点评:We were interested in visiting Ethiopia but did not want to be rushed from place to place. We originally looked at the tour that covers both North and South, but eventually settled for the North, staying a day or so more in some places, essentially giving us time to do more in-depth visit. Habte, Awaze's Manager, was very responsive to our requests as we planned our trip.
Over 10 days we toured Addis, Aksum, Bahir Dar, Gondar and Lalibela. We flew between these destinations, except for a four hour drive between Bahir Dar and Gondar.
Our guides were excellent! Wubshet and Mulu in Addis, Tesfuay in Aksum, Teme in Bahir Dar, the boat Captain in Lake Tana, and Dedale in Lalibela. Our drivers Fikru, Lulu, Gech, and Tadese were also top notch, especially the one who drove us from Bahir Dar to Gondar.
We particularly enjoyed the fortuitous opportunity to participate in the procession during the Assumption of Mary festivities in Aksum. The captain on Lake Tana was knowledgeable about local wildlife and made bird watching enjoyable. Desale, having been a student for the priesthood, took us behind the scenes at the churches and monasteries in Lalibela. We enjoyed the food everywhere. The hotels went from adequate (given national circumstances) to nice (Mezena Lodge in Lalibela, Blue Nile in Bahir Dar).
A few considerations: Addis is big and modern, and yet it may be challenging to find little things you may need, such as contact lenses solution, so bring special items you may need.
The political/conflict situation is fluid: Trust your local guides. If they tell you that going to the Blue Nile Falls is not recommended, it's very likely the case. We felt we were in very good hands the entire trip.
There were opportunities to hike to remote mountain churches and monasteries, which should not be missed. Know that this also requires sturdy hiking shoes and medium level of fitness for steep climbs. The temples and views are breathtaking.
Overall, we would highly recommend anyone interested in visiting a country with fascinating history, landscape and genuinely warm people to visit Ethiopia. And we would especially recommend to do so with Awaze. They took care of us, made adjustments when necessary, and were always interested in having us feel happy with the trip.
翻译:我们原本有意游览埃塞俄比亚,但不希望行程过于仓促、被逼着从一个地方赶到另一个地方。起初我们考虑了包含北部和南部地区的旅游线路,但最后还是选择了北部地区,还在一些地方多停留了一天左右,这样就有更多时间进行深度游览。在规划行程的过程中,Awaze的经理哈布特对我们提出的各项要求都响应迅速。
在10多天的时间里,我们游览了亚的斯亚贝巴、阿克苏姆、巴赫达尔、贡德尔和拉利贝拉。这些地方之间我们都是乘坐飞机往返的。除了从巴赫达尔到贡德尔那段需要四小时的车程外,一切都很顺利。
我们的导游棒极了!亚的斯亚贝巴的武布谢特和穆卢、阿克苏姆的泰斯富艾、巴赫达尔的特梅、塔纳湖上的船长,还有拉利贝拉的德达莱。我们的司机菲克鲁、卢卢、盖奇和塔德塞也技艺高超,尤其是那位载我们从巴赫达尔前往贡德尔的司机。
我们尤其庆幸能有机会参与阿克苏姆举行的圣母升天节游行。塔纳湖上的船长对当地的野生动植物了如指掌,让观鸟变得乐趣无穷。德萨勒曾接受过神职培训,他带我们参观了拉利贝拉各座教堂与修道院的内部。我们很喜欢沿途品尝到的各种美食。至于住宿方面,各家酒店的水平从“尚可”(考虑到当地条件而言)到“不错”(如拉利贝拉的梅泽纳旅馆以及巴赫达尔的青尼罗河旅馆)不等。
几点注意事项:亚的斯亚贝巴是一座庞大且现代化的城市,但要找到一些生活必需品可能仍会有些困难。比如隐形眼镜护理液,因此请带上您可能需要的特殊物品。
当地的政局与冲突局势变化莫测:请信任当地的向导。如果他们建议您不要前往青尼罗河瀑布,那很可能确实如此。在整个旅程中,我们都感觉自己得到了妥善的照顾。
这里还有许多机会可以徒步前往偏远的山区教堂与修道院,这些景点绝对不容错过。不过请注意,进行这些徒步需要结实的徒步鞋以及具备中等水平的体能,以应对陡峭的爬坡。那些寺庙和景色真是令人叹为观止。
总的来说,我们强烈推荐那些对拥有迷人历史、壮丽景观以及热情友善的人民的国家感兴趣的游客前往埃塞俄比亚。我们尤其推荐通过Awaze来安排行程。他们悉心照料我们,在必要时做出调整,始终致力于让我们在旅途中感到满意与开心。