I had an 18 hour layover between flights in Addis on a business trip, and decided that I'd use this as the opportunity to do some reconnaissance to confirm whether or not Ethiopia was somewhere that our family would like to visit in the future.
I absolutely loved the trip, which provided a fascinating and varied introduction to the country's landscape, nature and wildlife (particularly endemic species).
The highlight for me was Portuguese Bridge and the Jemma River gorge. The landscape is stunning, and using a local guide means that you get an excellent perspective on the wildlife. I am a keen birder, so was very excited to see Rupell's black winged cliff chat (whose distinctive call you'll hear reverberating through the gorge), sunbirds and two species of vulture - hooded vulture and lammergeier - as well as several other species.
We were also able to spend some time watching a family group of gelada baboon who - despite having fearsome canines, are vegetarian - who were digging for roots and bulbs.
Lunch was delicious - injera flat bread with a selection of stews, sauces and vegetables, eaten in the traditional style with hands and washed down with a cold Habesha beer. As I visited during Lent, the food was vegetarian, featuring lentils, cabbage and beetroot, so vegetarians could request this meat-free version outside of the fasting season.
Mulu speaks excellent English, and I found him friendly, well informed and very accommodating. When I indicated that I didn't want to attend a coffee ceremony because I have a food intolerance (and didn't want to risk offending my hosts by not drinking what they'd made for me), he was totally unfazed, and rearranged the schedule accordingly. He was happy to make unscheduled stops to explore things that I was interested in (including a lengthy stop by a stand of bushes alive with seed eating birds) and took me to a supermarket in Addis where I could buy local honey and tea to bring home with me. Most importantly, I never felt as though I was being rushed.
I would highly recommend this tour, and on this basis, I am confident that we will be back as a family to explore Ethiopia in the future.
