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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 10 2010, 3:02 PM EST | Anonymous | 25 words added |
| Aug 6 2010, 5:44 PM EDT | Anonymous |
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Rwanda
If you would like to visit Rwanda, a good, but not cheap, travel company that can arrange your trip, driver, permits, etc. is called ‘Bizidanny Tours and Safaris’. Their website is www.bizidanny.com and the owner is called Danny Bizimana, hence the slightly strange company name!! I loved Kigali, the genocide museum is extremely well done, though harrowing, and the gorillas are amazing of course. Better than Uganda for gorillas I reckon, as you can also trek up to see Diana Fossey’s house and grave as well as the graves of Digit and other gorillas referenced in the film ‘Gorillas in the Mist’.
Ethiopia
We did the northern historical circuit in a 12-day trip. We visited Addis, Bahar Dar, Gonder, the Simien Mountains, Aksum (Axum) and Lalibela, staying usually 2 nights in each location. We flew between all cities except for Bahar Dar and Gonder which is a nice, interesting 3 hour drive. We also drove into the Simien Mountains from Gonder. We had an amazing time - the culture/s were fascinating, the people beautiful and helpful and although we went in June, which is their winter, we weren't too badly affected by rains or cold weather. At the time we went (June 2010), Ethiopian Airlines was having a promotion whereby if you flew into Ethiopia on Ethiopian Air, the internal flights were heavily discounted. We paid around $250/pp for the 4 flights we took whereas the normal price is about $600. I don't know if this offer was only temporary or if it's a permanent standing discount.
We stayed in the following places:
Addis: Z-Guest House. It's a convenient location to the university museums and the Piazza area but less convenient to Bole Road which is where most of the restaurants are. The family that runs the Guest House lives there as well and are helpful with directions. Breakfast is included as is the initial pick up from the airport. The website is: http://www.zguesthouse.com/ and the physical address is: Arada Sub-City, Kebele 11/12, #355, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Phone Numbers: +251-911-123903 / +251-911-676117; Email Address: stay@zguesthouse.com. Prices were in the $70 range which is not what is listed on their website, but what can you do...While in Addis you should definitely eat at Castelli's Restaurant! Overall, the non-Ethiopian food was mediocre throughout Ethiopia and we found Castelli's (Italian food) to be a nice change.
Bahar Dar: We stayed in the Tana Hotel, which is right on Lake Tana. This is a government-run hotel and was fine but a little dated. Food was mediocre. Their website is http://www.ghionhotel.com.et/tana.htm but they never answered my emails and in the end, I made the reservation through an online service - the Ethiopia Hotel Guide - http://www.ethiopiahotelguide.com/. They were very helpful in that although this hotel was not bookable by them, they still contacted the hotel anyway and made the reservation for me. We were there in low season so I think we paid about $38/night for a single, $50 for a double! Although all the guidebooks say that the Blue Nile Falls are not that impressive, we were told that the hydroelectric plant was recently closed and so there was a lot of water cascading down the falls! We also took the boat across instead of walking all the way which enables you to get much closer to the falls.
Gonder and Simien Mountains: Right across from the castles of Gonder is a small, new guesthouse run by some lovely people who have started a tour company called Explore Abyssinia. It's called the Lodge du Chateau (http://www.lodgeduchateau.com/) - rooms are small but there's a lovely small garden, and nice rooftop balcony for breakfast. Explore Abyssinia also organizes tours into the Simien Mountains. We did one night of camping there but it is a long drive into the mountains for only one night so it's probably better to stay there for two nights. There's also a lodge in the Simien Mountain Park which is more expensive but Explore Abyssinia can reserve rooms there as well. Lodge du Chateau rates were between $36 and 50, depending on the type of room. For five people, for one night of camping, we paid $750 and this included all food (delicious actually!) and transport, park fees, etc. Tips for the park-mandated guides and company provided guide and cook were not included.
Aksum (Axum): We stayed in the Yeha Hotel (http://www.ghionhotel.com.et/yeha.htm), another government-run hotel, with rooms that were fine but a bit "tired." Great location right across from the stellae, mediocre food and very reasonable rates (again, though, we were there in the off-season).
Lalibela: We splurged and stayed in the Tukul Village (http://www.tukulvillage.com/) - lovely rooms in round structures inspired by the traditional tukuls of Ethiopia. Food was not great but the only good place we found to eat in Lalibela was the Seven Olives Hotel/Restaurant, which is highly recommended for its food and location!
Southern Africa
A recommended website for back packers looking for a guide to accommodation and adventure in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia is http://www.coastingafrica.com .
If you would like to visit Rwanda, a good, but not cheap, travel company that can arrange your trip, driver, permits, etc. is called ‘Bizidanny Tours and Safaris’. Their website is www.bizidanny.com and the owner is called Danny Bizimana, hence the slightly strange company name!! I loved Kigali, the genocide museum is extremely well done, though harrowing, and the gorillas are amazing of course. Better than Uganda for gorillas I reckon, as you can also trek up to see Diana Fossey’s house and grave as well as the graves of Digit and other gorillas referenced in the film ‘Gorillas in the Mist’.
Ethiopia
We did the northern historical circuit in a 12-day trip. We visited Addis, Bahar Dar, Gonder, the Simien Mountains, Aksum (Axum) and Lalibela, staying usually 2 nights in each location. We flew between all cities except for Bahar Dar and Gonder which is a nice, interesting 3 hour drive. We also drove into the Simien Mountains from Gonder. We had an amazing time - the culture/s were fascinating, the people beautiful and helpful and although we went in June, which is their winter, we weren't too badly affected by rains or cold weather. At the time we went (June 2010), Ethiopian Airlines was having a promotion whereby if you flew into Ethiopia on Ethiopian Air, the internal flights were heavily discounted. We paid around $250/pp for the 4 flights we took whereas the normal price is about $600. I don't know if this offer was only temporary or if it's a permanent standing discount.
We stayed in the following places:
Addis: Z-Guest House. It's a convenient location to the university museums and the Piazza area but less convenient to Bole Road which is where most of the restaurants are. The family that runs the Guest House lives there as well and are helpful with directions. Breakfast is included as is the initial pick up from the airport. The website is: http://www.zguesthouse.com/ and the physical address is: Arada Sub-City, Kebele 11/12, #355, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Phone Numbers: +251-911-123903 / +251-911-676117; Email Address: stay@zguesthouse.com. Prices were in the $70 range which is not what is listed on their website, but what can you do...While in Addis you should definitely eat at Castelli's Restaurant! Overall, the non-Ethiopian food was mediocre throughout Ethiopia and we found Castelli's (Italian food) to be a nice change.
Bahar Dar: We stayed in the Tana Hotel, which is right on Lake Tana. This is a government-run hotel and was fine but a little dated. Food was mediocre. Their website is http://www.ghionhotel.com.et/tana.htm but they never answered my emails and in the end, I made the reservation through an online service - the Ethiopia Hotel Guide - http://www.ethiopiahotelguide.com/. They were very helpful in that although this hotel was not bookable by them, they still contacted the hotel anyway and made the reservation for me. We were there in low season so I think we paid about $38/night for a single, $50 for a double! Although all the guidebooks say that the Blue Nile Falls are not that impressive, we were told that the hydroelectric plant was recently closed and so there was a lot of water cascading down the falls! We also took the boat across instead of walking all the way which enables you to get much closer to the falls.
Gonder and Simien Mountains: Right across from the castles of Gonder is a small, new guesthouse run by some lovely people who have started a tour company called Explore Abyssinia. It's called the Lodge du Chateau (http://www.lodgeduchateau.com/) - rooms are small but there's a lovely small garden, and nice rooftop balcony for breakfast. Explore Abyssinia also organizes tours into the Simien Mountains. We did one night of camping there but it is a long drive into the mountains for only one night so it's probably better to stay there for two nights. There's also a lodge in the Simien Mountain Park which is more expensive but Explore Abyssinia can reserve rooms there as well. Lodge du Chateau rates were between $36 and 50, depending on the type of room. For five people, for one night of camping, we paid $750 and this included all food (delicious actually!) and transport, park fees, etc. Tips for the park-mandated guides and company provided guide and cook were not included.
Aksum (Axum): We stayed in the Yeha Hotel (http://www.ghionhotel.com.et/yeha.htm), another government-run hotel, with rooms that were fine but a bit "tired." Great location right across from the stellae, mediocre food and very reasonable rates (again, though, we were there in the off-season).
Lalibela: We splurged and stayed in the Tukul Village (http://www.tukulvillage.com/) - lovely rooms in round structures inspired by the traditional tukuls of Ethiopia. Food was not great but the only good place we found to eat in Lalibela was the Seven Olives Hotel/Restaurant, which is highly recommended for its food and location!
Southern Africa
A recommended website for back packers looking for a guide to accommodation and adventure in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia is http://www.coastingafrica.com .
