The hook
A jagged wall of peaks and plunging escarpments in the Ethiopian highlands, often called the roof of Africa, where troops of shaggy, red-chested gelada, found only here, graze the clifftops in their hundreds.
01Why it's worth it
The Simien Mountains are one of Africa's great trekking landscapes: a high plateau shattered into pinnacles, buttresses, and sheer escarpments dropping a thousand metres and more, with waterfalls and endless ridge-top views. The range includes Ras Dashen, Ethiopia's highest peak. But the signature experience is the wildlife, especially the gelada, a unique highland primate sometimes called the "bleeding-heart baboon" for the patch of bare red skin on its chest, which lives nowhere else on earth and grazes on grass in large, remarkably relaxed troops that let trekkers walk quietly among them along the cliff edges. The mountains also shelter the rare walia ibex and the endangered Ethiopian wolf. Trekking here, along the escarpment from viewpoint to viewpoint, staying in camps or simple lodges with local guides and scouts, combines spectacular scenery, unique animals, and the deep culture of the Ethiopian highlands. It is high, so acclimatisation and warm gear matter.
02How to experience it
Trek the escarpment over several days with the required local guide and scout, staying at camps or lodges, for the gelada troops, the walia ibex, and the enormous views. Acclimatise to the altitude and pack for cold nights. Combine it with the historic north (Gondar and Lalibela) for culture alongside the mountains.