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Simien Mountains Tour

Trek through one of Africa’s most dramatic landscapes: soaring peaks, deep valleys and sheer escarpments, home to gelada monkeys and rare high-altitude wildlife.

6 days

Simien Mountains

Trekking & camping

Private & tailor-made

Overview Highlights Itinerary FAQ Contact

About this tour

Peaks, escarpments and endemic wildlife

Simien Mountains National Park, in the highlands of northern Ethiopia, is one of Africa’s most striking natural landscapes. Soaring peaks, vast plunging valleys and sharp escarpments carved over millions of years create a raw, dramatic setting that consistently exceeds expectations.

A Simien Mountains tour gives you direct access to this UNESCO World Heritage Site, where altitude and isolation have shaped not only the rugged terrain but also a unique ecosystem, home to rare wildlife and high-altitude biodiversity found nowhere else on Earth. Choose between two 6-day treks: the classic Simien Park trek or the more demanding climb of Ras Dashen.

Trip facts

Duration6 days

Best timeOctober – March

DifficultyModerate to strenuous

Max. altitudeUp to about 4,550 m (Ras Dashen)

AccommodationCamping, plus one hotel night

Start / endAddis Ababa

Highlights

What you will see

Gelada monkeys

Endemic to the Ethiopian highlands, and often seen in large groups.

Jinbar Waterfall

Plunges about 500 metres into the Geech abyss.

Ras Dashen

Ethiopia’s highest mountain, at about 4,550 metres.

Imet Gogo viewpoint

One of the most spectacular viewpoints in the park, at 3,925 metres.

Sunrise over the escarpment

Early mornings bring clear skies and golden light.

Camping under the peaks

Nights at high-altitude camps such as Geech and Chenek.

Sample itinerary

Day by day

Two 6-day options. Choose the classic park trek, or take on Ras Dashen. We adjust every itinerary to you.

Option 1 · Simien Park Trek (moderate to strenuous)

Day 1 · Arrival in Addis Ababa.

Day 2 · Fly to Gondar, drive to Debark and on to Sankaber Camp (3,250 m). A full day of travel. Overnight camping.

Day 3 · Trek from Sankaber Camp to Geech Camp (3,600 m): 5–7 hours through the Koba River valley and past the Geech abyss. Early risers may have time to visit Imet Gogo peak (3,925 m) the same day. Overnight camping.

Day 4 · Trek from Geech Camp to Chenek Camp (3,620 m): 5–7 hours beneath the Simien peaks, with high chances of seeing wildlife. Overnight camping.

Day 5 · Drive from Chenek Camp back to Gondar via Debark. Overnight in a hotel.

Day 6 · Fly from Gondar back to Addis Ababa.

Option 2 · Ras Dashen Trek (strenuous)

Day 1 · Arrival in Addis Ababa.

Day 2 · Fly to Gondar, drive to Debark and on to Chenek Camp (3,620 m). A full day of travel. Overnight camping.

Day 3 · Trek from Chenek Camp to Ambiko Base Camp (3,200 m). This 8–9 hour hike is very strenuous: it first climbs to 4,200 m over the Bwahit Pass, descends to the Mesheha River at 2,800 m and climbs again to Ambiko. Overnight camping.

Day 4 · Summit day: trek from Ambiko Base Camp to the top of Ras Dashen (about 4,550 m), passing the village of Mizma and following a ridge that switchbacks to the summit. Return to Ambiko Base Camp. Overnight camping.

Day 5 · Trek from Ambiko back to Chenek Camp, where your vehicle will be waiting to drive you to Gondar via Debark. Overnight in a hotel.

Day 6 · Fly from Gondar back to Addis Ababa.

Reviews

What our travellers say

      EXCELLENT  
   Based on 94 reviews 
    
 
 
 
   
 
 
       Posted on Tripadvisor  
    Dessislava M 
 
 
 
 Verified Amazing!
Perfect organization! Very kind and helpful people! They are professionals, and you can be sure with them! Good hotels, comfortable cars, exellent drivers and guides! We were happy every day!
  
 
      Posted on Tripadvisor  
    Stasys M 
 
 
 
 Verified From historical Lalibela to vibrant soutern tribes
Icredible trip: beutiful nature, fiery people. Well organized. Competent and helpful gides.
  
 
      Posted on Tripadvisor  
    Regina R 
 
 
 
 Verified Highly recommended
Our group chose this company based on recommendations. It fully met our expectations. The accommodation was selected at a high level. The drivers and guides are professional. I can confidently recommend it.
  
 
      Posted on Tripadvisor  
    Giedrius_19 
 
 
 
 Verified Two weeks trip in Ethiopia
Very interesting and full of impressions 14 day trip. Visited North and South Ethiopia. Well organized and managed. Schedule is quite tough so you have to be in good shape.
  
 
      Posted on Tripadvisor  
    Loreta M 
 
 
 
 Verified Colorful Ethiopia
We visited northern and southern Ethiopia. The tour was organized perfectly. Habtu was constantly asking how we were doing. We thank him and the Vast Ethiopia team for a great time.
  
 
      Posted on Tripadvisor  
    Zbigniew M 
 
 
 
 Verified Rock-hewn monasteries, nature and black Africa.
The overall impression of our private 15 day stay in Ethiopia is really good. We've founf what we expected most: living ancient history,monasteries and a visit to Natives in the South. Axum offers the great place of holy monuments, the morning processions held there are exquisite. Do not miss Balthazar's tomb. Wildlife; we were happy to ser hipos and crocodiles in natural environment. The Natl Museum in Addis is a must-see. We found the smartest and knowledgable guides in Gondar and Axum. Local flights and ca drives were ok. Roads are bad, yet this was not a surprise. Best hotels on our route were located in Lalibela and Gondar. Do visit this vibrant, unpretentious and friendly country. Zbyszek Miśkiewicz
  
 
      Posted on Tripadvisor  
    Leah O 
 
 
 
 Verified Amazing trip with vast Ethiopia tours!! Highly recommend!
Our family of 6 traveled with VAST Ethiopia tours in March 2024 and had an amazing experience! We visited Addis Ababa and then took a trip through the southern region of Ethiopia, including Bale Mountains NP, Dorze Village Arba Minch, and Hawassa. The guides were skilled, knowledgeable, and incredibly helpful. We loved every minute of it.
  
 
      Posted on Tripadvisor  
    osmoreno68 
 
 
 
 Verified Unforgettable and unique Ethiopia. Magic and diversity in one country
We have made a group of 30 people an unforgettable trip through the North and South of the country. It's all been very interesting. The North with its gem La LIBELA and the interesting places of Gondar and Simiens Mountains. And in the south the amazing wonders of the HAMER, DASSENECH, KARO and MURSI tribes along with the KONSO and DORCE people...With Vast we have not had any problems and we have made the trip as planned in the program... fulfilling the agreed and always trying the best for the group. It is the second time we have done ETHIOPIA in a group and for another one!!!!
  
 
      Posted on Tripadvisor  
    Kevin S 
 
 
 
 Verified A great team! Book with them
For many years, I’ve had dreams of visiting Ethiopia. Finally, that opportunity arose for us in May, 2024.I asked friends for recommendations and we were pointed to Habtu Marye and Vast Tours. And we were lucky to find them.I spent some time online researching the things I wanted to see. But being the local experts, I relied on them to take our list, put it in the most logical order, and then they even added some things that I didn’t realize would be important for our visit.We had four full days in Addis. A short time considering everything there is to see in the country. We realized we had to limit ourselves. We spent three days in Addis and one day we headed out of town with Debre Libanos as our destination goal.We were partnered with Abay as our guide and Tesfaye as our driver. They were a great team and we thought we were fortunate to have them. They shared a wealth of knowledge about the sites we were visiting, took us places regular tourists never would have seen, and even gained entrance to several sites otherwise closed when we were there.we felt safe with Abay and Tesfaye. We were cared for. And they took us to restaurants offering wonderful local foods. We believe we saw everything we could in the short time we were on the ground. Of course, there still is a vast country beyond what we saw but that comes with a future visit.Without a doubt, I would use this tour company again and specifically the staff. And you know, that’s the strongest recommendation I can give!
  
 
      Posted on Tripadvisor  
    Karim 
 
 
 
 Verified Best Agency for Planning Ethiopia Trip
My wife and I compared several agencies before booking. We found Vast to be the most responsive, most affordable, and most complete. Habtu and the Vast team planned our two week Ethiopia trip and were flexible in adding and removing activities although the schedule was already very complete. I am happy to say the trip was incredible. Vast takes safety first and prioritizes customer safety. The hotels we stayed at were always the best in the city we would visit. our trip was suitable for all ages and we will be recommending Vast to all travelers who want to visit Ethiopia!