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Smog in Addis for Hedar Mikael

Smog in Addis this morning Today Thursday 21 November is St Mikael’s day here in Ethiopia – Hedar (the month) Mikael. It’s one of numerous big saints days where the holy taboo is paraded out. But for this day there is a tradition to burn rubbish and that the smoke will take the evil away.  For more details see this earlier blog. Extract from the calendar showing holidays To understand the…

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Tigray goes Green

The UK FCDO travel advice has just been changed to show all the core areas of Tigray (away from disputed territories and boundaries) as green. UK FCDO travel advice for Tigray At Tesfa Tours we have been sending clients there to trek at community-owned guesthouses and see the wonders of the ancient city of Axum and there hidden rock churches of Gheralta. However for British nationals the fact…

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Melkam Addis Amet - Happy New Year - as the holiday season starts.

As the rainy season – the Kremt – begins to recede, Ethiopians prepare to celebrate their new year – saying goodbye to 2016 and hello to 2017.   If you want to know about the why’s and wherefores of the Ethiopia’s unique calendar please check this earlier blog article. Meskal flowers – Adey Ababa -in Meket, North Wollo -a symbol for the new year.  The New Year holiday falls on a Wednesday this…

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Merry Christmas & Happy New (Ferenji) Year

Merry Christmas & Happy New (Ferenji) Year

We wish all our friends, customers and our team members across the country a happy Christmas time – Melkam Gena (Happy Christmas know as Gena or Lidet in Ethiopia). As across the Orthodox world it is celebrated a few weeks later than in the west. But this year (2016 which started on 12 Sept), is different. Last year in the Ethiopian calendar was a leap year, and so until the leap day in the…

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The Great Lenten Fast in Ethiopia

Fried Fish – Telapia As many will know the big fasting season in Ethiopia started this week on Monday. Fasting is appears in many religions around the world. But in the west its has lost its rigour for most people. However in the Ethiopian Orthodox church there are many fasting days through the year. In fact a strict observer of all fasts would be vegan for half the year. The longest of the fasts…

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Support for the Tesfa guesthouses in North Wollo / Recovery in Tigray

Community guesthouse at Boya, some damage Dear friends It has been a long time since I wrote last. In the meantime tourism has really begun to get going, and thankfully the peace in Tigray has taken root. The peace treaty that was signed on 2nd of November in Pretoria, South Africa, has been implemented gradually over the last few months. The result is that military forces from Eritrea and Amhara…

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Smoke in the City

Smoke in the City

Smoke in Addis – Hedar Mikael Melkam Mikael – today is a special St. Michaels Day – Hedar Mikael, and today in Addis, looking out to the invisible mountains – shrouded in a smoke from thousands of bonfires you might have thought you were in Lahore or Delhi. Today is the day when householders burn their compound rubbish and with the smoke it is believed that disease and sickness is taken…

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Melkam Addis Amet / Happy New Year

Melkam Addis Amet / Happy New Year

Waterfall in North Shoa on the Ride the Rift trip ለአዲሱ ዓመት እንኳን በሰላም አደረሳችሁ። Yesterday (Sunday 11 Sep) Ethiopia entered into 2015. The Kremt – rainy season is still drenching the capital and much of the north of the country with its monsoon rains. Much of the highlands is is now green, rivers are running in torrents, with waterfalls impressive everywhere, and the ubiquitous yellow Meskal Daisy…

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Tesfa Calendars ready

Its a labour of love: producing these calendars that are a synthesis of the Ethiopian Calendar with its 13 months starting on 11th September, and the western calendar with its 12 months. Woven into this are a multitude of Saints Days and cultural holidays, other special days in the Orthodox church including fasting periods, as well as the main Islamic holidays and some curiosities. I have even…

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Lalibela & Gondar get the green light  in UK Travel Advice

Lalibela & Gondar get the green light  in UK Travel Advice

UK travel advise for Ethiopia The UK government have changed the travel advise for Ethiopia’s key tourist sites – Lalibela and Gondar – home to stunning rock hewn churches, and romantic castles. The UK had been advising against travel to these places and to the roads that connect them but this negative advise has now been lifted.  Along with Bahir Dar and Lake Tana this now means much of the…

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Lalibela: an ancient and holy town, waiting for visitors

Lalibela: an ancient and holy town, waiting for visitors

Deacons at Giyorgis festival Lalibela Is Lalibela safe and ready for tourists? Many people are asking me about Lalibela, and the predominant question is: “is it safe?”  The answer for me it’s very easy: “yes!“. I have been in Lalibela three times this year: in late January to witness the beautiful Giyorgis (St George) festival and again at the end of May to discuss with our guides and local…

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A Biblical Land - opening up again

A Biblical Land – opening up again

The Queen of Sheba on horseback As Ethiopia begins to open up after two years of restrictions on travel at first due to COVID 19 and then due to a spreading conflict, it maybe time to ponder what makes Ethiopia a unique travel destination and magical place to visit, and to start looking at the you can visit. Ethiopia – a Biblical Land! Statue of Emperor Tewedros Ethiopia conjures up many images…

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UK Travel advise showing most of Ethiopia as Green

UK Travel advise showing most of Ethiopia as Green

UK Govt safety zones for travel in Ethiopia The UK government updated their travel advise for Ethiopia as of 4 February 22, to include large areas of Amhara regions (North Shoa & Gojam) as green, as well a a large part of Afar region. The inclusion of N.Shoa means that the community trekking in Wof Washa forest will now be in the ‘green zone’. In addition we at Ride the Rift, are staging a…

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Melkam Timkat

Worshippers on Jan Meda for Timkat     Flags decorate the roads that the Tabots will be processed along Timkat is one of the most important festivals in the Ethiopian Orthodox church, celebrating the baptism of Jesus in the Rive Jordan. On the days leading up to Timkat, Addis Ababa is decked out with colourful flags and other decorations to make the routes that the sacred Tabots will travel on as…

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Ethiopian Pilgrims celebrate Christmas in Lalibela

Where is Lalibela having been taken by the TPF several times in recent months it was a very special for Pilgrims to be able to go to this holy place to celebrate Ethiopian Christmas – Gena – yesterday. https://www.africanews.com/2022/01/07/after-fights-pilgrims-return-to-ethiopian-world-heritage-site-lalibela/ Gena ceremony in Lalibela Rufael &Gabriel churches in Lalibela Lalibela, home to a…

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Great-Ethiopian Homecoming

Outdoor fun in Ethiopia Following the call by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopian all over the world to join the Great Ethiopian Homecoming Challenge, Tesfa Tours has been working with our partner Tour Companies under the banner of Ride the Rift to develop some exciting tours and offer them at a discounted rate to diaspora. Ride the Rift Special Diaspora Tours Ride…

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Ethiopia is off the UK redlist

Ethiopia is off the UK redlist

Waterfall in North Shoa on the Ride the Rift trip Ethiopia has at last been taken off the UK’s redlist. This means that if you have been vaccinated for COVID (in a country whose vaccinations the UK recognises ie: a western country) you can visit Ethiopia and return to the UKL without needing to quarantine. In addition as of this week the UK travel advise from the FCDO has improved – as based on…