Turaco Tours

11/09/2023

እንኳን ለአዲሱ ዓመት አደረሳችሁ!
በአዲሱ ዓመት ያለሙትን እንዲያሳኩ፣ የተመኙትን እንዲኖሩ ፣ እንዲሁም በደስታ የተሞላ ድንቅ የስኬት ዓመት እንዲያሳልፉ እንመኝልዎታለን! 2016 ❤️

23/08/2023

Ashenda (Geez/Tigriniya/Amharic: ኣሸንዳ), also known as Shadey, Ashendiye, Solel, and Engicha, is an annual festival celebrated in Northern Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea. This festival is celebrated annually, typically between August 16th and 26th. It is a major event for Ethiopian people all over the world, particularly Tigrayan, Amhara, and Agew women. Ethiopian women and girls wait for this Girls' Day festival all year. The name "Ashenda" is the term for the tall green grass, estimated at around 80–90 cm minimum height, that the girls make into a skirt and to wear around the waist as decoration. The holiday originated as a religious one, marking the end of the 2-week fast known as Filseta, commemorating the heavenly ascension of the Virgin Mary following her dormition. It has now evolved into a cultural holiday that is celebrated by girls of all religious backgrounds.

(Celebration )
Leading up to Ashenda, women and girls will prepare to adorn themselves with jewelry, dresses, henna, and diverse cultural hairstyles. On the first day of the festival, Ethiopian girls gather together and make the journey to their local Church of St. Mary (or any other Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the community), playing music and dancing. They then go around the entire village, expressing their thanks to each household in the community. The Ashenda girls spend around 20 minutes at each house, entertaining families and themselves, before being bid farewell usually with gifts of money, food or drink. After the door-to-door celebrations, the girls find a suitable field in or near the village, spending between a day to a week dancing and playing in the field while passing men are urged to provide gifts of money.

All money and gifts collected over the course of the celebration are then donated to a charity, the Church or other events.

13/04/2023

The Abyssinian catbird or juniper babbler (Sylvia galinieri) is a species of bird in the family Sylviidae. (It is unrelated to other birds with the common name catbird). It is endemic to Ethiopia where it is found in highland forest and scrub. The Abyssinian catbird is a fairly small, mostly grey bird with black lores, whitish forehead and chestnut vent.

The Abyssinian catbird is a small-sized babbler. Its body is round with relatively short wings and legs. The bird's belly is white, but its upper parts are a lighter shade of grey that gradually fades to a darker shade moving to the backside of the bird. The head of the bird is a light shade of grey with dark highlights surrounding the eyes. The eyes themselves have a scarlet iris surrounding dark brown pupils. The beak is short pointed and black. Its wings are the darkest parts of its body having parallel bars of black along its length with the rest of the wing being grey. Its underside from its legs to its tail is a distinct orange that gives way to a tail that is about half the length of the bird itself.Abyssinian catbirds measure around 19 cm (7.5 in) in length. The bird was formerly the sole member of the genus Parophasma, and its taxonomy is still inconclusive. It is not yet certain if they are more closely related to babblers or warblers.

13/04/2023

The Ethiopian oriole was originally described in the genus Turdus. Alternate names for the Ethiopian oriole include the Abyssinian black-headed oriole, Abyssinian oriole, black-headed forest oriole, dark-headed oriole, Ethiopian black-headed oriole, Ethiopian forest oriole and forest oriole.

Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized:

Omo black-headed oriole (O. m. meneliki) - Blundell & Lovat, 1899: Originally described as a separate species. Found in southern Ethiopia
O. m. monacha - (Gmelin, 1789): Found in northern Ethiopia, Eritrea

09/01/2023

Ruspoli's Turaco (Tauraco ruspolii)
Date: 23 Dec 2022
Distribution: Endemic to Ethiopia and it is found in S Ethiopia, around Arero, Bobela, Sokora, Negele and Wadera.
Location: Arero, Ethiopia.
Photograph courtesy of Merid N Gabremichael

07/01/2023

Ethiopian Christmas at a glance

Unlike the Christmas you might be familiar with, the Ethiopian variety has a noticeable lack of tangled tinsel, red bobble hats and flickering, multicoloured lights intertwined amongst conifer branches.

Ethiopian Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January on the Gregorian calendar, or the 29th of Tahsas on the Ethiopian calendar.

In the run up to Christmas, practitioners are expected to partake in a 43-day fast known as Tsome Nebiyat or the ‘Fast of the Prophets’.

During this period, believers must abstain from all non-vegan products and psychoactive substances, including alcohol and can only consume one meal per day.

Beginning on the 25th November, the fast is believed to clear the body of sin, allowing those who partake the opportunity to cleanse the spirit in anticipation of the birth of their saviour, Jesus Christ.

22/11/2022

The traditions of the Omo Valley tribes are deeply embedded, and each tribe’s identity is vividly clear, even to outsiders. Researchers have noted that this extraordinary wealth of traditional human cultures and small tribal groups exhibiting an amazing wealth of body decoration and adornment was due to their long isolation. Most travel advice websites, such as Lonely Planet, strongly recommend visitors to experience the fascinating culture of the ethnic groups settled in the Omo Valley by visiting traditional Daasanach villages, watching Hamer people performing a Jumping of the Bulls ceremony or seeing the Mursi’s mind-blowing lip plates.
Afropia Tours , as a specialist in organizing tribal and cultural trips, offers from 4 to 10 days full package trips to this a site.

19/11/2022

Bale mountain natural park

National Park

Bale Mountains National Park is an incredibly scenic park, also if you don't really care about the endemic animals and birds. As there are a lot of biologically keen people and birdwatchers who want to know this. We customize to our clients, and if you want something more general, don't hesitate to ask. We make it work for you! So let us give the naturalists what they want to know, but don't get discouraged. We will give you the time of your life in this fabulously beautiful national park.

The mountainous conditions and the variety of elevations make Bale Mountains unique. The high elevation in an otherwise very dry region, causes relatively high annual rainfall, varying from 1,000 - 1,400 mm at the higher elevations and 600 - 1,000 mm per year at the lower elevations of the park, while evaporation is relatively low due to the much cooler conditions in the mountains. As a result, the Bale Mountains are the main source of water for 12 million people and for a hydroelectrical dam downstream from the mountains.

12/07/2022

27/06/2022

18/03/2022

05/03/2022

Awash National Park

Awash National Park is a national park in Ethiopia. Spanning across the southern tip of the Afar Region and the northeastern corner of the East Shewa Zone of Oromia, this park is 225 kilometers east of Addis Ababa (and a few kilometers west of Awash), with its southern boundary along the Awash River, and covers 850 square kilometers of acacia woodland and grassland. The Addis Ababa - Dire Dawa highway passes through this park, separating the Illala Saha Plains to the south from the Kudu Valley to the north. In the south of the park the Awash River gorge has amazing waterfalls. In the upper Kudu Valley at Filwoha are hot springs amid groves of palm trees.

The Awash National Park was established in 1966, although the act authorizing its existence was not completely passed for another three years. In establishing this park, as well as the Metehara Sugar Plantation to the south, the livelihoods of the indigenous Karayyu Oromo people have been endangered — an effect that is contrary to the Ethiopian government's original intention of these establishments serving to benefit the local population.
Wildlife in this park include hippopotamus, Nile crocodile, hyenas, lions, cheetahs, leopards, 335 East African oryxes, Soemmerring's gazelles, zebra, giraffe, Salt's dik-diks, lesser and greater kudus, and common warthogs. Olive baboons African wild dogs, hamadryas baboons are present, as well as over 453 species of native birds like the ostriches. Animals like elephant, rhino and Cape buffalo existed here.
Habitats in Awash National Park include acacia woodland, savanna and shrubland.

23/01/2022

04/01/2022

25/12/2021

Simien Mountains National

The Simien Mountains National Park in Northern Ethiopia is an exotic setting with unique wildlife and breath-taking views on a landscape shaped by nature and traditional agriculture. The natural beauties of this region have always filled visitors from Ethiopia and abroad with awe. Gentle highland ridges at altitudes above 3600 meters above sea level (m asl), covered with grasses, isolated trees (Erica &bored) and the bizarre Giant Lobelia (Lobelia rhynchopetalum) are found on the high plateau that ends abruptly at 1000- to 2000-m deep escarpments.

The margins of this high plateau consist of precipitous cliffs and deep, canyon-style gorges. In some places, the escarpment forms small elevations that offer splendid natal lookout points. The spectacular views from the observation points at Gidir Got and lmet Gogo in the center of the Park offer unparalleled panoramas along the high plateau and down to the lowland areas. Given the right meteorological conditions, views reaching up to a hundred kilometers over the valleys and the terraces of the Tekeze lowland basin are no exception. Geologically speaking, the entire highlands of the Simien mountains consist of dark Trapp basalt and bright, soft turf. They alternate and constitute a massive complex that is more than 3000 m thick. This complex was formed by volcanic eruptions in the Tertiary Oligocene-Miocene Age some 20-30 million years ago; ever since, it has been going through processes of uplifting and erosion.

The main attraction of the Simien Moumains National Park is its biosphere: the steep cliffs and the cool climate at the altitude of the Erica tree line (3600 to 4000 m ash) have created conditions that are appropriate for the survival of an ibex species (Capra ibex wee) endemic to the Simien Mountains. Despite the severe restriction of their habitat over the last centuries, several hundred animals have survived up to the present. Apart from the Walya ibex, many other animal species are found in the Park, for example the endemic Simien fox or Ethiopian wolf (Canis .071817,51-3 simony’s), several birds of prey, the endemic Gelada baboon ( Theropithecusgelada), the Klippspringer (Oreotragus omotragus), and the bush buck (liagelphus scriptus). The rareness of these species formed the backbone of the concept for conservation of the area, which led to the establishment of the Simien Mountains National Park in 1969, and its listing as a World Heritage Site in 1918.

The human population living in the area adds to the distinctiveness of this special natural environment. The traditional lifestyle of the rural population and their survival in a rather harsh climate and with scarce natural resources make for the most striking impressions a visitor will have when trekking in the Park and its surrounding rural area.

29/11/2021

Ethiopia 🇪🇹🇪🇹🇪🇹

29/11/2021

Best Places to Visit in Ethiopia
Danakil Depression
Positioned on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea is the Danakil Depression. It’s officially one of driest and hottest places on Earth.

With temperatures that often reach 50+ degrees, it’s easy to see why. This is a surreal piece of real estate that’s strewn with active volcanoes, salted basins, hot springs, and a lava lake – all of which combine to create a very lunar-like landscape.

Sitting below sea level, it’s the lowest point in Africa and second in the world (after the Dead Sea).

Do a bit of planning before you go as the climate can be harsh if you aren’t prepared. But the beauty and mystery of this place make any preparation well worth it.
Lalibela

Lalibela pretty much blows the mind of everyone who visits. This medieval settlement was designed to be a kind of second Jerusalem and modern day inhabitants remain proud of this distinction.

Lalibela is perched in the middle of a broad church complex made entire of rock.

There are 11 churches in the settlement, monolithic and grand, all built by King Lalibela as early as the 12th century.

Remarkable because of the architectural design, the churches are actually dug into the ground.

The most famous, and most beautiful, is St George’s Cathedral. An awe-inspiring sight.

If you’re so inclined, there are several monasteries in the nearby area that are worth visiting.

17/11/2021

17/11/2021

14/11/2021

11/11/2021

Yabello - Borana
The Borana people are part of the Oromo which are the largest ethnic group of Ethiopia. The Borana are pastoralist who travel long distances with their cattle and camels in search for scarce food in an arid environment. Their appearance is much more 'African' in the way that the women are dressed in the colorful cloths found at many other areas in Africa. Yabello is the largest town in the Ethiopian Borana area, they are also found in northern Kenya. It is a good base to explore the area and the Saturday market is well worth a visit.

The Borana Lodge, in a beautiful setting in the bush (acacia) savanna, is the best place to stay in the area. Additional accommodation is available in Yabello.
El Sod

The crater lake El Sod is know as Chew Bet in Amharic language, which translates as 'salt house' For centuries Borana people harvest salt from the lake for human and animal consumption The latter distributed in a wide area including northern Kenya to keep the cattle healthy. The lake is situated in a beautiful setting and offers a short but strenuous hike along the same path the donkeys take to bring out the salt.
Singing Wells

The Borana people live in a semi arid area where water is scarce. To supply their cattle (and themselves) with this precious liquid when there is no surface water, they dug wells by hand up to 30 meters deep. These wells made it possible for the Borana people to survive for centuries under harsh conditions. It is an impressive sight to see a well operating. Man and woman form an human chain down in the well passing buckets between them to bring up the water. Meanwhile there is a loud chorus of singing to keep the rhythm going. Animals waiting for their turn to drink.

Yabello Wildlife Sanctuary

The Yabello Wildlife Sanctuary was created to protect a small population of the endemic Swayne's hartebeest. Other species inhabiting the sanctuary, mostly covered by acacia savanna, are Burchell's zebra, greater and lesser kudu, gerenu

11/11/2021

Chebera Churchura National Park is a national park located in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region in the south west of Ethiopia. The park was founded by the regional government in 2005.
The park covers 1,250 km2 and contains four types of habitat. Most of the park, 62%, is wooded grassland dominated by elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum), with montane woodland comprising 29% and woodland and riparian forest the rest. 37 species of large mammal, including African elephants, have been recorded in the park, and 237 species of bird.

Wildlife
Chebera-Churchura National Park has a good variety of animals. The game rangers are skilled at tracking elephants and buffalos. Other wildlife you might spot while hiking includes lesser and greater kudu, defassa waterbuck, hippo, bushpig and giant forest hog. Guereza monkeys are common in the riverine forest, while vervet monkeys offer lots of entertainment in the campsite.
Scenery
Due to the large span of altitudes, Chebera-Churchura NP covers a lot of different habitats and landscapes. There is a big chunk of lush jungle-like forest crisscrossed by streams and animal paths. Further afield the forest thins and gives way to woodland savannah. Several hot springs and crater lakes can be reached on hiking excursions.
Weather & Climate
The weather and climate of Chebera-Churchura NP is comparable to that of Ethiopia in general.
Best Time to Visit
Chebera-Churchura NP is in the Dry season from November to February. The park is best explored on foot, so the Wet season months from April to October can be a bit more challenging. However, the scenery is at its best during this time.
Getting There
Chebera-Churchura NP is located about 450km/280mi southwest of Addis Ababa. The journey is usually taken over two days and can be broken up in Jimma.

21/10/2021

ትልቋ ኢትዪጵያ ♥♥💯
የሶፍ ዑመር ዋሻ

The caves of Sof omer are located about 140 km from the Bale mountains national park headquarter and 110km from Zone’s capital of Robe .It is one of the longest underground caves in Africa.