Things to See in Ethiopia

The Simien Mountains National Park is easily accessible and excellent for trekking, with stirring views and a large variety of wildlife. The mountains are home to three of Ethiopia's larger endemic mammals: the walia ibex, the gelada baboon and the elusive Ethiopian wolf. Other mammals sometimes seen are rock hyraxes, jackals, bushbucks and klipspringers.

The Middle-East has Petra, Ethiopia has Lalibela. Its rock-hewn churches are arguably Ethiopia's top attraction, and they elicit an instinctive awe, whether you're a religious architecture buff or not.

Sprawling, dusty, and rural - Aksum is modest almost to a fault. On first sight, it's hard to imagine that the town was ever the site of a great civilisation. Yet Aksum is one of Ethiopia's star attractions.