Ethiopia & East Africa · office in Gondar · Open daily · 8:00 - 18:00 (East Africa Time)
Northern Highlands
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the crown of the Ethiopian highlands — the 'Roof of Africa' — where sheer escarpments fall thousands of metres.
The Simien Mountains National Park protects one of the most dramatic landscapes in Africa. Volcanic tablelands and deep valleys are sliced by an immense escarpment that drops more than 1,000 metres in places, sheltering rare wildlife found nowhere else on Earth.
Known as the 'Roof of Africa', its peaks rise above 4,500 metres. Walkers are rewarded with endless views, high altitude meadows alive with grazing gelada baboons, and the chance to spot the endemic wallia ibex clinging to the cliffs.
Our home ground: we know this park's trails, campsites, weather and wildlife intimately, and we love sharing it.
A thunderous waterfall tumbling from the escarpment into a forested ravine below.
The park's most iconic viewpoint, plunging 800 metres to the valley floor.
One of Africa's highest peaks, offering the grandest panoramas of the range.
Immense troops of the 'bleeding-heart' baboon grazing the high meadows.
Most travellers arrive through Addis Ababa's Bole International Airport, then fly or drive north. We arrange every flight, transfer and road leg as part of your itinerary.
Read the transport guideDomestic flights link the capital with Gondar, Lalibela, Axum and Bahir Dar across the northern circuit.
Gondar is the usual gateway — about a three-hour drive from the park gate at Debark.
The northern circuit can be driven between sites by private 4x4, which we arrange for you.
Nowhere else on Earth combines such dramatic escarpments with wildlife you'll find nowhere else.
Walk the iconic 'Roof of Africa' viewpoints and high moorland trails that most visitors never see.
Encounter vast herds of gelada baboons and the rare wallia ibex in their natural highland home.
Trek with local guides and muleteers whose families have lived in these mountains for generations.
The classic escarpment traverse
Four days across the heart of the Simien Mountains: escarpments, Afromontane forests, gelada herds and dawn on the 'Roof of Africa'.
The perfect short escape
A compact three-day trek packed with the Simien highlights — escarpment viewpoints, gelada baboons and the famous Imet Gogo panorama.
Highlands and holy rock churches
The classic combination: trek the Simien escarpment, then Lalibela's rock-hewn churches — history and highlands in one unforgettable journey.
Big views, big herds, two days
A rapid-fire two-day introduction to the Simien highlands — gelada baboons, steep escarpments and the thunder of Jinbar waterfall.
A deeper, wider traverse
Five days crossing two major sections of the Simien escarpment for the broadest, wildest panoramas the park has to offer.
A taster of the Roof of Africa in a single day
A full-day drive and walk into the Simien escarpment from Gondar — waterfalls, gelada viewpoints and the sheer scale of the highlands, without an overnight.
To the roof of Ethiopia at 4,543 metres
Ethiopia's highest peak. A demanding but exhilarating multi-day trek to the summit of Ras Dashen (4,543m) across the wild heart of the Simien Mountains.
The highland traverse with a warm bed each night
Walk the best of the Simien escarpment by day, then return to comfortable lodge accommodation each evening — a gentler way to experience the Roof of Africa without camping.
The complete Ethiopia
The definitive overland journey — northern castles and churches, the Simien trek, Danakil's volcanoes, Tigray's cliffs and Harar's alleys in one grand loop.
The Roof of Africa at a family-friendly pace
A gentle, flexible highland escape designed for families — easy walks, huge herds of gelada baboons and nights at a warm mountain lodge.
Golden-hour journeys with a camera-first itinerary
A private, pace-controlled trek designed around the light — sunrise viewpoints, wildlife moments and big-sky nights, guided by photographers.
Every wonder of the north in one journey
The complete northern odyssey — Simien trekking, Gondar, Tana, Axum, the Tigray cliff churches, Lalibela and the Danakil in one grand loop.
Guided multi-day treks across Ethiopia's great highlands — from the Simien escarpment and Ras Dashen to the Bale Mountains — fully supported with local guides.
Learn more
Ethiopia's remarkable endemic wildlife — giant troops of gelada baboons, the rare wallia ibex, the endangered Ethiopian wolf — plus the birds and big game of the lowlands.
Learn morePhotographing and absorbing some of Africa's most dramatic scenery — vast escarpments, deep valleys, deserts, great lakes and endless savanna horizons.
Learn moreYes — many travellers enjoy day drives and short viewpoint walks. We offer day and two-day nature tours as well as multi-day treks.
Options range from camping at park sites to lodges and comfortable hotels at Debark and in the lower reaches of the park.
Not necessarily. We offer everything from easy viewpoint day walks to challenging multi-day treks, so there is an option for every level of fitness.
Most travellers combine this destination with another — the northern circuit, the Danakil, the Omo Valley or beyond. See which places fit your route.
The 'Camelot of Africa' — an imperial city of castles, churches and a rich royal history in Ethiopia's northwest highlands.
Home to the extraordinary rock-hewn churches of Lalibela — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Africa's great pilgrimage destinations.
The ancient capital of the Aksumite Empire, famed for towering stelae, royal tombs and a history spanning nearly two millennia.
Send us an inquiry and we'll help you build the perfect itinerary — tours, timing and logistics included.
