Three trekking countries inside one. The Simien massif, the Bale plateau, and the lava lake at Erta Ale. Pack for cold and heat in the same week.
Three to ten days along an escarpment dropping a thousand metres in one step. Gelada baboons by the hundred, Walia ibex on the cliffs, Ethiopian wolves on the highest plateaus. Ras Dashen at 4,550m is the fourth-highest peak in Africa.
Less trafficked than the Simien. The Sanetti Plateau holds the largest population of endemic Ethiopian wolves in the world, the Harenna Forest is a cloud forest the size of a small country, and the Web Valley is a horse-trekking dream.
Four days in the lowest, hottest place on earth. Sleep on the rim of an active volcano with an open lava lake at the bottom. Sulphur springs at Dallol, salt caravans at Hamed Ela. Travel only with a registered Afar tour operator.
Cliff-church scrambling. Abuna Yemata Guh requires a free climb up a 250-metre sandstone face — the priests do it daily in white robes. The Mariam Korkor and Daniel Korkor pair are easier; the views from the altars are immense.
Day-walks among sandstone towers between cliff churches, returning to a stone lodge each night. Easier than the cliff scrambles, no less spectacular.
Short village-to-village walks along the Omo with a guide who is from the area. Heat, slow time, deep cultural exchange. Not a "trek" so much as a respectful ramble.
Five canonical Ethiopian treks plotted on the same vertical axis. The Danakil sits below the others — most of it under sea level — while Ras Dashen tops out at 4,550m. Click a route to isolate it.