Experience the real EthiopiaSee our Tour Options
Hi Trekking Folks Are there any Tesfa trekkers out there with photos from their trips that we could use in our new calendar (Wollo, Tigray, Janamora or Wof Washa community treks)? As usual we are planning to produce a Tesfa calendar again for 2020/21 – Ethiopian year starting 2013 – despite the virus. We will […]
Easter is now one week away in Ethiopia. Today is Palm Sunday or Hosanna in Ethiopia. It is usually one of the busiest days in the church calendar, but today – although some still went to church, Addis Ababa remained quiet. People did put palm fonds on their heads. Hosanna marks the start of the […]
I am absolutely sure all of our clients and supporters know full well about the Coronavirus that has swept through so many countries of the world. There are 11 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ethiopia (as of 26 March), however due to lack of testing it is widely accepted that there will be more than […]
For Orthodox Christians, March is the middle of the Lentan Fast. The Hudadi or the Abiy Tsom as it is known, started on Mon 24th February (Yekatit 16) and runs for 55 days through to 19th April – Ethiopian Easter (in fact across the Orthodox world) known in Ethiopia as Fasika. The fast means followers […]
Witness a ring of fire in the sky over Ethiopia’s Jerusalem “It’s not like night. It’s not like day. It’s not like twilight. It’s like nothing you’ve ever felt before.” — Rhonda Coleman having witnessed the Great American Eclipse in Aug 2017 There will be a full Annular Solar Eclipse – that is ‘the […]
A Ring of Fire in the sky above Africa’s Jerusalem, and Holy relics paraded from the churches. Two special events this June in Lalibela: on Sunday 21st June, you can witness a rare celestial phenomena, when the sun is eclipsed by the moon. It will be an ‘annular’ eclipse so a ring of light or […]
I am in the vibrant market town of Weldiya, preparing to climb high into the North Wollo mountains in a bid to reach Ethiopia’s famed holy city of Lalibela. Over the next five days I will cover 170km, crossing mountains at 3,800m and lowlands at 1,800m. For centuries, Ethiopian Orthodox Christians have made this and similar journeys in pilgrimage to the breathtaking complex of 11 churches hewn out of solid rock in the 12th century. But it is not a route that outsiders typically take. At least not any longer.
Today – 7th January – it is Christmas (known as Gena) in Ethiopia, and indeed across the Orthodox world. For Ethiopians it is the culmination of a 44 day long Advent fast (the second longest fast after the Lenten Fast that runs for 55 days up to Easter). But in Lalibela Gena will be celebrated […]
It is Hedar 11 – (Nov 22) one of the big St Michael’s days in the calendar. Today traditionally rubbish is burnt in peoples’ compounds and the smoke takes disease and bad spirits away.
After 9 nights camping we ended our trip at the lovely Limalimo lodge on the green western edge of the Simien Park. The expedition’s key objective was getting Alex and Emebet to the top of Ethiopia’s highest mountain -Ras Dashen (or Ras Dejen as it is locally known)- at 4,533 meters. Alex Lewis, a quadruple […]
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 […]