Ethiopians and Ethiopia-lovers are all victims of the Tigray conflict, it really affected the whole country and its people and everyone lost out unconditionally. There is no beauty from war. The unconditional love, hospitality, and kindness of the Tigray people, the beautiful landscapes, the breath-taking views from every mountain, the spiritually rich churches and monasteries – it all planted roots deep in our hearts. Our absence from this region was just about three years, but feels more like three centuries and more. What matters now is the empowerment, courage and mental strength to reopen and restart – for us and all for the people in Tigray.
A selected group of 8 people, members of an initiative called Ride the Rift began with the aim to support the tourism sector and its professionals during the harsh period of Covid 19 and later during the conflict in North Ethiopia. We had an exciting team ready to reconnect with Tigray. A call was made by the Ride the Rift initiators, among them Marco of SimienEcoTours, and soon we all booked domestic flights for the 8 adventurers for a trip to Tigray, planned less than six months after the peace agreement was signed by the Tigray regional and the central government in Addis Ababa.
On Monday, April 24th, 2023 we flew to the Tigray capital city Mekelle on the first flight of the day. We were picked up from the airport by our local contacts and brought to the centre of the city. We paused for breakfast of foul, tea and coffee and had a meeting with newly formed Tigray regional tourism officers to talk about future plans. After having a fruitful discussion we drove to the city of Adigrat about two and a half hours north of the capital. A delicious lunch in Adigrat was served, and eating the well-known Telhelo was amazing. Just like in Mekelle our time in the city of Adigrat was brief as we still had plans to proceed to the Agame Mountains for a hike in the afternoon.
Hiking in this chain of mountains which hosts charming, open-hearted and welcoming people brought a positive vibe immediately to the whole team. Admiring the beauty of the first part of the Agame Mountains, , we arrived at Seheta guesthouse just before sunset. The joyful and tearful welcome of the community was unforgettable. We were lost in the open arms and love of everyone for long and intense moments. The blessed night followed with a delicious dinner prepared by the community itself.
For detailed information on the 6 day trip read it online: https://www.simienecotours.com/tigray-reopens-for-tourism-after-ethioipa-war/
To conclude, Tigray and the people of this region are anxious and ready to once again host guests. We have witnessed this in person with their charming smiles, their unconditional love, their true hospitality, their motives for change, their strength for new challenges, their resilience to not focus on the past, their efforts to change the pain and their struggle to establish a bright new. You are already most welcome in Tigray. So set your calendar.
Source: https://www.simienecotours.com/