The company has assembled and marketed more than 3000 vehicles since it began operations in Ethiopia in 2009.

Lifan launched its latest model assembled in Ethiopia, the SUV X-60. The new model will be the seventh to be introduced by the Chinese company in Ethiopia.

The X-60 is a sports utility vehicle which is effective on both asphalt and gravel roads, sporting a 1800cc horse power engine designed in cooperation with British Engine manufacturer RICARDO. The external body of the car resembles that of a Toyota RAV 4.
The new model runs 12km to the liter and costs 530,000 birr with delivery expected in three and a half months after order.

A significant feature of the new model is the Variable Valve Timing engine which controls the opening and closing of the intake valve in response to different operating conditions to improve the power performance of the engine and to reduce fuel consumption noted experts in the industry.

The new car will be promoted by Radio sports journalist and celebrity Mesele Mengistu who has been serving as brand Ambassdor for Lifan for the last year. Lifan gifted Mesele with one of the first SUV X-60’s.

Lifan has three showrooms with the largest to be found in the Kazanchis area. The second showroom is located in the state capital of the Southern Regional State, Hawassa and the third in the state capital of the Amahara Regional State, Bahir Dar.

The company has assembled and marketed more than 3000 vehicles since it began operations in Ethiopia in 2009.

Source: Ethiopian Herald

The third generation technology enables customers to quickly download music, stream video and send or receive e-mails and short messages.

Ethio telecom has re-launched its 3G network to enable clients to be the beneficiaries of a ‘modern and efficient’ third generation service, according to a statement Ethio Telecom sent to The Reporter. The third generation technology would enable clients to have a network quality that would be used to make voice calls, send and receive short messages (SMS), and more importantly, get a fast internet connection.

The third generation technology enables customers to quickly download music, stream video and send or receive e-mails and short messages.

In accordance with the company’s vision regarding world class telecom services from time to time, Ethio Telecom has now availed this technology with advanced network and adjustment to service fees, the statement read.

From now on, all customers with pre-paid and post-paid cards, who would like to get this 3G service, could get it for a payment of 250 birr subscription fee.

In addition to this, clients who will subscribe to this 3G service will be given a onetime 200 megabytes of free internet access as a reward. Moreover, 3G clients will pay service charge similar to that of 2G service for voice call and SMS services.

Currently, Ethio Telecom has deployed a 3G technology that is capable of supporting 300 thousand subscribers. 2G clients who would like to shift to 3G could get the service without losing their original service number after paying a 250 birr subscription fee.

Clients are also required to change their 2G SIM cards to a new 3G SIM card without changing their service numbers because 3G SIM cards have better capacity which will allow them to get a much quicker internet connection.

At the moment Ethio Telecom is rendering the 3G service to clients in Addis Ababa. However, there is a plan to extend this service to other regions of the country in the near future. Since 3G service is only supported within Addis Ababa, 3G customers who will travel to the regions will get an automatic 2G service in areas where they will travel to without any service interruption at all.

Clients are required to have mobile apparatuses that support 3G service in order to get the service. Currently, Ethio Telecom is providing various mobile apparatuses that are capable of supporting 3G technology.

Customers with pre-paid mobile cards who would like to upgrade to 3G service are required to fully utilize their current balance before switching to the new 3G service or transfer their balance to another phone. (Compiled by Hayal Alemayehu ethiopianreporter.com)

Ethiopian will be deploying the brand new and ultra-modern B777-200LR aircraft which offers 287 economy class seats and 34 seats in the luxurious Cloud Nine Business class.

Ethiopian Airlines, Ethiopia’s flag carrier, announced new flights from Addis Ababa to Toronto beginning from the 16th of July. The flight to Toronto will be the only regular non-stop flight from Toronto to Africa according to the press release from the airline.

Ethiopian will be deploying the brand new and ultra-modern B777-200LR aircraft which offers 287 economy class seats and 34 seats in the luxurious Cloud Nine Business class.

The airline will begin with 2 flights a week because of bilateral restrictions but expects to immediately increase the number of flights as soon as it obtains permission said Tewolde Gebremariam, Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines.

The airline has long envisioned connecting Toronto with Addis Ababa and to the rest of the world according to Tewolde.

Adding Toronto to the growing list of destinations Ethiopian serves should also reinforce the relationship between Ethiopia and Canada enhancing trade and investment he noted.

Toronto will be the 67th international destination for Ethiopian and second in that part of the world. The new flight will connect Toronto to several cities in Africa through Addis Ababa including Bujumbura, Dar es Salaam, Doula, Harare, Johannesburg, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lusaka, Nairobi, and Seychelles.

Travelers from places such as Boston, Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Montreal and San Francisco will have convenient connections through Toronto via Air Canada, Ethiopia’s partner.

Source: Ethiopian Airlines Press Release

A new system to rate hotels in Ethiopia is expected to be on line by the end of the current year announced the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The ministry revised its rating system to match international standards on the basis of feedback from the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

The UNWTO experts concluded that the previous system needed to clarify the criteria better and to allow more time for hotels to prepare to meet standards said Sisay Teklu, coordinator of Tourism Services Competence Accreditation Directorate with the Ministry of Culture.

Sufficient time and training has gone into the new system and experts have had a chance to visit European countries to study the system in place there according to Sisay. The new hotel rating system will encourage hotels to meet international standards as well as allowing brand name chains to enter the sector in Ethiopia he noted.

The system is in the final stages and it is expected that all hotels in the country will have rates as per the new system Sisay said.

There are more than 300 hotels in Ethiopia who are expected to meet star rating standards with 100 of these to be found in Addis Ababa said Sisay.

Source: Capital

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi for the first time publicly hinted of an oil discovery in the country after one year from now while he was addressing participants of the Ethiopia Investment Forum on Wednesday, a sideline event to the 22nd World Economic Forum on Africa.

Meles told the participants of the forum comprising 200 international corporate CEOs and 200 local business leaders that there are investment opportunities in the extractive industry including oil exploration while pointing his hand at Tewodros Ashenafi, Founder, Chairman and CEO of South West Energy (HK) Ltd, the first Ethiopian oil and gas exploration company, and saying “Tewodros will be the bearer of the good news.”

Meles told the participants that the fact Ethiopia has been registering a double digit growth for the last eight years, and that it has a population size of 85 million easily trainable workforce and consumers are some of the facts the do attract foreign investors to invest in the country in addition to the tax and other incentives the government provides.

He went on to say that there are ample opportunities for foreign investors to tap into the mining sector including oil exploration.

In a recent interview with The Reporter, Tewodros had said ,“I believe that Ethiopia will be an oil producing country.”

Aside from the good news about the oil, Tewodros has become successful this week after years of lobbying pertinent officials to bring the World Economic Forum to Ethiopia.

Tewodros has for years been member of the World Economic Forum on Africa.

The Forum has brought to Ethiopia over 700 participants from 70 countries, over 500 of whom are CEO of global heavyweights such as Walmart President and Chief Executive Officer, Doug McMillon, and Aliko Dangote, the Nigerian billionaire who invested in a cement plant in Ethiopia and in other Africa countries in addition to others ventures he is engaged in.

source: ethiopianreporter

Samuel Tafesse (right) and Alex kyriakidis at the signing ceremony held at Radisson Blu Hotel last week.

Donald Booth, United States ambassador to Ethiopia, believes that US brands are very good in Ethiopia but very rare. Having spent two years of his three-year term, he wishes to see more brands from his country come to Ethiopia. Most recently, he has witnessed the openings of two giant US companies, General Electric (GE) and Hewlett-Packard (HP), and, to his pleasure, a renowned US lodging facilities brand, Marriott, officially announced its arrival in Addis Abeba, this week.

Marriott, founded in 1927 and joining the hotel business 30 years later, is the third US hotel chain to enter the Ethiopian hospitality industry after Hilton and Starwood through Sheraton. It has also become the fourth franchisor company to make its presence in the country. Marriott International Inc, a company that owns 3,700 properties in 73 countries, is extending its footprint into Ethiopia, after reaching a hotel management contract agreement with Sunshine Business Plc.

Sunshine Construction Plc, which is owned by Samuel Tafesse and Fetlework Ela, has a 95pc share in Sunshine Business Plc while its sister company, Sun Sister, owns the rest. The company dedicated its already constructed building, located near Meskel Square on Jomo Kenyatta Street, to the first hotel in Ethiopia under the brand of Marriott Executive Apartments.

Built on a 2,700sqm plot of land, the Executive Apartments will have 108 rooms, a restaurant, a swimming pool, and a fitness centre. The hotel will contain 95 single bedrooms and two presidential suits. It will also have a meeting facility with a capacity of hosting 80 people and a parking space to accommodate up to 50 cars. The apartment hotel will cost 33 million dollars and is expected to be operational next year.

“The hotel apartment will mainly serve people who come for meetings and stay for two to three months. But, it will also give services to those who rent a room on a daily basis,” Samuel Tafesse, managing director of Sunshine Construction Plc, said in an exclusive interview with Fortune.

The second hotel, named Courtyard by Marriott Addis Abeba, will be situated adjacent to Bole Medhanialem Church on Cameroon Street, behind the three residential villas of Samuel and his family. Marriott introduced its first Courtyard hotel, a lodging option for business travellers, in 1983.

Addis Abeba’s Courtyard Marriot is to lie on 4,200sqm and cost an estimated 38 million dollars. When it is opened for service, planned for April 2015, it will have 215 rooms, a meeting hall with the capacity to accommodate 1,200 people, a swimming pool, and a full-fledged fitness centre.

The Courtyard will have 144 king-size bedrooms and 57 double bedrooms. According to a source, the size of the king-size bedrooms will be larger than the standard for a Courtyard due to local industry requirements. Like the Executive Apartments, two presidential suites will be part of the Courtyard and 13 suites will also be included.

The two hotels, expected to have five stars, will be under Marriott’s management, according to the contract agreement signed between Sunshine and the hotel chain company on May 10, 2012, Radisson Blu Hotel, another international hotel located on Marshal Tito Street.

Hundreds of invited guests, including Tadelech Dalecho, state minister of culture and tourism, and US Ambassador Donald Booth, witnessed the contact agreement signing by Samuel and Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director of the Middle East and Africa for Marriot International Inc.

“The hotel management contract agreement gives full rights and responsibility for Marriott to manage Marriott – Sunshine Executive Apartments and Sunshine Courtyard by Marriott Hotel,” Samuel told the gathering.

The hotel management contract agreement is one type of model in operation for hotels and is usually a long-term arrangement. Such agreements give full control of management to the hotel operator, which is responsible for the day-to-day running of the hotel. In this type of agreement, the owner of the hotel is supposed to pay a fee to the management company. Neither Sunshine nor Marriot were willing to disclose the fee amount, citing confidentiality on their agreements.

“Our responsibility starts from recruiting and training people, ourselves, under Marriott standards,” Mr Kyriakidis told the media. “[We are] bringing the operation to life, choosing the food and beverage concepts, bringing in the reservation technology platform, and supporting the hotel sales and marketing both locally, regionally, and globally as well.”

Marriott, a company that was involved in food and related supply distribution and senior living services businesses, shifted its focus to hotel ownership and management in 2002. To put more emphasis on lodging and hospitality, the company created Marriott International Inc in 1993. Marriott International Inc started operations in the Middle East and Africa region in 1980.

It currently owns 39 properties in 11 Middle Eastern and African countries, of which eight are operated in three African countries. In recent times, the interest of international hotel chains and airlines in the African market has showed a dramatic increase, according to media reports. Marriott, however, developed a strategic plan to get a piece of the pie from the new frontier four years ago.

“The whole global hospitality industry is late in coming to Africa. But, I think this is nothing more than having the right opportunity at the right,” Mr Kyriakidis explained.

Marriot seems to have realised the opportunity in Africa and selected the next five years as the right time. In addition to the two hotels that will be opened in Addis Abeba, the company announced that 19 hotels that hold Marriott’s different brand names will start to give services in eight African countries by 2017. The hotelier will open five hotels each in Algeria and Egypt, alone.

Egypt is the top tourist destination in the Middle East and Africa. The growing African middleclass coupled with the development of infrastructure has attracted the world’s top travel and tourism operators to the continent, according to Kyriakidis. The African Development Bank (AfDB) reports that the middleclass accounted for 34pc of the African population in 2010 and is expected to grow from 355 million to 1.1 billion in the next 50 years.

When people cross into the middle income level and they have disposable income, one of the first things they like to do is travel, Kyriakidis believes. Their movement gave birth to the idea of the need for a hotel product, he says. For the managing director, Ethiopia is no exception to this continental drive.

“We have been looking at the current supply situation to meet the needs of both domestic travellers and international visitors to Ethiopia,” Kyriakidis elaborated. “We see an acute shortage in hotel rooms for the city of Addis Abeba. That is really the start of journey.”

Before the journey began, Marriot and Sunshine, wrestled through four years of tough negotiations. For Sunshine, the process even dates a little further back. Prior to their decision to negotiate with Marriot, they developed criteria to select a management company. They then shortlisted seven other hotel chains and started making enquiries for more information. Based on the information they gathered, they assessed the companies’ financial statuses and human resources management capabilities.

“By every measurement Marriott stood out. They were also swift to respond,” Berhanu Bekele, head of the Hotel Development Division at Sunshine Business Plc, told Fortune.

Despite Sunshine’s satisfaction of the portfolio of the management company, Marriott officials chose to be very careful before they reached any agreement. Working in a market full of hotels and brands and coming from countries that have a lot of knowledge of the hospitality industry, their Ethiopian experience was quite unique for them. Kyriakidis recalled those years as an “education process,” and justifying the slow pace of the negotiations.

“In a market where the hotel industry is very small and the branded hotels are very few, the discussions with the owner will take a longer time,” Kyriakidis said. “In our experience, anyone who signs something very quickly usually cries many years afterwards.”

source: addisfortune

When the London cabbie driving me to Paddington on Sunday asked where I was going and I replied that I was headed to Ethiopia, he said ‘What’s it like there now, is everyone still starving?’ Perceptions, it seems, aren’t easy to erase.

It’s my third visit to Ethiopia. I flew on British Airways from London to Nairobi and on to Addis on Ethiopian Airways – voted Africa’s top airline in 2011. My work takes me across Africa and I would agree. This was a far easier than my previous trip here in late 2002, an exhausting 48 hours to reach Addis from West Africa with stops in Paris, Frankfurt and Cairo. That journey today would be a direct five-hour flight.

As a social entrepreneur and a fellow of the Schwab Foundation of the World Economic Forum, I’m here to attend the first Africa Regional Forum to be held in Ethiopia. This year’s theme is suitably Shaping Africa’s Transformation. And transforming it is. Whirlwinds of change are gusting across the continent and will be reflected in our conversations – trade, growth, political stability, economic policies, the green revolution, business models, and investment, amongst others. Africa continues to face seemingly insurmountable challenges, yet words like optimism, opportunity and innovation are more likely to be heard than poverty, famine and aid. Africans are discovering African solutions.

A decade ago I couldn’t buy a local sim card and had to use my South African GSM cellphone to make a call. There were only 17,000 mobile phone owners; now there are an estimated 6.5 million subscribers. Today, instead of paying roaming charges, I bought a sim card from MTN Ethiopia. In 2002 I paid $1 per minute for a dial-up Internet connection. In my hotel now, it’s free and fast. Although still less than 6% of Ethiopians have Internet access, an hour online averages 18-30 birr (the local currency), or roughly between $1-2 at an Addis cyber cafe.

I’m excited to be here not only to see the immense changes that have taken place, but also to catch up with my Schwab Foundation network. There are 19 social entrepreneurs attending the Forum. What they achieve is always a source of inspiration. It’s my ninth Africa World Economic Forum and I’m eager to see how this one compares to the others I’ve attended in Maputo, Dar es Salaam and Cape Town.

With any luck, events like this and new images from Ethiopia will help to reshape my taxi driver’s perception of this complex, historic, diverse and culturally rich nation.

Source: Huffingtonpost

From left are, Omar K. Carrera, East & Southern Africa area director for sales & marketing; Antony Wade, resident manager; Jean-Pierre Manigoff, general manager; Mulugeta Demissie, group & event manager; and Surafel Yilma, director for rooms.

A part of the emblematic World Economic Forum (WEF), which was first convened in 1971, the WEF on Africa aims to highlight African developmental and business issues and contribute to continental progress, once dubbed as “the hopeless continent”, according to organizers. The track record of the Forum is indeed high, with its latest contributions being the deliberation on the global financial crisis of 2008, which succeeded in creating a global consensus towards policy harmonisation and the gathering held on January 25 to 29, 2012, at Davos, Switzerland, about fixing capitalism.

Addis Abeba will see the historic gathering of global policy movers and shakers under the flagship forum this week, the first of its kind to be held in Ethiopia. Over 1,000 participants, including heads of state, leaders of global multinational giants, renowned academicians, and civil society representatives will meet in various halls designated at the Sheraton as Awash, Gonder, Harer and Axum. There will also be side events planned at the UNECA, Africa Union and the Hilton.

source: addisfortune

While hotels come with restaurants, bars, or pools on the property, guest houses offer kitchens for cooking, ideal for saving money and avoiding long waits.

It is not a secret that Addis Ababa is increasingly becoming a tourist destination as well as a hub for foreigners working for NGOs and international conferences that are increasingly being held in the city. Hotels are a traditional way of accommodating visitors, however guesthouses are rising in popularity.

Guesthouses, which are often times homes converted into bed and breakfasts’, are smaller in size and usually are equipped with accommodations including internet, free breakfast, and kitchens for cooking. Found in virtually every neighborhood of the city, guesthouses are continuing to open and show no sign of slowing down in business.

Molla Guest House, located in Bole Medneihilem above Munch Bakery and Café, has been operating for over a year. The small reception area is situated with white tile floors, orange and black leather seats, a television screen, and a reception desk built with brick stone.

There are several staff members talking to two women who just came in asking to reserve rooms for a bridal party. Offered a tour of unoccupied rooms, a female staff member leads them up the staircase to reveal the family suite.

The guesthouse reads like a luxurious home in the city. Boasting several floors, Molla Guest House offers 14 rooms. The family suite opens to reveal a wide family room stocked with a flat screen T.V., wood floors, and a dining table for four. Leading past a fully equipped kitchen is the master bedroom and bathroom, with steam included. The second bedroom is also coupled with a tiled colorful bathroom and is ideal for a large group.

Maru Ketema, an employee at Molla, says that typically visitors who choose staying at guesthouses versus hotels or pensions usually stay for longer periods of times (average is around 2 weeks). The majority of guests they see at Molla are indeed foreigners who come to Addis for business or conferences, with some guests staying on and off at the guesthouse for up to a year.

While hotels come with restaurants, bars, or pools on the property, guest houses such as Molla offer kitchens for cooking, ideal for saving money and avoiding long waits. Also, as such places in hotels’ are public venues, some visitors miss out on needed privacy. Thus, guesthouses are an alternative for long-term visitors who are looking for a homey, quiet accommodation, says Maru.

The prices for a guesthouse like Molla around Bole ranges according to season and time of a year (a major international conference can increase prices), thus many guesthouses do not have fixed rates.

Nikoli, a long-distance running coach originally from Croatia, has been living in Addis on and off for the past four years. Three out of four of those years, Nikoli was living in various guesthouses in Gerj and Haya Hulet.

He opted to stay in guesthouses after finding difficulty finding the right home. “I enjoyed living in a guest house due to how clean it is, everyday someone comes to clean you room, your clothes are washed for you. Also I felt safe.” However due to inflation, rates have gone up and Nikoli is now renting a home. Still, Nikoli says that he would recommend staying in a guesthouse to anyone.

Mam Guest House, located not too far from Molla, has been operating for almost a year. In contrast to Molla, Mam is most obviously a residence that has been converted into a bed and breakfast. The home is located in a quiet neighborhood by Bole Medehanialem church, and stands at the end of a long road.

Painted lime green both in its exterior and interior, the house is an impressive 3 stories offering 8 bedrooms. Aside from neighboring construction, the yard is quiet and upon entering is greeted with a reception area with a couch and desk.

Providing security and privacy for guests, Mam Guest House also offers complimentary breakfast every morning and delivers food from local restaurants. A traditional buna ceremony is done every Sunday and whenever a guest checks out.

Every season brings different types of customers. Meetings and conferences bring in foreigners from the continent and the Middle East, where as ‘wedding season’ brings in bridal parties from the city. The atmosphere is positive and guests are made to feel like home, says staff.

In contrast to the new wave of guesthouses that are springing up by the dozen around the city, some visitos opt for more traditional hotels to accomdate their stay. Radisson Blu, one of the newest hotels in the city, is a 5 star business hotel. Located in Kazanchis, Radisson has been operating for almost four months and has received rave reviews for its aesthetic and service.

After a security check, one enters Radisson Blu’s wide lobby. To the left is a café with coffee provided by famed Tomoca, and on the right is the entrance to the hotel’s French themed restaurant. Following the lobby are glass walls revealing a terrace and colorful wicker sofas and chairs. The atmosphere is static with hoardes of businessmen in sharp suits.

Unlike the quiet and demure atmospheres of guesthouses, a hotel like Radisson Blu is busy with people dining, having a drink at the Signature Bar, and attending conferences at one of the 9 meeting rooms. A business center is provided for guests, where one can work on computers, send faxes, and make copies.

Other unique accommodations offered at the hotel include express laundry for guests, a men and women’s hair salon and fitness center, and an interactive television (found in every room). Radisson’s niche market is for businessmen and women, as most tourists don’t choose 5 star accommodations.

Although many business clients were limited to choosing either the Sheraton or Hilton for 5 star treatment, Radisson has opened up as the third in the country. Furthermore, staff says that the hotel is careful not to overbook, as customers are paying for the human factor in the service they receive.

Staff are happy to report that the hotel has received positive feedback from customers, especially from people who have never traveled to the Third World. Also while the restaurant, bar, café and terrace are open to the public, the rest of the hotel is accomdated only to guests. Furthermore, glass windows are sealed to be soundproof, so despite the busy location customers can have a tranquil experience.

As most tourists coming to Addis on pleasure do not opt for luxurious accomdations, many choose less expensive hotels through word of mouth or researching online. Zewdachew Mesheshe, who is visitng Addis with his family from the U.K., was extremely disappointed with their first hotel experience.

Although they choose their hotel, located by Greek School, by hearing positive reviews from family members, they were surprised to see that the rooms were outdated. Furthermore, it was the attitude of the workers that convinced the family to move to a guesthouse in Piassa. “The staff did not seem happy to help us when we told them of our complaints,” says Zewdachew.

Similarly businessman Tom (name has been changed) was surprised to see such issues. Originally from New Zealand, Tom lives in Tigrai and comes often to the city on business. He stayed at the Hilton because of it’s prestigious rating, but was surprised to see that the rooms have not been renovated (especially with its high prices)

Since his disappointing stay at the Hilton, Tom has become a regular at Harmony Hotel. Located in Bole Mednheilem behid Edna Mall, Harmony hotel was opened in 2008 and is a four star hotel, offering broadband internet, a restaurant, and bar. Tom says that he has had a pretty good experience, citing the location and restaurants nearby as a plus.

However, it is the service that keeps Tom coming back, saying staff members even remember his name when he returns to Addis. The complaints Tom has in general about staying in Addis is that whenever there is a conference, it can be nearly impossible to find a room. Also, constant construction work is distracting and makes walking difficult to and from the hotel.

Overall if you are traveling to Addis or expecting visitors anytime soon, there are increasing options of accomodations. While guesthouses can offer an intimate, homey stay away from the hustle and bustle of the city, sleek and modern hotels offer international cuisine and socializing spaces. Regardless of where you find yourself staying in Addis, it is important to look for a place that embody that type of traveling experience you are looking to have.

source: Aida Solomon (ethiopianreporter.com)

Ethiopia is home to one of the world's oldest Christian communities, an even older Jewish one, and it is where the first Muslims found shelter when persecuted in their Arabian homeland.

There is a place, in the searing deserts of north-east Ethiopia, where you can watch a new version of planet Earth being created. In 2005, over a period of just 10 days, a 60km-long, 8m-wide crack opened in the Earth’s surface. Scientists who witnessed it were astonished. Here, they told the world, were the labour pains indicating the birth of a new ocean and the beginning of an event that in a mere 10 million years would rip Africa in two.

The fact that Ethiopia is reshaping our planet should come as no surprise. After all, this corner of East Africa is often cited as the cradle of humanity. It was here that ancient hominids first stood upright. But Ethiopia’s contribution to Earth’s history extends much further; this is a country that has helped shape much of our culture. It is home to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities, an even older Jewish one, and it is where the first Muslims found shelter when persecuted in their Arabian homeland. Ethiopia is also where the Ark of the Covenant, the biblical chest carried by Moses from Mount Sinai, can supposedly be found, inside a chapel in Axum.

Going back even further, Ethiopia is where the Queen of Sheba is said to have had her palace and where she gave birth to a son, fathered by King Solomon, who became the ancestor of all Ethiopian emperors right up to Haile Selassie.

Unfortunately, despite its illustrious past, years of famine and war have kept mass tourism at bay. But things are changing, and nowadays Ethiopia is safe, stable and surprisingly easy to visit. Indeed, Cox & Kings (0845 564 8275; coxandkings.co.uk) reported that its Ethiopia group tour was the best-selling escorted tour in its Africa brochure last year. The 14-day “Ethiopian Odyssey” starts at £2,889 per person, including flights.

Most visitors focus on the northern highlands, with good reason. Homeland of the Christian Amhara and Tigrayan peoples, the north’s soaring mountain plateaux offer a treasure trove of historical sites, tiny monasteries older than any European cathedral, and rock-carved churches filled with medieval art. The main tourist sites in the north are Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile, whose surface is pockmarked with tiny forested islands hiding 16th-century monasteries. Then there’s Gonder, the former imperial capital, which has some of Africa’s finest castles and palaces.

Axum has one of the greatest collections of archaeological sites in sub-Saharan Africa. And the final stop on most people’s itinerary is Lalibela, the so-called New Jerusalem. Rainbow Tours (020-7666 1250; rainbowtours.co.uk) offers an 11-day “Classic Ethiopia Historical Tour” costing from £2,895, including flights.

The north also has some of the most breathtaking mountain scenery in Africa, with the 4,000m-high Simien Mountains the most popular hiking area. For more offbeat trekking, the northern Tigray region and the area around Lalibela offer fantastic walking, and diversions include monasteries atop needles of rock. Exodus (0845 287 7613; exodus.co.uk) offers a 15-day “Simien Mountains Trek” from £2,149, with flights.

Heading south from the capital, Addis Ababa, you’ll find a land torn open by the Rift Valley, sprinkled with muddy lakes and home to a mind-boggling array of tribal peoples. Then there’s the little-visited west, among whose evergreen coffee plantations lies adventure – and none bigger than the search for the lost gold mines of King Solomon.

Finally, in the east, where Islam dominates, is the fear-inspiring Danakil Desert– with its fiercely independent tribes – widely seen as the world’s hottest, most ferocious place. Yet it wasn’t always like this: Ethiopians say that, long ago, the Danakil was a vast field of pure gold. True or not, it’s likely that, a long time hence, the Danakil will be at the bottom of a brand new ocean formed after Ethiopia tears Africa into two, and once again reshapes the world.

Axum

You might not guess it, but the small and dusty town of Axum (Aksum) was once one of the most important towns in Africa. Its influence stretched over a vast swathe of north-east Africa and southern Arabia. Today, there are still reminders of those glory days; a handful of stelae – one of them pictured right – and a clutch of tombs and mausoleums. But even with these physical remains we still know little about ancient Axum. Who constructed these stelae, and why? Are there really secret hoards of treasure hidden in sealed tombs? (It’s certainly true that there are passageways and tombs under Axum that archaeologists have yet to open.) Was Axum really once the capital of the Queen of Sheba? And, most intriguingly, does the small chapel at the centre of the town contain the Ark of the Covenant?

Ace Cultural Tours (01223 841 055; aceculturaltours.co.uk). offers a 14-day group trip, calling at Axum, for £2,950, with flights.

Lalibela

The legends say that, 1,000 years ago, a poisoned man was carried to heaven by the angels and shown a breathtaking city of rock-hewn churches. He was then commanded by God to return to Earth and recreate what he had seen.

The result was Lalibela. Easily the No 1 attraction in Ethiopia, and one of the architectural wonders of Africa, the dozen churches, hewn out of rust- red rock, are the high point of an ancient Ethiopian building tradition. You can explore them quite freely, but note two things: you will be expected to take off your shoes, and the carpets covering the floors are often alive with fleas.

Lalibela is a living, breathing religious site, and to be here during one of the major Christian holidays, when thousands of white-robed pilgrims pour into town, is to witness Christianity at its rawest and most powerful. Explore Tailormade (0844 875 1890; explore. co.uk/tailormade) offers an 11-day “Ancient Kingdoms” tour that includes Lalibela, Axum, Gonder and some well-kept secrets. From £2,275, with flights.

Omo Valley

In the remote south of the country is a side of Ethiopia that stands in utter contrast to the cool, Christian highlands. The Omo Valley is the Africa of Hollywood films; wild and sometimes untamed, it’s home to a plethora of tribal groups, including the bull-jumping Hamer people, the Beshadar and the fascinating Mursi, whose women wear huge lip plates and whose men still live a life of cattle rustling and tribal fighting.

Last century, tourism in these parts was unheard of, but today, the Omo Valley has become one of the Ethiopian tourist boards’ biggest selling points.

Getting to the southern Omo Valley, where the greatest concentration of tribal villages can be found, is an adventure, and, because of a paucity of public transport, even hard-core backpackers end up using a tour company.

Wild Frontiers (020-7736 3968; wildfrontiers.co.uk) has a 13-day “Journey through the Omo Valley” from £2,170 without flights, or £2,695 inclusive. The tour includes crater lakes in Langano, visits to indigenous villages and boat trips on Lake Chamo.

Gastronomic Ethiopia

Memories of drought and famine overshadow Ethiopia’s reputation for cuisine. But, in fact, its food is some of the most diverse and delicious in on the continent.

The national staple is injera. This is a large, somewhat sour-tasting rubbery pancake made from the indigenous cereal, teff. The injera is laid out on a large tray-like plate, and on top are placed dollops of wat, or curry; the most common is doro wat (chicken). The spice contrasts beautifully with the sour injera.

You can eat this in almost any town or city, but for some of the best, try the Ben Abeba in Lalibela (00 251 3 3336 0215; benabeba.com). With incredible architecture and an intense view, it offers food from £2 to £5.

Ethiopia is renowned for its coffee, and vies with Yemen for the title of the drink’s original home. So don’t miss the Ethiopian coffee ceremony. Freshly cut grass is scattered, an incense-burner placed in the corner, and the coffee beans roasted in a pan and ground up. The coffee is served in tiny cups with several spoonfuls of sugar. It’s mind-numbingly strong, and it’s polite to drink at least three cups – then buzz for the rest of the day!

Finding a place to stay

Addis Ababa has the full array of international business class hotels. The best is the Sheraton (00 251 115 171717; sheratonaddis.com) which has doubles from US$279 (£186), B&B. La Source Guest House (00 251 114 665510; bit.ly/I3Mili) is more low key and has doubles from US$21 (£14), B&B. Ekko apartments (00 251 11 552 8720; ekko-apartments.com) offers furnished double rooms or furnished apartments, from US$63 (£42), self catering.

Outside Addis Ababa, room quality drops dramatically. There are few luxury safari lodges but every popular tourist town has a range of small, locally run guesthouses with clean but basic facilities.

Luxurious Gheralta Lodge (00 251 34 667 0344; gheraltalodgetigrai.com) is on the high Tigray plateau and surrounded by ancient monasteries and churches. It has double rooms from US$40 (£25), B&B.

For a more customisable option, Z Guesthouse in Addis Ababa has doubles or furnished flats from US$60 (£40), B&B (00 251 911 123903; zguesthouse.com).

Travel essentials

Getting there

Ethiopian Airlines (0800 635 0644; flyethiopian.com) from Heathrow to Addis Ababa; most flights are non-stop, but some land in Rome. British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com) flies through its BMI subsidiary via Amman.

Emirates (0844 800 2777; emirates.com) flies from UK airports via Dubai; and Turkish Airlines (020-7471 6666; turkishairlines. com) flies from Manchester, Heathrow and Gatwick via Istanbul.

British citizens need visas which can be bought on on arrival for US$20 (£13); bring two passport-sized photos. But the rules can change, so to avoid confusion, a one-month tourist visa can be obtained in advance from the Ethiopian embassy in London (17 Princes Gate; 020-7838 3897; ethioembassy.org.uk).

Getting around

It’s perfectly possible to travel around all the most popular historic sites of the north with Ethiopian Airlines.

While roads between main towns are generally reasonable (and some asphalt), those in remote areas are rough or impassable.

Many visitors choose to join an organised tour or hire a 4×4 and driver from a local tour operator. Prices vary but count on £100-£140 per day. Reliable local tour operators (all based in Addis Ababa) include Abeba Tours Ethiopia (00 251 115 15 9530; abebatours ethiopia.com), Green Land Tours & Travels (00 251 116 299 252; greenlandethiopia.com) and Travel Ethiopia (00 251 115 508 870; travelethiopia.com). Buses connect the main cities with the capital and each other. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office warns to stay at least 100km from the borders of Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea.

source: The Independent