Arrange your tour in the comfort of your home. Once you arrive in Ethiopia, just enjoy the Simien Mountains with the experts.
All tours include guide, scout, cook & cooking materials, mule & mule handler; tent, sleeping bags, mattresses; all park entrance fees;
plenty of food & bottled mineral water.
Below you can find three, four and eight-day sample tours:
- Day 1:
- Drive from Gonder to the first camp, Sankaber (alt 3250m), where the mules & mule handlers are waiting for us. Then you will walk to the second camp, Gich (alt 3600m), and overnight there. This hike will take about 5 to 6 hrs, depending on your speed.
- Day2:
- Walk from Gich to the three most stunning places in the Simien Mountains, namely Imet Gogo, Saha Gorge and Kedait. On this day, you will have the opportunity to have close encounters with the Gelada baboons (endemic in Ethiopia), and if you are lucky you might also see Ibex or even the Abyssinian wolf. This hike will also take 5 to 6 hrs, until you arrive back in the main camp in Gich for a good night's sleep.
- Day 3:
- Walk from Gich camp to the road (about 2hrs walk) where the jeep is waiting to drive you to Gonder.
- Day 1:
- Drive from Gonder to Sankaber camp. You can passover the first camp site called Buyitras. Spend a night at Sankaber camp site. You could visit some viewpoints and endemic species.
- Day 2:
- Walk from Sankaber to Gich Five to Six hours walk. You could see many fascinating things including the waterfall, river, birds, and different plant species and so on. Spend the second night at Geech site.
- Day 3:
- Walk from Gich to Chenek via Immet gogo and Inatye. It takes six to seven hours of walk. Spend the third night at Chenek camp site.
- Day 4:
- Walk to Bauhit Mountains and back to Debark. Two - three hours of driving. After spending the fourth night at Debark town, you can go to Axum the following day.
- Day 1:
- Drive to the first camp (sankaber) via debark (the small town) you will be rewarded with very impressive views of the low land areas to the north and west you will see most certain encounter troops of the endemic gelada baboons whilst in the simien mountains the gelada baboon only found in Ethiopia, is often referred to as the bleeding heart baboon or the lion monkey their coat is shaggy resembling a lion whilst their chest has a marked red heart or patch the gelada baboon can be found in good numbers are quite easy to approach. Sankaber camp is situated at an altitude of 3250 meters on an impressive view point between the northern escarpment and the southern wazla. Before you arrive at the camp you have about 2hrs walk.
- Day 2:
- Geech.
- Day 3:
- Walk from Gich to Immetgog,Saha and kedatit.These three places are perhaps the most spectacular places in the simien mouantains.The time taken to complete this hike is about 5-6hrs and then back to Gich Camp and over night here. From Sankaber Camp the path to Geech Camp will stretch for approximately ten kilometers. (5-6hrs).The initial stages of this path leads through extensive areas of highland grasslands and heather forests. This path offers some of the most impressive views of the escarpment. One of the best views is of the Jinbar Wenz waterfall which plummets down the Geech Abyss. After descending down to the Jinbar Wenz River a short ascent remains to Gich village. In this area, cultivation is done in a two-year cycle. One side of the valley is planted whilst the other side lies fallow. You will notice extensive soil erosion in this area as a result of the combination of such factors as slope steepness, cultivation, overgrazing, erosive rainfall and limited land resources. We pause in Gich village as we are invited into one of the local houses for a coffee ceremony. Here you will participate in this very important social tradition of Ethiopia as well as gain an insight into the traditional lifestyle. Just above Gich village is the campsite which will serve as your base for two nights. The campsite has great views of the mountains and is characterised by giant Lobelia plants. These plants can grow up to 10 metres in height and may live for as long as twenty years, at which point they first flower before dying.
- Day 4:
- The trek from Geech to Chenek covers approximately twelve kilometres (six to seven hours), following a path along the escarpment edge. Just before arriving into Chenek you will encounter the Kurbet Metaya viewpoint at 4070 metres - this viewpoint is actually a gap in the precipitous cliff - which reveals impressive views of the steep mountain faces to the west and the lowlands areas to the left.. The tightly clustered houses (tukuls) that form the village of Dihwara , tucked below a cliff, are also visible from this viewpoint. Chenek campsite is spectacularly located in a beautiful valley at the foot of the B wahit Peak. Strategically placed benches allow for the opportunity to take in the expansive views back toward Imet Gogo, especially beautiful in both the dawn and dusk light. A large troop of gelada baboons are common here and Walia Ibex are also often seen on the rocky escarpment edges here.
- Day 5:
- Today is the longest trekking day so far, consisting of a total of about ten hours. From Chenek camp, 3650 metres , the path to Ambiko campsite crosses through B wahit Pass. Leaving Chenek you will be faced with a two-hour ascent to the top of B wahit Pass at 4200 metres. From the top of the pass views open up to the east over Mesheha Valley to the Dashen mountain range. Looking back the impressive rock formations of Imet Gogo loom large. From Bawahit Pass the path leads steeply down and across the Mesheha Valley . Here you will notice an increase in temperature as you descend down to the Mesheha River at 2800 metres before climbing slightly to reach Ambiko campsite at an altitude of 3100 metres .
- Day 6:
- Today is summit day involving a trek of sixteen kilometres (ten to eleven hours)! The path will wind its way over eight kilometres and ascending over 1400 metres to Ras Dashen. To begin the path climbs steeply through barley fields and fallow land before clearing the vegetation zone and reaching mountain steppe at around 3700 metres . From there the path flattens out as it traverses ridges in the shadow of Ras Dashen. Just below Dashen Pass, at around 4250 meters, an impressive moraine can be distinguished. A moraine is material transported by a glacier and then deposited. This moraine was formed 20,000 - 14,000 years ago in the last ice age when the Simien Mountain tops had small ice caps. The final stretch to the summit involves an exciting climb / scramble up and over large boulders to the summit. From atop the summit of Ras Dashen, 4543 meters, you will be mesmerized by the far-ranging view which spans more than ten thousand square kilometres. On the west the steep faces of peaks in the National Park are visible whilst to the north and east the Tekeze valley is visible. From the summit you will need to return along the same path to return to your camp at Ambiko. This campsite, situated along the banks of a stream and amidst a small village, is a project of the local church and a donation for the facilities is gratefully accepted.
- Day 7:
- back to Ambiko and then Chenek by the following day.
- Day 8:
- A final trekking day of the sensational simien mountains. The jeep will meet you at Chenek camp site and, drive straight to Gondar.
Simien Mountains Trekking
For the best trek in the Simien Mountains, choose Simien Tours. Trekking with Simien Tours guarantees you don't miss anything; we have the best guides, born and grown up in the Simien Mountains, and educated by the Simien National Park. Trekking the Simien Mountains with Simien Tours also means that you don't have to worry about anything, we arrange all the logistics; all you have to do is walk and enjoy the beauty of the Simien National Park. Wether it's you first trekking trip in the Simien Mountains, or you are an experienced "mountain goat", Simien Tours will give you the experience of a lifetime.