Ethiopia

Ethiopia is unlike anywhere else in Africa. It was never colonised, apart from a brief Italian occupation, and it has its own script, its own calendar and one of the oldest Christian traditions in the world. People travel here for history and mountains more than for big game.

The northern historic route links four main sites. Lalibela has eleven churches cut downwards out of solid rock in the 12th and 13th centuries and still used for worship. Gondar has the castles of 17th-century emperors. Axum was the capital of an ancient trading empire and is marked by giant carved stelae. Bahir Dar sits beside Lake Tana, with island monasteries and the Blue Nile Falls nearby.

The Simien Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offer multi-day treks along escarpments more than a kilometre high, among large troops of gelada monkeys and the rare walia ibex. The Bale Mountains in the south are the best place to see the Ethiopian wolf. In the north-east, the Danakil Depression lies more than 100 m below sea level and is one of the hottest places on the planet, with salt flats and sulphur springs.

October to March is the dry season and the best time for the highlands. Security conditions vary by region, so check current travel advice before planning a route.