Ethiopia wants to boost tourism

17/2/2016

Destinations ■
Ethiopia has ambitious plans and wants to attract more than 2.5 million foreign tourists by 2020, a triple compared to 2013. Despite its special cultural, historical and linguistic identity, Ethiopia has so far failed to become a major tourist destination in Africa.

BY HANAN, 1 minute read

The Simien Mountains in Ethiopia, photo by Ondřej Žváček.

However, the country has a lot of beautiful things. Various cultures and landscapes with very diverse and rare plant growth. A wildlife of many indigenous species, including unusual birds, the mountain nyala and the Ethiopian nyala, the walia ibex, the Somali wild ass. The Simien Mountains National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site) in the Ethiopian Highlands with fascinating animal species such as the gelada, the only grass-eating monkey in the world. Forests in the south and the desert where Lucy was discovered, the oldest and most complete skeleton of the direct predecessor of today's people. This discovery earned Ethiopia the nickname 'Cradle of Mankind'.

Of course you will also find other animals in Ethiopia that belong to an African country, such as lions, elephants, zebras, hippos, monkeys and crocodiles. In the game reserves and national parks, the chance of a 'meeting' with one or more of these species is greatest.

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