Gonder

I'm not sure who actually comes up with these phrases, but Gonder is often called the 'Camelot of Africa'. The city lies in a bowl of hills at 2210m above sea level and its main attraction is the 15th century castle-like Royal Enclosure, containing ancient churches, ramparted castles and domed towered palaces. We had an enjoyable afternoon soaking up the atmoshere and trying to avoid being soaked by the rain. The other main attraction was the Debre Berhan Selassie church with its wonderful painted ceiling, depicting rows and rows of winged cherubs.

Next on the circuit were the Simien Mountains, but as we were right in the middle of the rainy season we decided to give it a miss. Although the mountains are meant to be some of the best in Africa and we were really keen to see the famed Galeda baboons, the thoughts of hiking/camping on the cold wet mountains tipped the balance. We'd save it for another time. Maybe.