𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭 (𝐝𝐨-𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞-𝐲𝐨𝐮-𝐝𝐢𝐞) 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞!

First posted on X (Twitter) on September 26, 2024
https://x.com/AlMariam1/status/1839773640398660087

Ethiopia is not only the Land of Origins, but also fast becoming the Land of Ecotourism. Ecotourism is simply travel (tourism) to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and offers the visitor a unique firsthand view of nature and local culture.

I first became aware of “ecotourism” when I visited Costa Rica in the mid-1980s. The extraordinary biodiversity of that small central American country offered me enlightenment on the beauty of nature, and my adventure in the rainforest was enchanting. Over the past nearly four decades, I have wished and dreamt Ethiopia could be the preferred ecotourism destination in Africa.

Now, my dreams of Ethio-Ecotourism are being realized year by year. Over the past 6 years (having returned to Ethiopia in 2018 after 48 years in the US), I have had opportunities to travel to various parts of Ethiopia on foot, by car and by plane. I have also done my share of international travel and tried to learn about the best ecotourism destinations in the world.

To me, there are few places on the planet that can compare to the natural beauty of Ethiopia as a complete package. Period! There is Lalibela, the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’, home to eleven churches, each carved from solid volcanic rock. (Behold and simply marvel at the genius of our ancestors.) There is the Danakil Depression, a visual feast of mesmerizing mineral deposits, active lava lakes, and expansive salt flats. (A tough ride even for the tough rider, but well worth it.)

There are the spellbinding Simien Mountains with rugged peaks, panoramic vistas and unique wildlife. (Eat your heart out Grand Canyon.) There are the Sof Omar Caves, the longest cave system in Africa. (Gotta walk at least a few hundred meters of this 15-kilometer magnificent cave to be overwhelmed by the sheer beauty and power of nature.) There is the awe-inspiring Tis Issat [“Smoke of Fire] (Blue Nile Falls) which captivate and enchant the lucky visitor. (Take a deep breath of the smoke (mist) and refresh yourself.) There is Lake Tana, the largest lake in Ethiopia and the source of the Blue Nile, a biosphere reserve. (Lake Tana is the gate/waterway to the magnificent Gorgora Ecotourism Resort.)

There is the Omo Valley with its rolling savannahs, meandering rivers, and dense forests offering a unique view into the lives of ancient peoples of the region. (Gotta see to believe!) There is Arba Min ‘Forty Springs’, famous for its numerous natural springs and nearby Nechisar National Park, a sanctuary for diverse wildlife. (Plenty of zebra, gazelle, hippos, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas.) There are the breathtaking Bale Mountains dominated by rugged peaks, alpine meadows, and dense forests. (It is a lot of fun hiking to the peak of Tullu Dimtu, the fourth highest peak in Ethiopia after Ras Dashen.) Of course, Ethiopia is Land of Origins and Home of Dinqnesh (Lucy), the 3.2 million-year-old member of Australopithecus afarensis and the most complete skeleton of an early human ancestor ever.” (Go say hello to Dinqnesh at the National Museum in Addis Ababa.) I can go on listing ecotourism destination in Ethiopia to fill volumes.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚’𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐏𝐌 𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐘 𝐀𝐇𝐌𝐄𝐃! 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐏𝐌 𝐀𝐛𝐢𝐲! 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭?

Ethiopia is a land that has captured the imagination of the world for millennia. Homer, the ancient Greek poet (8th century BCE) in the Iliad and Odyssey, wrote of the Ethiopians that inhabit the edges of the earth and live in close proximity to the sun, which is the reason they have dark skin. Homer noted the Ethiopians were notable for their privileged relationship with the gods.

Few are aware that Ethiopia is the first country mentioned in the Old Testament. “And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. Genesis 2:13, King James Version). Cush is the name associated with Ethiopia throughout the Bible. The “River Gihon” is none other than Abay River in Ethiopia. Foreigners call Abay “The Nile”. It is on the River Ghion that Ethiopia today is completing the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

The Ethiopian Bible is the oldest and most complete bible on earth written in the ancient language of Ge’ez which is still used today in the liturgies of the Ethiopian Tewahedo Coptic Orthodox Church. The Ethiopian Bible is nearly 800 years older than the King James Version and contains over 100 books compared to 66 of the Protestant Bible. Ethiopia is mentioned at least 38 times in the Bible. In the Book of Psalms 68:31 is written, “Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.” God always lifts those who stretch their hands to Him. Ethiopia was the first civilization anywhere to use the cross of Christ on its coins around 330 CE, long before the Romans.

Edward Gibbon (1737–1794), in his epic “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” (CH. 47), wrote “the Aethiopians slept near a thousand years, forgetful of the world, by whom they were forgotten.” The Smithsonian presented irrefutable archeological evidence showing “Ethiopia may well deserve the title Cradle of Humankind. Some of the most famous, most iconic hominid fossils have been discovered within the country’s borders. Ethiopia can claim many ‘firsts’ in the hominid record book, including first stone tools and the first Homo sapiens.”

During the First Hijra, the Prophet Muhammad directed his persecuted followers “to leave Makkah and seek sanctuary in Abyssinia (Ethiopia) ruled by a Christian king, well-known for being a just and God-fearing man.” The Axumite king of ancient Ethiopia welcomed them and refused to return them to their persecutors. Ethiopia is arguably the only country where Christians and Muslims have lived for centuries side by side with mutual respect and genuine fraternity. The Aksumite kings of Ethiopia minted gold coins around 270 CE to conduct international trade and were big players on trade taking place on the Indian Ocean.

Ethiopia is not exceptional in the grand things only but also in the ordinary things of life. A reporter for the Mail & Guardian who visited Ethiopia in May 2018 yearned for a speedy return: “But the thing to return for with the greatest urgency is the country’s hospitable people. It is as though Ethiopians have been schooled in being pleasant. Coupled with their sense of humility is a stirring physical beauty. Their humility, hospitality and beauty make Ethiopians exceptionally civilized people.”

𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲, Ethiopia is wide awake and has become a rising and shining giant of a country in Africa. Despite Covid 19, a devastating terrorist war, crippling US/Western sanctions, blacklisting at the World Bank/IMF, shortages of forex, conspiracy by her historic enemies and frenemies…, Ethiopia keeps rising. Whatever they throw her way, Ethiopia takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’.

Ethiopia keeps on rising higher and higher. As her fre/enemies burn with anger. The great Maya Angelou must have been thinking of Ethiopia when she wrote, “Still I Rise.” “You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise.” The Biden administration/West read Ethiopia’s last rites. They blackened her name with disinformation and twisted lies. Still Aethiopia rises higher and higher.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚? In his autobiography, Nelson Mandela wrote, “Ethiopia has always held a special place in my own imagination and the prospect of visiting… attracted me more strongly than a trip to France, England and America combined. I felt I would be visiting my own genesis, unearthing the roots of what made me an African.”

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐧-𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐊𝐰𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐍𝐤𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐚 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐦 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐞”. Nkruma spoke of Ethiopia as “Africa’s bright gem”, “land of the wise”, the “bold cradle of Africa’s ancient rule” and as “Africa’s hopes and destiny.” There is a standing invitation to all people of good will throughout the world: Come and visit “Africa’s bright gem”, “land of the wise”, the “bold cradle of Africa’s ancient rule” and “Africa’s hopes and destiny.”

𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞!!! 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐎𝐏𝐈𝐀, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐒!