Last year Addis Ababa hosted a month long celebration in honor of the late Bob Marley who was a huge follower of the Rastafarian religion and would have been celebrating his 60th birthday. I’m sure the country saw a number of fans and followers of the musician due to the festivities, but Ethiopia is about a lot more than a Rasta man’s religion. This year the country celebrates their first time at the Winter Olympics in Italy with Robel Teklemariam paving the way for future cross-country skiers in Ethiopia. Should you choose to root for the athlete or participate in some outdoor activity of your own consider the region of the Tigrai (Tigray) in Northern Ethiopia.
If ecotourism and Africa is your thing you won’t want to pass this one by. This area is said to have one of the best off-road rock climbing challenges in addition to good mountain biking trails. In efforts to improve Ethiopia’s images of war and famine the Tigray Rock Climbing Team opened the rock climbing routes for potential ecotourists. For more information on this kind of activity and pictures, check out the website. I’m not a rock climber myself, but this sure does like an interesting alternative to experiencing the land of Ethiopia. Another good source for information on the Tigrai region and the people that build the community can be found at this Tigrai.org site. Excellent! I promise.