I was lucky enough to experience the Solar Eclipse in Lalibela in June. Lalibela was exactly on the central path of the shadow of the moon as the sun rose that morning, which meant that there was an annular eclipse – the moon’s mass filled the centre of the sun – which is some 400 times times further away from earth than the moon is from the earth. The moon’s circle was just smaller than the sun leaving a perfect ring of fire at the midpoint of the eclipse. When viewed from beyond about 30km either side of the central path, the moon will appear to one side or other of the sun and not completely eclipse the sun, hence people watching from Addis, Bahir Dar, Mekele, and other cities in Ethiopia will have seen a pretty amazing partial eclipse (around 90%). Even as far afield as Khartoum (75%), Nairobi (60%), Dar Es Salam & Cairo (35%) the eclipse would have been partly visible, but highly less impressive.
The next solar eclipse in the region will travel down the Red Sea in Aug 2027, will cross into Yemen but will be visible from Ethiopia.
A couple drove from Addis to Lalibela to witness the eclipse, and arrived late on Saturday night. It turned out that they had read my blog some months ago about the eclipse and decided to make the journey. They were so happy to have done it, and decided to spend some extra time in Lalibela.
For those of us there, it was more than just the eclipse, it was refreshing to get out of the city. We all forget how the chaos and rush of the city affects us. It’s great to go somewhere less frenetic. On top of which Addis gets significantly more rain than places such as Lalibela, Bahir Dar and Gondar. And this rain in the city can get us all down.
So why not head out for a break now schools are over? At Tesfa Tours we are negotiating with hotel owners for special deals for rainy season get-always. You will get an excellent deal on accommodation and guide rates now, and see the wonderful historical sites of Ethiopia without other tourists around. So bring the family or travel with a friend, or even come alone – either way this is a great time to get out of the city.
Of course always travel COVID safely – mask on while travelling, sanitiser for your hands, and once at destination keep your social distance. A place like Ben Abeba is ideal for COVID safety – with an open-air restaurant, and socially distanced rooms! But it is not the only safe place. We can advise you on where to go.
Mark Chapman is the owner and manager of Tesfa Tours
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