Mario Hubski from Holland
An unforgettable hike in the Simien Mountains!!

 Afera organised for the two of us a three-day, two-night hike in the Simien Mountains starting from Gondar. The experience exceeded our expectations. Everything was perfectly organised from the beginning till the end. The first day, our excellent guide Abel picked us up in the morning in our hotel in Gondar. As we did not have time to visit the castles of Gondar before, with no fuss they postponed our departure time, so that we could still see the castles and the beautiful church of Debre Berham Selassie. 

In Debark we met the rest of the crew: our scout (i.e. a guy with Kalashnikov), our cook and an assistant cook. In spite of a late start we had more than enough time to hike through amazing scenery to arrive in the Sankabar campsite before sunset. When we got to the camp, our tent was already pitched in a nice secluded place; hot tea and snacks were already waiting for us. All the supplies and heavy stuff made it there on a mule. Dinner was simple but tasty and the quantity of food such as to make sure that we don’t lose any weight on this hike  :).

The night was very cold, but we expected that, that’s why we got our own very warm sleeping bags and inflatable mats that we highly recommend to everyone. The second day we walked most of the day to the Geech Camp. On the way we came across loads of Gelada baboons – it is amazing how close one can get to them – Gelada encounters made our Simien hike a truly exceptional experience. In the Geech camp Abel and the crew made sure that we had the best spot, with a beautiful view over the valley.

Just before sunset we hiked to a nearby hill to see hundreds of geladas migrating towards their sleeping place on the cliffs – needless to say it was WOW. The second night was radical – minus 3 Celsius. The toilets were scary. This trip is clearly not for comfort seekers, but the views, geladas and great ambience on the way more than compensate for occasional suffering. The last day we hiked to the highest point – Imet Gogo (almost 4000 meters) for more breath-taking views – through fields of giant lobelias and other high altitude plants. We completed the hike in the afternoon and were back to Gondar just after dark.  We definitely recommend!

Beautiful trip and Expert guiding!

My husband and I did a trek in the Simien Mountains - one of the highlights of our trip to Ethiopia.  Afera, our guide, was expert and knowledgeable about the geology, flora, fauna and people of the area.  (He is also an interesting, friendly and fun person whom we enjoyed spending the days with!)  The logistics of the trek were very well organized with respect to food, gear, animals, etc.  We highly recommend Afera. Bulla and Bullie from the USA, contact us jsrock_us@yahoo.com.

 Mackan, Gothenburg, Sweden

Amazing Landscape

Visited Simien mountains, in Ethiopia, a while ago. A few days walking around in the mountains, looking for wildlife, birds and just enjoying the absolutely stunning landscape. My guide Afera was great - welcoming, nice and helpful. This is a place not to be missed. And I’d definitely recommend going there with Afera, for a maximized experience. He knows everything there is to know about Simien and he gladly shares his experiences of the mountains with you. Also, he speaks good English, so communication won’t be any problem at all.

Jennifer from Portland, Oregon

Great wildlife & Scenery, plus a great guide to bring it all together

We visited Ethiopia and one of those days was spent in the Simien Mountains. We were lucky to have Afera as our guide for our day trek. He was fun, friendly and informative throughout our trek, sharing all sorts of interesting information about the area. Afera speaks very good English and is always helpful and smiling. We went at the perfect pace, pausing to admire stunning views and enjoy the environment along the way. I would love to go back and book with Afera for a longer 3 day trek through the Simiens, they truly are spectacular and Afera is a wonderful guide.