To Eco Or Not To Eco? Environmentally Friendly Tours In Ethiopia
- fklmtours
- Jul 30, 2014
- 3 min read
Being a traveler means freedom to me. Especially freedom of choice. I prefer less known and totally off the beaten path destinations to those, widely described in popular travel guides and leading you to most expensive places without soul. That was one of the reasons why I always wanted to visit Ethiopia so badly. Although this country is home to many stunning places and breathtaking views, still not many people decide to visit it.
You may not know, but recently Ethiopia is becoming more and more popular destination among tourists and individual travelers, and it’s all thanks to its natural wonders and historical heritage. Currently there are ten Ethiopian destinations included on the UNESCO list. These are:
Simien National Park
Rock-Hewn Churches in Lalibela
Fasil Ghebbi in Gondar
Aksum
Lower Valley of the Awash
Lower Valley of the Omo
Tiya
Harar
Konso Cultural Landscape
Meskel
We wouldn’t be able to see them if not some responsible people keeping buildings in a good condition and taking care about nature in general. Until now, Ethiopia hasn’t been really invaded by tourists, but as a country of wonders with strong bonds to biblical beliefs, it becomes more popular and slowly replaces Kenya on the list of most popular African travel destinations. The government even has a plan to put Ethiopia one of the top 5 African countries to visit for tourists. It may happen soon that its beauty will become endangered and explored too much. What’s more, some of the touristic wonders are still holy places and their dignity must be respected under any circumstances.
Although tourism is a great chance for Ethiopia to create new job opportunities and minimise poverty, too many eager and uninformed visitors may influence it in a bad way. Where is the golden mean then? Well, I’d say a lot depends on the tour operators and travel companies we choose. Having the possibility to choose historically and environmentally well informed operators and guides, we can add our influence to the future well-being of the country. Since all current and upcoming developments will undoubtly trigger the need of travel to Ethiopia, all of us visiting, should place ourselves in a position of pioneers and ambassadors of having a choice – traditional or eco. That’s why I’d like to introduce you to the idea of FKLM – one of Ethiopian tour operators – brought to my attention.
The trend of jointing travel with land preservation has become popular a couple of years ago when we realised, that with this pace of world exploration, we may run out of natural resources rather sooner than later. FKLM is encouraging visitors to Ethiopia to sightsee cities on foot and use a less pollution creating means (like sharing cars instead of taking a plane). For instance, you can have a half day walking tour around Addis Ababa to see the incredible Trinity Church or meet Lucy – the oldest human found by archaeologists and currently „living” in the National Museum of Ethiopia.
Another local must-see is a Danakil depression where FKLM can take you avoiding flight connection. This 11-day trip to probably the hottest place on the whole Earth, will take you to one of the most spectacular places you’ve ever seen in your life. The Ethiopian route passes Lake Tana, toe source of the Blue Nile and its monasteries, and continues through the northern part of the country with its various historical capitals.
Worth paying a visit to in the south of the Rift is the Omo Valley and its tribes – Mursi, Hamar, Konso and others. Technology and tourists coming to this place are constantly influencing local communities, which change from one day to another. Don’t miss a chance of meeting them before they will really „vanish” and adapt their lives to western standards, because you may loose a chance of experiencing a real Ethiopia together with its nature – pristine forests, volcanic outcrops and green grasslands full or wildlife.
READ MORE AT http://one-penny-trip.com/africa/eco-tours-in-ethiopia/
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