Fantastic Trek in Tigray
on Tara's Ethiopian Adventure (Ethiopia), 14/Aug/2010 07:42, 34 days ago
I've just come back from a 3 day trek in the Tigray Mountains with TESFA and I think it may be the most beautiful place in Ethiopia. Not only was the landscape stunning, like the Grand Canyon only green from the recent rains, but the people were just as fantastic. We were only the second TESFA trek to go through that region and so tourism was still quite a novelty for them. Instead of the usual barrage of 'you, you, ferengi, give me money' the local villagers we passed were giving us food and inviting us into their homes. On our first day a local farmer stopped us with a large basket of cactus fruit he was about to take to market. He asked if we would like some. It was perfect timing as we were about to head up a steep hill and it was near the end of the day and we were flagging. We gladly said yes assuming we would be paying above the odds but happy to be trying something new. He brushed all the prickles off them then cut them up so that they were easy to eat and even after we were full kept trying to shove more down us...he wanted nothing in return. Once we had crossed the hill and were in the next valley another family came running up to see if we would like some fruit.On the first evening we were welcomed by the local community in the purpose built accommodation TESFA had provided by a beautiful lady throwing popcorn at us. Apparently this particular welcome is very common in Tigrinia. I was amazed by the quality of the accommodation, of the food and by the stunning view from the toilet. The next morning the others got up to do a 3 hour trek (there and back) to a rock hewn church before breakfast... I opted to simply relax and read a book and soak up the gorgeous views. We finally all set off at about 10am just as it was clouding over. We had some spectacular storms during the day but always managed to find a lovely farm house to take shelter in during the worst of it. As we sat there with large extended families and a variety of animals we were humbled by their generosity and kindness...they stoked up the fire to keep us warm and offered us their food and drink...amazing. The views were also incredible that day and I managed to use up a whole camera battery with all the photos I was taking...it seemed every step the scenery just got more beautiful. We also had the pleasure of walking in just about every weather condition imaginable... we climbed a cliff in blistering heat...almost got swept away by a flash flood as we crossed a river...were attacked by large hail stones before seeking shelter in another farm house and fumbled our way through thick fog. It was an adventure.Our route took us past another lovely rock hewn church as well as a large tunnel connecting two communities that had previously been separated. Finally we ended up on a plateau and arrived at our accommodation overlooking a 1000ft drop. TESFA sure know how to pick a good site! Our second community were just as welcoming as the first and soon we had a campfire going and were taking it in turns to teach each other Habasha or Ferengi songs. The highlight was probably when we introduced them to the hokey cokey and we were falling about in fits of laughter...they then followed this by teaching us a wedding song which involved us dancing around in a circle. I think the local community enjoyed themselves as much as we did and we were touched when one guy admitted it was one of the best nights of his life!The next morning I was up early taking photos of the sunrise and was soon persuaded by the guards to take photos of them posing with their Kalashnikovs. I now have a very silly photo of me in my pyjamas with a Kalashnikov as a memory. After a breakfast of delicious fresh bread and eggs we set off down the hill to the end of our trek. We unsuccessfully tried racing the donkeys that were carrying our packs and ended up arriving on market day in a tiny village at the foot of the mountains. Despite the huge array of animals, vegetables and various other useful things we quickly became the star attractions at the market. We bought some more cactus fruit and entertained the hoards of people who had gathered around us as we ate. Finally we walked a further couple of km to another village to meet our vehicle. Here we were rewarded with some Tella (local beer) which I am ashamed to say I couldn't manage more than one swig of! It was a perfect trek from start to finish and it would not have been possible without TESFA and the fantastic guides (Mulat and Berhe) they provided us with! I am so impressed with the way that TESFA has set up this community based trekking opportunity that I feel obliged to write another blog entry just about that. If you want to know more about TESFA and the work they are doing you can read that blog entry or probably more usefully visit their website (www. community-tourism-ethiopia.com) I feel really lucky to have only been the second TESFA group to trek through this region and I hope it will continue to maintain its magic for the thousands of tourists who will no doubt follow.