local communities in the surrounding hills.
Lalibela is the hub of the operation as it is both the major tourist attraction in the areas, and has good communications (mobile and landline telephone services and regular air services).
Your guide will travel from Lalibela to Meket with you. We recommend that you meet up the evening before if possible so that you can check any last minute details. Your guide may come to meet you at your hotel, or you can arrange to meet them in their office.
If travelling by bus you will be responsible for your guide’s ticket, but he can help you to find the bus station and get the right bus. If travelling by hired vehicle he will check with the vehicle operator and make sure arrangements are in place to have you picked at your hotel or a convenient place.
There are ten guides working for the CTGE at the moment. All the guides are from North Wollo (the administrative zone), but some have spent time out of the area. All of them share a love of the area and the communities and are really committed to the concept of community tourism.
The CTGE office is manned during normal office hours, but sometimes there can be problems getting through to Lalibela phone number. Do try both numbers 033 336 1094/5, and if busy or not answering it maybe due to connection problems. The guides also have a 24 hour duty mobile 091 324 4479.
In Tigray – based out of Adigrat
We are developing a similar arrangement in Tigray. There are currently four trained guides operating out of Adigrat ready to take you on your community tourism adventure. All are local and speak good english and so will be your link to the local communities.