Simien Mountains

One of the major mountains ranges in Africa, the stunning, rugged scenery of the Simien mountains provides a dramatic setting for some very exhilarating trekking. The peaks of this island in the sky, much of it a high plateau edged by huge escarpments, form a jagged skyline from below; deep gorges carve through and striking flora and fauna are scattered around the landscape. Amongst all this is the highest summit in Ethiopia (the fourth highest in Africa), Ras Dashen – the actual height of which is under debate, but is generally considered to be 4,543m.

The Simiens are formed from highly eroded volcanic plateaux with dramatic escarpments, and are said to be unique – along with the Drakensberg in South Africa, that is. They were formed between 40 and 25 million years ago by vast outpourings of lava from a huge shield volcano, and have left layers of basaltic rock and tuff some 3,000-3,500m thick. Ras Dashen and Mt Buahit are said to have been formed for the outer core of this huge volcano.

Wildlife is a highlight of the range, as it is home to three endemic species (the Walia ibex, the Simien fox (ironically seen more often in the Bale mountain range) and the Gelada baboon) as well as many others; the sixty-three species of birds are equally fascinating, particularly the rare, huge Lammergeyer.

Surrounded by this beauty, it is possible to overlook the poverty of the country. In these mountains, especially areas away from the roads, the Amhar people live in rural villages which they say aid often does not reach, and many suffer badly through lack of medical supplies, food and good sanitation.

Walking options are, as a result of the topography, more limited than you would expect. There is one (good dirt) road, which is usually taken from the cheerful town of Debark on the road from Gondar to the west, which seems to have a bit of a monopoly on trek organising. 

There are various routes you can taken, from day walks to long treks.

Multi-dayers

The shorter classic: 5 days to Mt Buahit:  Start inside the park entrance – we recommend you don’t start from Debark, but get a lift so you begin in much wilder landscape. Walk along the escarpment edge, with some road time too, to scruffy Sankaber: hold your nose both metaphorically and literally here – it does gets better. Day 2 is a stunner, with a lot of time on the escarpment edge, away from the road. Huge cliffs, a 500m waterfall, some farmland, perhaps lunch by a stream, then a long, likely tiring, slog up to Geech in its beautiful high plain. Day 3 is the outstanding Imet Gogo Ridge. Day 4 is the superb trek to and along the escarpment to Chenek, another slightly disappointing campsite saved by amazing views from the nearby rim. Day 5 is a satisfactory rounder-off, a climb of Mt Buahit at 4,430m. See William Mackesy’s account of this trek. You can meet transport here, or walk back to the park entrance, or onward on the Simien and Onward trek.

The longer classic: 7 days+ to Ras Dashen: start with the classic 4 days via Geech and Chenek (3 days if you omit Imet Gogo, but please don’t!), then walk on to Ambikwa, a 22km, 9hr slog, albeit through fascinating landscape, including a climb to a shoulder of Mt Buahit then a long descent to the deep Mesheba valley before climbing to Ambikwa. Ras Dashen peak is tackled the next day – see more here. While Ras Dashen will satisfy peak baggers, it isn’t the world’s most thrilling peak, quite a slog with a scramble at the end. You can shorten this walk by driving to Chenek and starting walking there (3 days +), but you will have less acclimatisation.

Simien and onward to remote lower lands: Start with the 5 day classic, then drop off the escarpment near Chenek to head back north-east to Adi Arkay on the Gondar road, through remote, little-visited villages for a good examination of Ethiopian rural life. 7-8 days. This is a superb, varied walk for those with the time. We would choose it over the Longer Classic.

To/from Lalibela: you can make a long trek between the Simiens and the great rock church site of Lalibela, through rough, mountains and hills, visiting remote villages and a remarkably unchanged way of life. 12 days or so if you trek the whole way, although this can of course be shortened.  If walked from Lalibela, you will have had more acclimatisation time when you reach the high Simiens.

The campsites on the longer treks, which you are required to stay in, left a lot to be desired in 2019: loos so disgusting at Sankaber that we saw someone be spontaneously sick on viewing them, and a grungy site with packed-in tents to boot. Chenek was pretty dreary, too. Geech, some way from the road, is a lot better, but was still litter-strewn. The word is that the park administration is corrupt, and money supposed to be used for keeping sites tidy gets pocketed.

Day walks

Many of the days on the longer treks can be walked as fantastic day walks, although they will be longer days, at altitude, than if done as part of a multi-day trek. But you can avoid the (as of 2019) thoroughly underwhelming roadside campsites.

Along the escarpment to Sankaber: get dropped on the road around Buyit Ras. It is a 4 hour or so walk, much of it along the escarpment side, to scruffy Sankaber. A good introductory walk if time/money are at a premium, but not a patch on the fireworks further up into the range.  

Imet Gogo Ridge: if one had to name a single best day here, this would probably be it: a superb route through luscious landscape, out along the southern (inner) flank of this outlying ridge, which narrows to the final Imet Gogo point, surrounded on all sides by giddy cliffs, except for a narrow dyke of hard volcanic rock you teeter along to get there. The views here of the great Simien escarpment, with grassy plateau behind and crags and cliffs falling to broken farmland and rough badlands far below, are some of the best in the entire range.

Geech to Chenek: a glorious if demanding day’s walk, travesing out then dropping to a valley-bottom escarpment cliff-top, before a long climb through beautiful giant heather and grassland to the escarpment top. Then a marvellous descent just behind the escarpment edge.

Mt Buahit: a fine peak at the heart of the range, a bit of a slog with huge, beautiful views and a good chance of meeting gelada monkey and walia ibex.

Ras Dashan: There is quite a consensus that Ethiopia's highest peak (at 4,543m) is doubtfully worthwhile: it is a long, rough, altitudinous 5-6 hr slog from Ambikwa, with some scrambling at the end. The views from the summit are pretty extraordinary, by definition 360° and far reaching,  but they are little better than on Mt Buahit, and both are less thrilling than the best of the escarpment. Note – it is usually walked as part of a longish trek (to give acclimatisation time) and would be difficult without that.

Almost everyone feels the altitude, as the beginning of the ridge is at around 3,000m and it only gets higher. Spend some time in (say) Gondar to acclimatise. Walk slowly, especially on climbs. Drink lots of water. Not many people get severe problems, but expect a headache and some poor sleep and be prepared to cope if severe problems develop.

www.tourdust.com organise Ethiopia expeditions, including walking here. We had a wonderful time, with a well planned and supported journey. They clearly have good local partners. We loved our Simien trek, an extraordinary experience. We did have some minor issues with our trek team, but these were not within Tourdust’s control. We are proud to be their partners.