ETHIOPIA (B)
Day 210  : 28 Dec 2004 -  Metema (Ethiopian border) to bush camp next to road before Gonder 110 km
Day 211  : 29 Dec 2004 -  Bush camp next to road before Gonder to Bahir Dar 223 km
Day 212  : 30 Dec 2004 -  Bahir Dar to Dejen 246 km
Day 213  : 31 Dec 2004 -  Dejen to Addis Ababa 231 km
Day 214  : 1 Jan 2005  -  Addis Ababa 10 km
Day 215  : 2 Jan 2005  -  Addis Ababa -
Day 216  : 3 Jan 2005  -  Addis Ababa -
Day 217  : 4 Jan 2005  -  Addis Ababa 28 km
Day 218  : 5 Jan 2005  -  Addis Ababa -
Day 219  : 6 Jan 2005  -  Addis Ababa 30 km
Day 220  : 7 Jan 2005  -  Addis Ababa 20 km
Day 221  : 8 Jan 2005  -  Addis Ababa -
Day 222  : 9 Jan 2005  -  Addis Ababa -
Day 223  : 10 Jan 2005   -  Addis Ababa 20 km
Day 224  : 11 Jan 2005   -  Addis Ababa 20 km
Day 225  : 12 Jan 2005   -  Addis Ababa -
Day 226  : 13 Jan 2005   -  Addis Ababa 10 km
Day 227  : 14 Jan 2005   -  Addis Ababa to Lake Langano   212 km
Day 228  : 15 Jan 2005   -  Lake Langano to Bale Mountains, Dinsho   191 km
Day 229  : 16 Jan 2005   -  Dinsho (Bale Mountains Nat Park) to Dinsho 157 km
Day 230  : 17 Jan 2005   -  Dinsho -
Day 231  : 18 Jan 2005   -  Dinsho (Bale Mountains Nat Park) to Lake Awassa 184 km
Day 232  : 19 Jan 2005   -  Lake Awassa to Nechisar National Park   290 km
Day 233  : 20 Jan 2005   -  Nechisar National Park   52 km
Day 234  : 21 Jan 2005   -  Nechisar National Park to Arba Minch 12 km
Day 235  : 22 Jan 2005   -  Arba Minch to Moyale (Kenya border) 379 km

Total nights – 26
Total kilometers – 2 429 km
Currency :   Ethiopian Birr (ETB)
Exchange rate   :   1 US$ = 8.64 Birr
Fuel cost per litre  :   4.5 ETB
Total cost for country :   1 172.92 US$
Country cost per day :   45.11 US$
Overall average cost per day  :   53.76 US$
Highlight :   Viewing Ethiopian Wolf in Bale Mountains & camp site in forest next to river in Nechisar National Park
Low point   :   Road between Shashemene and Bale Mountains – worst of trip to date

Since we traveled the northern part of Ethiopia extensively before our visit to Sudan, we merely passed through it on our way back to Addis Ababa. We decided to explore the southern parts that we did not visit during our previous visit.

First we drove to Bale Mountains National Park. Once we turned off the main road at Shashemene we found ourselves on the worst gravel road encountered on all our travels to date in Africa. It is generally flat terrain with few mountainous sections; it gradually climbs from the Rift Valley up to more than 4 000 m high above sea level. The road was constructed from very clayey material that contains numerous volcanic rocks/stones. It is VERY uneven in ALL directions, giving the impression of having been leveled with a bulldozer. Vehicles with similar coil spring suspensions than ours bounce and sway continuously unpredictably in all directions at all times – the only solution was to drive at very low speeds. Even the otherwise fast driving local buses were crawling along halfway off the road on the shoulders, zigzagging across in an effort to find the smoothest way. The Bale Mountains are totally different than the Simen Mountains. Nowhere is it really possible to observe the sudden drop-off or escarpment that makes for such spectacular scenery in the Simen Mountains; the slopes in the Bale Mountains are a lot smoother with a gradual gain or loss in height. The temperature is nevertheless quite chilly, dropping to below freezing point during the night. We were lucky to observe various Ethiopian Wolves from really close distances; one even hunted a Giant Mole rat right in front of us, while another called out loudly various times from a vantage point close by. It was a special feeling to see these “African Wolves” in there natural habitat – at present they are the most endangered carnivore in the world with less than 500 animals surviving in the wild. To date all attempts to breed them in captivity were unsuccessful – we felt very privileged. We also drove to the top of Tulu Dimtu; at 4 377 m it is claimed to be the highest all weather road in Africa.

From Bale Mountains we drove to Nechisar National Park near Arba Minch. The park itself must rate amongst the most scenic in Africa; it contains many flat savannah plains, covered in almost completely white grasses, nestled between ragged mountains on the one side and two totally contrasting lakes on the other side. The northern lake, Chamo, is a rusty orange colour due to a high concentration of iron oxide and supports very little life. It is separated with a narrow hill from the southern lake, Abushala, which is a bright bluish colour and contains a huge population of very big crocodiles, as well as numerous hippopotamus and different fishes. Sadly very little wildlife is present in the park itself; some zebras which are remnants of the big herds of the past can be seen, as well as kudu and Robert’s gazelle with its abnormally long horns. The camp site along the river that connects the two lakes is fantastic. It is situated between huge trees in a dense forest with prolific bird life. Despite the total lack of any facilities and the sparse wildlife in the park, we found this to be the camp site that we enjoyed the most in all of Africa to date.

During this second visit to Ethiopia we once again experienced the negativity of the people with their constant begging and rude yelling at travelers. After visiting Sudan with its very friendly attitude towards foreign travelers (we were warmly welcomed at the Sudanese border by an official with: “Welcome to Sudan, it is a privilege to have you as our guests”), the Ethiopian attitude to foreign travelers was even more accentuated. Although the Ethiopian country side is absolutely beautiful and awesome, the attitude of the majority of the people leaves a somewhat “bitter” taste in the mouth.

With the exception of only a few very difficult to reach National Parks, we visited the majority of the National Parks/Game Reserves in Ethiopia. Very little wild life still exists in these parks; they have almost totally been invaded by the local tribes with their domestic livestock. It seems as if almost none of these parks are properly gazetted and protected by official laws. These illegal herdsmen invariably all carry guns/rifles, mainly AK 47’s. This makes it difficult for the rangers to enforce the “law”. The only park where we found reasonable control was Bale Mountains National Park, and even there the very rare Ethiopian Wolves are exposed to inter-breeding with domestic dogs.

We found a sort of “backwardness” in Ethiopia that we have not encountered anywhere else in Africa. It is almost as if time has stood still in Ethiopia while the rest of Africa moved forward. The “archaic” infrastructure and living standards/conditions of the majority of the people are not able to cope with the increased population of almost 70 million. It seems to be caught up in a vicious circle that will need an extraordinary effort to break.