Simien Mountains National Park

The road from Debark to Simien Mountains Nationanl Park	Hut near the park entrance	Welcome - Simen Mountains National Park	It is strictly forbidden to drive inside the park from 6 am to 6 pm
Gate to Simien Mountain National Park	Permit inspection - only on the way in	Western end of Simien Mountains National Park	Simien Lodge - the Highest Lodge in Africa - 3260m (10700ft)
Simien Lodge	Thick-billed Raven, Simien Lodge	Keith with our armed scout and English-speaking guide	Me with the armed scout and guide
Buyit Ras, 3230m, Simien Mountains National Park	Keith, near the Simien Lodge	Buyit Ras viewpoint, Simien Mountains	Keith on the edge during our first short trek
Keith along the Northern Escarpment, Simien Mountains National Park	Me sitting on a branch at the edge of a cliff	Me, on the edge, Simien Mountains	Simien Mountains National Park
On the afternoon of our arrival we hiked from the lodge along the northern escarpment for several hours	Simien Mountains National Park	Abyssinian Rose (Rosa abyssinica) Simien Mountains	Keith, Simien Mountains
Keith, Simien Mountains	Don't Jump!	Northern Escarpment, Simien Mountains	Panorama of the Northern Escarpment, Simien Mountains National Park
Northern Escarpment, Simien Mountains	Some people liken the Simiens to the Grand Canyon...	Simien Mountains National Park	Road leading deeper into the park
We hoped to get a lift to the top of the next peak to start the following day's trek	Simien Mountains National Park	Male Gelada Baboon, Simien Mts	Although called baboons, the Gelada are actually monkies
The Gelada grazing	Keith with a troop of Gelada grazing in the shade	Gelada, Simien Mountains	Female Gelada scratching her ankle
...and now the other side...	Dusing oestrus, the red patch on the chest will brighten	Gelada - Theropithecus gelada	Researchers named one dominant male like this "Chewbaca"
The Gelada were totally undisturbed by our presence	Gelada with amazing eyes munching on grass	Gelada infant riding its mother's back	Gelada baby clinging on for the ride
The dominant male of this group	Excuse me, mom....	EthiopiaJan09 1480.jpg	Looking back to tomorrow's starting point
View east towards Geech camp in the distance	Panorama atop Buyit Ras	Evening in the Simiens	Buyit Ras, Simien Mountains National Park
Back at Simien Lodge after a 3 hour round-trip hike	Simien Lodge	Simien Lodge	Simien Lodge
Simien Lodge	Simien Lodge	Sundowner, Simien Lodge	Simien Sunset
Sunset from Simien Lodge	Early morning the next day	Site of our evening sundowners behind the Simien Lodge	Bright morning, Simien Lodge
We had to beg for a lift since our vehicle didn't stay with us	Keith helped push-start this van securing us a lift a few miles down the road to our starting point	The previous day we hiked along the distant cliffs of of Buyit Ras	Looking east along the northern escarpment
The park is still inhabited by villagers.	When the park was established in 1969 there were only a few hundred villagers	Today, there are tens of thousands of villagers, placing the park on the UNESCO's endangered list	Keith and the guide and scout
Me, on the edge	I hate the hat but the sun is strong at these high altitudes only 13 degrees north of the equator	Armed scouts are required	Me, hiking along the ridge with the Gelada
We came across Gelada soon after the start of our trek	Gelada coming towards us	Large male Gelada along the escarpment	Tree on the edge
Gelada walking along the escarpment, Simien Mts	Gelada appreciating his warm coat in the wind	Two young Gelada walking along the edge	Morning grooming
Gelada foraging under a small bush	Northern escarpment, Simien Mountains National Park	Mother and baby Gelada, Simien Mountains	Mother and baby Gelada, Simien Mountains
Gelada, Simien Mountains	Gelada grazing	A pair of serious looking female Geladas	Young Gelada sitting on the edge of the cliff
Young Gelada raising his foot	Gelada Baboons on the cliff, Simien Mountains National Park	Young Gelada scampering along the steep cliff face	Gelada grooming
Two Geladas behind a rock	Gelada morning routine - grooming	Geladas - Simien Mountains	A Gelada smile
Wow that's ugly! Gelada grimacing	Gelada grooming, Simien Mountains National Park	A Gelada passes behind me	A large band of 100 or so Gelada with the park road, Simien Mountains
Simien Mountains National Park	Paorama looking north towards the rugged lowlands	Northern Escarpment, Simien Mountains National Park	We soon encountered another large group of Gelada
Gelada grooming	Gelada grooming near the edge	Gelada and the Northern Escarpment, Simien Mts	Park road leading to the east
Large male Gelada	A large male Gelada yawning	My what big teeth you have!	University of Michigan Gelada Research Project (UMGRP)
Uncommon sight - a Gelada in a tree	Large group of Gelada grooming	The escarpment trail rejoins the park road for a short distance	Park Road, Simien Mountains National Park
View of prominent pinnacles to the north of the Simiens	English-speaking guides are optional	Grasshopper, Simien Mountains National Park	Looking farther east along the Northern Escarpment
Near where the klipspringer disappeared	The camp at Sankaber is just a bit farther	Me, Simien Mountains National Park	Sankaber camp
We stopped for lunch on that rocky cliff	Panoramic view just west of Sankaber camp	Lunch time panorama	A few farms can be spotted beneath the escarpment
The trail descends to rejoin the park road	The park road leading to Sankaber, Simien Mountains	Red flowering bushes, Simien Mountains	Red flowering bushes, Simien Mountains
The south side of the Simien Mountains just west of Sankaber	To cut down on backtracking to the lodge we looped back on a portion of the park road	...which was a very dusty proposition...	Panorama with Simien Lodge in the distant west seen from 13.2222N/38.026177E
Farmer we came across during my avoid backtracking shortcut	Threshing with a team of four white horses, Simien Mountains National Park	Cutting across a valley to avoid a large loop in the road	Gelada heading to a small stream in the valley we crossed
Valley, Simien Mountains National Park	Panoramic view of the valley we cut across	EthiopiaJan09 1777.jpg	Thatched hut of farmers living inside Simien National Park
The authorities are having great difficulty resettling the growing population outside the park	Thatched hut, Simien Mountains National Park	Back at the point where we started that morning 5 1/2 hours earlier	Taking a break before tackling the last hour and a half back to the lodge
Panorama of Northern Escarpment, Simien Mountains National Park	Passing a troop of Gelada	Speckled Pigeon, Simien Mountains National Park	Panorama from Simien Lodge late afternoon
Simien Lodge	Gouder - Red wine of Ethiopia	It can't be that bad...it got an award from the DDR!	Keith with two American girls we ran into trekking - who were also at the Circle Hotel in Gondar for Obama's inauguration
The two Americans with an Australian guy who was looking for a lift to Axum	Our American and Australian friends	Another African sunset, Simien Lodge	I must admit...it was too cold at night for me to get enthoused about stargazing
The bar and fireside lounge, Simien Lodge	Sinner at Simien Lodge	Morning of our second full day in the Simiens	We hired a minivan today to take us to Chenek and the viewpoint at Mount Bwahit
Passing our turnaround point from the day before	Large domestic herd within park boundaries	Valley leading south from the park road	The park road cut into the side of the mountain headed to Chenek
Looking down into a heavily farmed valley	Dozens of native thatched rondavels among terraced fields within the park	Main park road, Simien Mountains National Park	Domesticated sheep, Simien Mountains National Park
Sheep along side the park road	Giant Lobelia - distinctive plants we first encountered approaching Chenek	Lobelia rhynchopetalum	Giant Lobelia - very palm looking
Giant Lobelia in bloom (right)	Construction along the park road near Chenek	Giant Lobelia - Lobelia rhynchopetalum	The start of our morning hike at Chenek
I'd been wanting to do this shot for a while...	Me with the scout's AK-47	Stunning view from a cut in rock to the steep cliffs of Imet Gogo and Inatye	Inatye, Simien Mountains National Park
This is one of the most impressive views in an impressive park	Keith looking over the edge at a sheer drop off	Panorama from the big hole in the cliff west of Chenek	View north from Chenek
Inatye and Imet Gogo	Forest of Giant Lobelia, Simien National Park	Panorama near Chenek of Inatye and Imet Gogo, Simien Mountains National Park	Stunning landscape, worth the journey
If we had another day, the trek to Imet Gogo and Geech looked very worthwhile	Looking west from Chenek	The trail to Geech goes up that way	This part of the Simiens blew away what we had seen earlier
Northern Escarpment, Simien Mountains National Park	Chenek, Simien Mountains National Park	Park ranger hut at Chenek, Simien Mountains National Park	Park ranger hut at Chenek, Simien Mountains National Park
Park ranger hut at Chenek, Simien Mountains National Park	Ethiopian license plate (Addis Ababa)	Land Cruiser belonging to Ethiopian Rift Valley Safaris	Ethiopiain Rift Valley Safaris Land Cruiser at Chenek
The cliffs around Chenek are prime habitat for the Walia Ibex	The road to Axum leads past those formations but from here that's a long drive to cover that short distance	The ranger camp at Chenek	Tree on the escarpment, Chenek
Giant Lobelia, Chenek	"Remove nothing from the park except your foot-prints"	Looking for Walia Ibex along the cliffs at Chenek	Even if we don't see Ibex this panorama is worth the journey
View north from Chenek	We're in luck....Walia Ibex - Capra walie	No relation to palm trees....	Walia Ibex, an Ethiopian endemic of which only several hundred remain
Walia Ibex congregate around Chenek	Walia Ibex near the Chenek campsite, Simien Mountains National Park	Walia Ibex habitat ranges from 2500 to 4500m	The Walia Ibex seem well acclimated to humans
Imet Gogo, Simien Mountains National Park	Little Brown Bird	A second group of Walia Ibex, also near Chenek	Walia Ibex, Simien Mountains National Park
Walia Ibex, Simien Mountains National Park	Ethiopians living within the Simien Mountains National Park	Ethiopians living within the Simien Mountains National Park	The Ibex can be difficult to spot
Walia Ibex, Simien Mountains National Park	Walia Ibex, Simien Mountains National Park	Walia Ibex, Simien Mountains National Park	Walia Ibex, Simien Mountains National Park
Walia Ibex, Simien Mountains National Park	Walia Ibex, Simien Mountains National Park	Walia Ibex passing where Keith was waiting	Walia Ibex
Giant Labelia in bloom	Looking back towards Chenek	We continued by van farther east along the park road	Simien National Park road from Chenek up Mount Bwahit
Switchbacks climbing up from Chenek	I'm glad we're not walking this part....	Switchbacks leading up Mount Bwahit, Simien Mountain National Park	The "bus station" for people who live in the beyond the eastern escarpment
Until the road is completed into the valley below Ras Dashen, they have to walk here to catch a truck to Debark	The van we hired for the day, $125	Even here at this high altitude, near 4200m, there are Gelada	Gelada with the impressive switchbacks of the park road, Simien Mts
Galada mother carrying a youngster	Gelada high on the slopes of Mount Bwahit	Did I mention I'm glad we didn't have to walk that....	Giant Labelia at 4200m
Mount Bwahit, Simien Mountains National Park	Mount Bwahit - 4430m (14,534ft)	Keith surveying the landscape	Keith as "Lewis and Clark"
Me and Keith with the Ras Dashen Escarpment	Looking across to Ras Dashen, 4554m (14,990ft)	Panorama of Ras Dashen, the highest mountain in Ethiopia	Panorama from the Bwahit viewpoint
Keith with Ras Dashen, Simien Mts.	300 degree panorama, Mt. Bwahit, Simien Mountains National Park	The "road" which continues past Mount Bwahit towards Ras Dashen	The park road circling Mount Bwahit is being improved....
Ice at 4200m, Simien Mountains National Park	Back at the "bus station"	If you book a car, make sure the extension past Chenek is included....	Giant Labelia in bloom with Imet Gogo in the distance
Giant Labelia in bloom with Imet Gogo in the distance	Giant Labelia in bloom with Imet Gogo in the distance	Looking down 600m below....	The park road near its high point below Mount Bwahit
180 degree panorama from the park road, Mount Bwahit, looking towards Chenek and Imet Gogo	Imet Gogo from Mount Bwahit, Simien Mountains National Park	The serpentine park road leading from Mt Bwahit to Chenek	300 degree panorama from Mt Bwahit
Giant Labelia and Imet Gogo, Simien Mountains National Park	Back by the bus station.....	Another brief Walia Ibex encounter	A large village with farmland below the cliffs of Chenek
A large village with farmland below the cliffs of Chenek	A large village with farmland below the cliffs of Chenek	Chenek, Simien Mountains National Park	Amewalca Primary School, Chenek
Walia Ibex, Chenek	That's the mountain we just drove up, Mt. Bwahit	Chenek, alt 3620m, 58 km from Debark	The Geech Abyss can't be appreciated from the park road
Geech Abyss, Simien Mountains	Geech Abyss from the park road, Simien Mountains	Golden jackal (Canis aureus) Simien Mountains, Ethiopia	We didn't manage to spot the rare Ethiopian wolf
Back to the scenery	Panorama from the park road above the Geech Abyss	I'd call that Pyramid Peak or something like that	The waterfall can't be seen from here
Waterfall - must be amazing in the wet season	Jin Bahir River plunges 800m into the Geech Abyss	Waterfall viewpoint	Me on the edge, Geech Abyss
Panorama of the Geech Abyss and waterfall	Geech Abyss, Simien Mountains National Park	Hemprich's Hornbill (?), Simien Mountains	Hemprich's Hornbill (?), Simien Mountains
Back at the lodge at the end of the day	Our 3rd Simien Mountain sunset	Our 3rd Simien Mountain sunset	The driver from Gondar is back to take us to Axum
Shadow of the Land Cruiser in the early morning