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The Glossary

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From Ethiopia Glossary

A spectacular mountain scenery draws hikers and campers alike to Simien Mountains, Ethiopia's biggest mountain range and one of the very few spots in Africa where snow regularly falls. A World Heritage Site, Simien is home to exotic wildlife like the Simien Wolf, the world's rarest canid; the indigenous Gelada Baboon, which welcomes hikers by the hundreds; and the rare, large-horned Walia Ibex, which can be found along the same level as a mountaintop lodge that proclaims itself as the "highest hotel in Africa."

Simien's Ras Dashen is the country's highest peak, although other pinnacles like Imet Gogo and Inatye are more preferred by adventurers for giving them the thrill of seeing rock faces falling away thousands of feet into the ground as they trudge the slopes. Although rugged and high, the boondocks are dotted with communes linked by tracks, which don panoramic precipices overlooking the Abyssinian abyss.

Nearby Simien is Debark, the Simien National Park's main town, where hikers arrive by car or bus from big cities like Aksum and Gonder. Debark has dormitories, campsites and huts where travelers usually do their pre- or post-climb lodging as well as shopping for mountaineering essentials like a woven gabi (thick shawl), needed to battle the mountains' chilly nights. A yummy cup of Ethiopian coffee or beer can also help in fighting the cold. Atop the mountain, live chickens and eggs can be purchased from the villagers for food.

Be it a five-day walk to Chenek or a two-day four-wheel drive in Sankaber, travelers may find Simien a refreshing break before or after touring Ethiopia's geological circuit.

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