Simien Mts

I won't bore you with the chaotic scene at the park office trying implement our four day, three night trek. Finally we were off with another bunch of travellers like us.
Along the way we stopped to watch a troop of about a hundred Gelada Monkeys munch away at a grass field. This was the first bunch of hundreds we were to see.


Then we commenced our trek at a scenic spot overlooking a precipice and grand scenery. We arrived at our first camp and were disappointed to find our that we were relegated to a bunkhouse rather than a tent. The toilet facilities were grim a portent of worse to come. Most people used any convenient brush and left their toilet paper flapping in the wind. Enough said about that. 





Day two we trekked for about three hours to a gorge with a stream running through it. The water was clean enough to wash some of the dust off. 

After that it was a long hot climb to our second high camp. Conditions were rudimentary but the view was great. 

The highlight of the trek was climbing to a high viewpoint for the sunset. 

Then just as the sun was setting a troop of jmonkeys grazed their way to the cliff edge and then flung themselves down the cliffs to caves where they spend the night safe from leopards and other predators. I am sure they have been doing this daily for the last several thousand years. 



Day three we walked up the hill to a pretty spectacular viewpoint .


 From there down a thousand feet and then up about 1300 feet to the highest point on the trek. Then a vertical drop of a thousand feet then up 1200 feet to the highest point on the trek. As we were descending we saw several herds of Simien Ibex, a threatened species and one of the reasons the park was created.
Then down down down to our last camp / squalid bunkhouse. Fortunately there was a troop of about fifty gelada monkeys grazing in front of our bunkhouse to distract us.


Next morning saw us take a 2 hour jeep ride out of the park and then a 5 1/2 hour ride to Axum and a very welcome shower.

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