Why I want to go back to The Semien Mountains

I went on a hiking trip to the Semien Mountains National park (pronounced SIH-mee-uhn) on a whim. Like a lot of diasporas (people that return back home after a long time), I was both mesmerized and overwhelmed by Ethiopia.

Imagine you're in Ethiopia for a few weeks or a month. The hospitality and familiarity immediately make you feel at ease. A few weeks into your trip, the endless gursha, ceremonial coffee (with folks you don't remember but know you since childhood), and the Addis traffic becomes too much to bear.

Whatever your reason may be, trekking the Semien Mountains is a great excuse to escape the city. If you like being out in nature, you'd agree when I say mountains have a way of captivating your wildest dreams and making you fall in love with Mother Earth. I can't begin to tell you all the reasons why you should go to this place. For me, it was truly remarkable and worth every effort it took to reach the summit of Ras Dashen (rās da-shen).

Thinking about my trip

To be honest with you, I started reminiscing about my trip after watching The Black Panther. The movie not only left me in awe of how beautiful Wakanda is, but how invested the locals were to this beautiful place. It brought back the memory of this beautiful place I once visited. The views were spectacular enough that I couldn't forget them after eight years. I still have vivid images of high mountains and expansive valleys. I guess that's why I'm reminiscing about it now.

Back then, I didn't appreciate it like I should have. I went thinking it would be a glamping trip, but little did I know the new Peace Corps friends I met and joined on this trip were planning on roughing it all the way to the summit 4,550 m (14,930 ft).  Looking back, all the difficulties I faced were simply washed away by the stunning views.

I remember waking up cold and shivering then getting out of my tent and seeing the sunrise over the cliffs and valley. Thinking there is no better view in life that can beat this. Then after hiking for eight hours straight, we would look up and see jagged peaks and long waterfalls and again the exhaustion disappeared. It seemed as though the mountains had a remedy for all my ailments. The fresh air cured my post nursing-school stress and melted away all of my complaints.

My ever present wanderlust deeply appreciated the vast natural beauty my own homeland Ethiopia possesses. In hindsight, we could've upgraded to a glamping trip, but I'm so glad we didn't. The experience I gained from watching the sun rise slowly while brushing my teeth out in nature or watching the sunset as we barely made it to our camping site was totally irreplaceable.

Endemic wildlife

Watching Gilada monkeys, a red fox, and Walia ibex out in nature made me happy. I love seeing animals in their natural habitat (of course from far away). The sweetest moment was coming up to a sheep that had just delivered and was resting with her newborn lamb. It was a sweet moment for me. Nature goes on; we can either choose to hurry through it, or just be and enjoy the curves, highs, and lows. 

Thinking about Ecotourism

This is all to say that I will most likely go back to this place again, perhaps for my annual birthday trip. The question is: has this captivated your mind to want to go with me? Yes, I plan to travel back to this land I love, now with friends, a little more planning, and preparation. I hope that my idea of glamping in the Semien mountains isn’t all in vain. I'm not sure when, but I'll be planning on venturing back to the mountains again; the mountains of my homeland are calling and I have to simply answer.