The Abyssinian highlands are the final stop for the cloudy water mass that finally feeds the source of the legendary Blue Nile. Its most dramatic region is the area around the Simien Mountains, whose volcanic origin is letting plants thrive and prosper that well that even baboons convert to vegetarianism. At every step done the scent of wild Thyme wafts up your nose and from time to time several thorns fondly hook into your upper arm. Hiking on an altitude of 4000m, you will quickly find yourself at eye level together with the colossal Lammergeier or majestic eagles and maybe there is even a chance to have a glance at the unique and very rare Ethiopian wolf »»

When wandering through the streets of Gondar then you don’t only meet the royal palace. In many aspects and situations you will inevitably become an eye witness of a unique history and its achievements clashing with today’s African society. You’ll experience Ethiopia in small »»

Millions of years ago the Ethiopian highlands got unfolded by volcanic activity. There, at an altitude of 2500m, the village of Lalibela is located. It is home to unique churches that are originating from the idea to build a second Jerusalem and became hewn into the bare red hard basalt lava rock. On important religious holidays, like for example Easter, the town develops a very interesting atmosphere of spirituality and touristic internationality »»

Echte Lavaseen sind auf diesem Planeten rar gesät. Aktuell ist lediglich eine Hand voll bekannt und dann steht auch noch die Herausforderung, ob und wie man an dessen Ufer gelangen kann im Raum. In der äthiopischen Danakilsenke findet man den wohl interessantesten, schönsten und mythischsten seiner Art – den Lavasee des Erta Ale »»

The debate about the hottest place on Earth is presumably as old as humanity itself. People believing their bedroom among the top 10 of those places will be disappointed when hearing about places like Ethiopia’s Danakil desert, where the sun begins to singe everything having a heartbeat while at 9:30 in the morning West Europeans get ready to enjoy their second breakfast. April is actually one of the worst months to travel the Danakil, as with small nasty gusts and unbelievable top temperatures of up to ~65 degrees Celsius in the African sun the desert unmistakably makes clear who’s the king of the hill here »»

Dallol is the lowest volcanically active spot on Earth’s mainland and to boot Danakil’s hottest place. Not only oven-like air is holding a meeting there, also several chemically enriched pools and its richly coloured salts are courting your retina’s favour. If there’s acidic water pouring out of the ground to your feet and the surrounding air becomes sometimes pretty smelly and corrosive, then it doesn’t sound neither appealing nor inviting. Though visitors of this worldwide unique geothermal highlight will be rewarded with a visual firework of colours, forms and phantasy »»

A panoramic photo showing the eastern escarpment of the majestic Simien Moutains, Ethiopia’s biggest scenic highlight. Taken from Imet Gogo and made of 14 single photographs »»

In the first days of 2006 once more I got travel nerves. Due to an inexpensive Condor flight I took the opportunity and visited West Africa, to make a tour from Gambia’s Banjul via Senegal’s Casamance to Guinea-Bissau, stopping at Bijagos archipelago, Conakry and back. »»

Visitting the Bijagos archipelago (also called Bissagos) was important to me, if even not the most important stop of my entire journey. When arriving at Bissau I had a look for the ferries, erm express boats, erm… Finally I ended up on board of a wooden, but just sea-fit piroge en-route to Bubaque »»

We landed at about 2 in the morning »»