Simien Mountains 1-day itinerary

Start from Sankaber camp, the most accessible entry point to the Simien Mountains National Park, around 3,200 metres elevation. Your mandatory guide and armed scout will meet you at the park gate. The trail descends through giant heath forest and Afro-alpine meadows with the dramatic escarpment dropping away to your right — sheer cliffs plunging 1,000 metres to the lowlands below. After about 2 hours of trekking, reach the Jinbar Waterfall viewpoint where a thin ribbon of water cascades 500 metres down the cliff face into the valley. The scale of the landscape is immense and the views stretch endlessly across the Ethiopian Highlands.

Return along the escarpment trail toward Sankaber and you are almost guaranteed to encounter gelada baboons — the bleeding heart monkeys found only in the Ethiopian Highlands. These remarkable primates live in groups of up to 400 and graze on grass like miniature buffalo, their red chest patches vivid against the green meadows. They are remarkably relaxed around humans and you can often sit within 2 metres of a family group. Watch males flip their lips to display impressive canines and listen to the complex vocalisations that make geladas the most talkative primates after humans. Your guide knows where the troops congregate.

Complete the trek back to Sankaber and drive the 25km back to Debark town. The mountain air is thin at this altitude and the day's walking will have been more tiring than expected — altitude effects are real above 3,000 metres. In Debark, eat at one of the small local restaurants where a plate of injera with various wats (stews) costs 150–300 ETB. The spongy sourdough flatbread topped with spiced lentils, chickpeas, and slow-cooked meat is one of the world's great cuisines. Drink a buna (Ethiopian coffee) to complete the experience — Ethiopia is where coffee originated and the ceremony is cultural theatre.