Ethiopian culture has thrived for thousands of years. The northern highlands exhibit a particularly long and rich heritage, which is recognised be UNESCO with no fewer than three World Heritage Sites based on cultural merit: Gonder, Aksum, and Lalibela. A fourth site also is recognised for its natural wonders, the stunning Simien Mountains.
According to IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas, "Ethiopia was one of the first countries in Africa to establish national parks. The Simien Mountains were formally added to these in 1969, and today there are 20 national parks, and many more protected areas nationwide. For a country with few minerals or natural resources such as oil, assets like these are an important source of national income" (WCPA Mountains Specialist Group).
Although high mountains, it the open vistas across the vast plains and fields far below that are most striking, together with the extraordinary wildlife. Large troops of gelada monkeys wander and graze in the open grasslands in the western section of the park, though they sleep each night on the cliff edges. The mountain biodiversity is rich, with a wide range of ecosystems providing habitats for wildlife as well as essential ecosystem services that benefit the local communities.
When I visited Ethiopia in May 2017 for a research meeting focused on ecosystem services for poverty alleviation for the ESPA Mountain EVO research project, I decided to take an additional three days to visit the north of the country. I certainly did not regret this.
I greatly enjoyed visiting Aksum for its rich and ancient history, but for me trekking in the stunning landscapes of the Simien Mountains was a special highlight!
Rising high above the surrounding region, the mountains present a unique landscape and biodiversity. As outlined by UNESCO, the Simien National Park in northern Ethiopia presents a most spectacular landscape, where massive erosion over millions of years has created jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and sharp precipices dropping some 1,500 m. It is of global significance for biodiversity conservation, forming part of the Afroalpine Centre of Plant Diversity and the Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot. In particular, it is home to threatened species such as the iconic Walia ibex, a wild mountain goat found nowhere else in the world, the Gelada baboon, and the highly endangered Ethiopian wolf.
These baboon-size animals are the world's most terrestrial primates—except for humans. As mostly grass-eaters, they are the last surviving species of ancient grazing primates that were once numerous. Geladas spend most of their day sitting down, plucking and munching on grasses...
(National Geographic)
Ethiopian wolves are only found in the mountains of Ethiopia, where some 500 survive in small populations threatened by habitat loss and diseases.
They are the guardians of the roof of Africa. By protecting them we safeguard many fascinating Afroalpine endemics from extinction.
(Ethiopian wolf conservation programme / WildCRU)
Much other wildlife also may be encountered when trekking in the Simien Mountains.
Time spent in these mountains offers the visitor an unforgettable experience!
Local pastoralists still graze their livestock in and surrounding the national park, yet this can be undertaken sustainably if appropriate governance and management arrangements are planned and organised on basis of trust and cooperation.
Agreeing how to use and to protect natural resources and developing viable conservation plans must be undertaken through genuine partnerships. Further, traditional livelihoods and practices are time-proven, that is, they are de facto sustainable. But more progress must be made in collaborations with local communities and indigenous peoples, not only in Ethiopia but also in many places around the globe. It is now widely recognised that indigenous lands are globally important for conservation.
In the mountains, weather can change rapidly. A beautiful sunny day quickly turns to snow, even in the tropics!
The logistics of trekking in Simien National Park are arranged at the park entrance, where a roster of community members is consulted to equitably employ both a mountain guide and an armed guard. Their extensive knowledge of the place and wildlife as well as the additional safety ensured are well worth the cost. More importantly, however, is the fact that working with them is a means to bring greater benefit to the local communities, through such community-led ecotourism partnership.
From the CEPF Ecosystem Profile Summary:
"The Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot—which stretches over a curving arc of widely scattered but biogeographically similar mountains from Saudi Arabia to Mozambique and Zimbabwe—is one of the Earth’s 35 biodiversity hotspots, the most biologically rich yet threatened areas around the globe. It covers an area of more than 1 million square kilometers and runs over a distance of more than 7,000 kilometers."
National park website
UNESCO WHS website
Gateway to Simien National Park and highest lodge in Africa
Serving the community through health work for the past decade
Documentary film from the "Extreme Africa" television series
Krakow, Poland, 4 July 2017 — The World Heritage Committee meeting in Krakow decided to remove Simien National Park from the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger, in recognition of improvements in its management and measures taken to reduce overgrazing and visitor impact.
From the Mountain Partnership:
Mountains around the world are under threat from climate change. Mountain glaciers are rapidly disappearing and unique ecosystems are being degraded. Extreme weather and disasters pose risks for mountain communities and for populations downstream.
This affects us all, because mountains provide water, food and clean energy to over half of the world’s population. Yet mountains and mountain peoples — some of the poorest and hungriest in the world — are too often forgotten during international processes and in national policies. To protect these fragile mountain ecosystems, and the rich cultural heritage of mountain peoples, we all need to step up and raise awareness of our world’s mountains.
Mountains 101 is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) developed by University of Alberta, teaching a comprehensive overview of Mountain Studies. The course will cover an interdisciplinary field of study focusing on the physical, biological, and human dimensions of mountain places in Alberta, Canada, and around the world.
Course teaser video
The IUCN WCPA Mountains Specialist Group facilitates the enhanced conservation, effective management and adequate protection of mountain protected areas in one of the Earth’s most important biomes. This includes their biodiversity, cultural, social and economic values.
The "Mountains Update" Newsletters are an excellent source of current information.
To cite: Foggin, J. M. 2020. Simien Mountains: Beauty of nature and culture in the Ethiopian Highlands. Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic: Plateau Perspectives. https://stories.plateauperspectives.org/simien-mountains/
© 2026 Plateau Perspectives
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