5-day Simien Mountaints Trek

Route

What’s the plan?

Day 01 – Gondar to Sankaber:

You will depart early morning from Gondar to Debark. In debark you will arrange your visit with the park office and receive a scout and guide then drive into the park to arrive at Sankaber. You can either drive all the way in to Sankaber or have the car drop you off near Buyit Ras for a short hike. If you choose to hike in you will take in beautiful views of the landscape and the endless mountain ridges, and you likely see some gelada baboons. When you arrive in Sankaber you will be met with your supplies. Sankaber will be the first campsite on your trip.

Day 02 – Sankaber to Geech Camp:

From Sankaber you will begin hiking following the ridge and look out over the foothills 800m down. From the ridge you will descend down into the valley and be able to view the Jinbar River plunging into the Geech Abyss. After some time at the waterfall you will continue on to Geech village where you will find your second campsite.

Day 03 – Geech to Imet Gogo to Siha Gorge to Keda Dit to Geech:

After breakfast at geech campsite you will hike through the grass plateau that are home to the, appropriately titled, Giant Lobelia plants. After about 2 hours you will reach Imet Gogo which is an amazing 360 degree view of the Simien Mountains. Here you will have reached an altitude of 3,926m and be able to look out at the amazing landscape from 360 degrees. At this height and view point you can see the canyon below, distant ridges, and view the seemingly never ending valleys. From here you will return to Geech, but first you will pass through Siha Gorge for a lunch break. When you arrive back at Geech you will have time to relax from the hike. Before nightfall you will have the option of taking a short sunset hike to Keda Dit. You will spend the night back at Geech.

Day 04 – Geech to Innatye to Chennek:

After breakfast at Geech you start your 7 hour hike to one of the most spectacular passing in the mountains. From the campsite you will walk SE towards Innatye where you will descend into a forest of Giant Hazel and through the ridgelines open grasslands. After climbing up to Innatye to view the vertical drop you will see why locals named it to mean “mama mia”. Here you will have lunch and continue on towards Chennek where you will be able to view the wildlife like, Walia Ibex and Gelada baboons, and plant life. Chennek will be your campsite for the night.

Day 05 – Chennek to Gondar:

Breakfast at the campsite then a 2 hour hike up to the Buwahit peak. Here you will be standing on the second highest peak in the Simien Mountains (4,430m). Here is where many visitors are able to see the endemic animals like the Walia Ibex and Ethiopian Red Fox. After spending time at the peak you will hike back down to Chennek for lunch and transportation back to Debark/Gondar.

What's included

Included:

√ Transport
4WD transfer to and from Gonder is included.

√ Accommodation
During the trek you will be spending your nights in different campsites along the way, all within the Simien Mountains National Park.

√ Guide
You will be accompanied by a professional and experienced guide and a scout at all times.

√ Meals
During the trek, a professional cook will take care of prepearing the meals.

√ Mules
Mules and a mule handler will also be joining you on this trek. They will carry the food, camping equipment, and your backpack if you need them to.

√ Camping Equipment
Camping equipment such as tents, sleeping bags and mattresses is included.

√ Tables and Chairs
A comfortable seat is alway a nice treat after a long day of hiking.

√ Entrance Fees
All park entrance fees are included.

√ Water
Mineral water will be available during the trek.

√ Camping fire every single night
Every evening we will set up a nice campfire. Make marshmallows and share all adventures of the last day.

Excluded:

× Airfare
The plane tickets are not included.

× Accommodation before and after the trek
Before and after the trek you have to take care of your own accommodation.

× Travel Insurance
Your international travel insurance is your own responsibility. Discuss your itinerary with the insurance company before you travel.

×Personal Expenses
All personal expenses such as alcoholic drinks, and other similar expenses are for your own account.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Best season:

Fortunately for those trekkers thinking about trekking in the Simien Mountains, these treks can be enjoyed all year round. We do have a recommendation though. The rainy season in this area is during July and August, so if you can avoid those months, do so.

Training

Do you make it to your destinations as planned? Often this depends on the unpredictable weather in the mountains. However, it can also depend on your own physical condition.

One sure way to get fit for trekking and hiking in Ethiopia is to, you could have guessed it: hike more. Do you like walking, have you done trekking at an altitude before and do you sport twice a week on average? With a little extra training, you’ll soon be ready for this beautiful trekking in the Simien Mountains.

Is this the first time that you are trekking at altitude? Make sure you are well prepared. This is important for your safety, but also for that of your team. Make sure you start six months in advance with an hour’s hike twice a week.

Tipping

Tipping is more common in Ethiopia than in other East African countries. However, opinions on how much are divided. We advise to tip the guide around 7 or 8 USD per day of trek. Try to be generous, it will be appreciated.

Accommodation

Accommodation

During the trek you will be spending your nights in different campsites along the way, all within the Simien Mountains National Park.Camping equipment such as tents, sleeping bags and mattresses is included. We will be bringing our excellent chefs who will cook delicious meals everyday. Every evening we will set up a nice campfire. Make marshmallows and share all adventures of the last day.

Packing List

Packing List

Everything is arranged for your trek in Ethiopia, the only thing left is to pack your bags and get going. Now, what do you need? Here we have some recommendations for you:

First and foremost: Layers. Layers are great for when you get up high or the sun feels too strong. Let’s not forget that you will be trekking in the mountains and temperatures can get quite low when the sun sets, so warm clothes are also a must. We also suggest:

– Windstopper jacket
– Waterproof coat – useful for the evenings and sporadic rain showers you may experience
– Well worn-in walking boots
– Walking socks
– Sandals or flip-flops (nothing like airing your feet at the end of the day!)
– Sun hat
– Sunglasses
– Sun cream
– Walking poles (if you find them useful)
– First aid kit (bandages, pills, band-aids, disinfectants)

Simien Mountain Tours

Simien Mountain Tours

Welcome to My Ethiopia, The Land the time forget

Experience the special touch with Simien Mountains Tours, run by Alebachew Abebe (Alex for short). With a decade of experience we are able to organise a host of travel excursions focused around culture, historic circuits and adventure in the Danakil Depression and the Simien Mountains.

The business was established in 2006 by the owner Alex Abebe providing guided treks in the Simien Mountains. Nur’s experience has been recognized his recommendation in 2013 edition lonely planet travel book page 89. The Simien Mountains tour offers tailor –made trips and treks throughout Ethiopia, we always provide you some of the best customer service available in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has so much to offers visitors.

Natural: Simien Mountains , Bale Mountains and Danakile Depression perhaps the best known.
Cultural: Omo Valley and Island Monasteries are the best examples.
Historical: Axum Monument , Rock Hewn Churches of Lalibella and Royal enclosure of Gondar .

The Simien Mountains tour has provide you special interest guides e.g Bird watching and Horse trekking . Thank for visiting our site.!

Safety

Safety

Safety is of the utmost importance to us. That is why this is an area in which we simply do not compromise when it comes to keeping the cost of our trekkings low. Our guides have been selected on the basis of their technical competence, proven safety performance, impeccable judgment, friendly attitude and ability to provide useful and expert instructions. They are also very professional and well trained in first aid and personal protection equipment. First aid kits are available on all treks. Furthermore, a park ranger of the Simien Mountains National Park will also be joining us during the trek, both for safety, and to share with us all the secrets of this magnificent area.

How To Book

How does it work?

On Bookatrekking.com you can find and compare the adventures of your dreams. Is this trekking adventure your match? In that case you can proceed to booking. At Bookatrekking.com you make a deposit of 15% of the total amount. You pay the remaining amount on location prior to the trek directly to the trekking company.

Bookatrekking.com uses only the safest payment methods. Once your booking has been received, your place is reserved, your place is safe and you can look forward to your chosen trekking.

After you have made your booking, you will receive an e-mail confirmation with all necessary information and the contact details of the trekking company. If you have any questions or if you want to clarify something, you can obtain information directly from the right person. Of course, you can also always ask us your question. Send us an e-mail on support@bookatrekking.com

The trekking company will also receive your details and can therefore always contact you and provide you with extra information.

Cancellation Policy

You wish you didn’t have to, but there is no other way: You find yourself having to cancel your plans. In this case, you lose your deposit, but since you haven’t paid the large sum yet, you at least save that. Please do let us know if you cannot make it. A no-show can be a small disaster for your trekking provider, who did its best to block your dates. View our complete cancellation policy here.