Grand Escapades
Travel Photography & Travel Experiences of Africa, South America, the Middle-East & Asia
Omo River, near Omorate, Lower Omo Valley, South Ethiopia
The hour long drive from Turmi to Omerate offers a bit of Safari feeling. Savannah with low growing shrubs is intercepted by the occasional termite mound pointing towards the sky like a chimney. Matthew stopped a few times to show us endemic birds, like the big Secretary bird, or Guinea fowls. Some shy Tik Tiks and mighty baboons turned this trip into a minor game drive. Continue Reading →
Dasanech People, across the Omo River, near Omorate, Lower Omo Valley, South Ethiopia
Of course we had read about this “Birr for Photos” business that has evolved in the Omo Valley over the last couple of years. But no matter how well prepared you think you are, it is very challenging! Especially since it is never exactly the same, every village has its own rules. The only common denominator is Birr. Continue Reading →
Arbore People, Arbore, Lower Omo Valley, South Ethiopia
The road from Karat-Konso to Turmi runs through the territory of the Arbore people, who are famous for their colorful traditional clothes and their distinctive jewelry. One of the Arbore villages is close to the road, which has made it the very stop over for tourists marveling at this ethnic group. By now the villagers have become pros in extracting Birr for every click. Every click? They count them! For us this place was the true initiation rite for the Omo Valley “Ethno Circuit”. Once we stopped outside the village, hell broke loose! Continue Reading →
Mecheke Village, near Karat-Konso, Konso People, Omo Valley, South Ethiopia
The town of Karat-Konso is the gateway to the Lower Omo Valley. Its downtown is basically a giant roundabout, no kidding… There we picked up the permit to visit the nearby village of Mecheke, which sits on top of a little hill. It is not surrounded by one, but by several walls. Naturally the Konso, the local ethnic group of the same name, built these for defending themselves against attacks from other tribes. As the village grew, huts were built outside the walls, and at some point a new wall was built around the huts outside. Continue Reading →
Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) on Lake Chamo, near Arba Minch, Omo Valley, South Ethiopia
That afternoon a fisherman took us out on Lake Chamo, the more southerly of the two Riff Valley Lakes near Arba Minch. Matthew could not be convinced to leave later, at around 04:00 pm, when it was cooler and the light less aggressive. Nope, the crocodile and the hippos would be gone, he insisted. All in all it was a great trip. The small boat got us really close to amazing birds, crocodiles big and small, some lazily sleeping, others stomping around in peaceful coexistence with large colonies of pelicans. Continue Reading →
Beehive-shaped huts, Dorze village, near Arba Minch, Omo Valley, South Ethiopia
A day’s drive south of Addis and near the city of Arba Minch the road twists and winds up to a chilly 3.000 meters. This is where the Dorze live in tall beehive-shaped huts. Continue Reading →
At a cattle market, near Arba Minch, Omo Valley, South Ethiopia
Even in Egypt and Ethiopia we could not escape from these nerve-raking Xmas tunes we tread so much. “Holy Night Silent Night” was on the top charts at the hotel in Cairo and also the Paradise Lodge in Arba Minch figured that the Faranji cannot do without it. A decorated Christmas tree and fake presents wrapped in glossy paper dominated the dining room. Even so-called Christmas cookies were served. Continue Reading →
Great Sphinx of Giza, Cairo, Egypt
Instead of relaxing at least one day in Addis Abeba before heading towards the Omo Valley, we were determined to make the most of our day in Cairo. Even though this stop-over came as a total surprise, we did not have to think twice about what to do there. More challenging was to get a feeling for prices so quickly. We were constantly approached by cab drivers who offered to take us to the Great Pyramids, the Bazaar and the Archaeological Museum. Soon we figured that about 25 Euros was the going rate for newly arrived tourists to be sped to all this sights in one day. Continue Reading →
Heidi in a Dorze Village, Lower Omo Valley
The days previous to our departure for Ethiopia, we spent in Paris celebrating the 100th birthday of Gilles’ grandmother. As well covered by the media, this very weekend some European airports resembled disaster zones rather than first world transit hubs because of a few centimeters of snow. Going to Paris took us 10 hours, coming back to Vienna turned into a 35 hour journey with a night in Zurich! Continue Reading →
Camel caravan carrying salt from the mines in Dallol, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia,
We are used to our friends rolling their eyes when we spell out the next travel destination. “Colombia? But that is dangerous!” or “Mali? Where is that?” Ethiopia triggered remarks like “Why do you go there?”, “What is there to see?” or “But it is only a desert!” This country is still often associated with the horrible images of the great famine in 1985 – 1986 and the war against Eritrea. Continue Reading →