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Olivia Chapman visits Boya – one of the Tesfa Community owned Guesthouses near Lalibela (all photos taken by Olivia) “I had the pleasure of visiting Tesfa Tour’s community owned guesthouse in Boya at the end of February this year and despite the structural destruction there is still a sort of magic about the place. The […]
Visiting Tigray after 3 years I like to get around the country and visit the places we send our clients, especially the community treks. It’s important to talk to our guides and the communities and for them to see me and of course to see the state of repair of the guesthouses and their materials. […]
As many will know the big fasting season in Ethiopia started this week on Monday. Fasting is appears in many religions around the world. But in the west its has lost its rigour for most people. However in the Ethiopian Orthodox church there are many fasting days through the year. In fact a strict observer of […]
Dear friends It has been a long time since I wrote last. In the meantime tourism has really begun to get going, and thankfully the peace in Tigray has taken root. The peace treaty that was signed on 2nd of November in Pretoria, South Africa, has been implemented gradually over the last few months. The […]
While the core area of the Simien Mountain National Park has been open for visitors for the last year now, Ras Dashen and Eastern edge of the park was closed. It is now open again and for those keen to climb Ethiopia’s highest mountain (variously measured at 4,533m and 4,543m and some times known as […]
Melkam Mikael – today is a special St. Michaels Day – Hedar Mikael, and today in Addis, looking out to the invisible mountains – shrouded in a smoke from thousands of bonfires you might have thought you were in Lahore or Delhi. Today is the day when householders burn their compound rubbish and with the […]
Yesterday evening (Wed 2 Nov), after two years of conflict and 10 days of peace talks, the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the TPLF agreed on a “permanent cessation of hostilities”, and a raft of measures which include an agreement to demobilise Tigrayan forces and bring food and essential services to the people of Tigray. […]
ለአዲሱ ዓመት እንኳን በሰላም አደረሳችሁ። Yesterday (Sunday 11 Sep) Ethiopia entered into 2015. The Kremt – rainy season is still drenching the capital and much of the north of the country with its monsoon rains. Much of the highlands is is now green, rivers are running in torrents, with waterfalls impressive everywhere, and the ubiquitous […]
I am very excited by this year’s diary/agenda. It will fit in your bag, so you can carry it around with you and write notes or appointments on the day pages. At the same time you can see more about that week- which saints days, when the fasting starts or ends, what holidays are coming […]
Its a labour of love: producing these calendars that are a synthesis of the Ethiopian Calendar with its 13 months starting on 11th September, and the western calendar with its 12 months. Woven into this are a multitude of Saints Days and cultural holidays, other special days in the Orthodox church including fasting periods, as […]
Today Thursday 21 November is St Mikael’s day here in Ethiopia – Hedar (the month) Mikael. It’s one of numerous big saints days where the holy tabot is paraded out. But for this day there is a tradition to burn rubbish and that the smoke will take the evil away. For more details see this […]
The UK FCDO travel advice has just been changed to show all the core areas of Tigray (away from disputed territories and boundaries) as green. At Tesfa Tours we have been sending clients there to trek at community-owned guesthouses and see the wonders of the ancient city of Axum and there hidden rock churches of […]