Three days trip across the wildlife and nature of an untouched Afroalpine environment in the highlands of north Shoa region
Guassa plateau is on the highlands of north Shoa region. A watershed passes through the Guassa plateau from north to south and divides two of the main river basins in Ethiopia: a drop of rain that falls along the imaginary line of the watershed could feed the Awash river if it goes east, along the great escarpment of the Rift Valley; or feed the Blue Nile, Abay, if it goes west. Being on the Guassa plateau gives the opportunity to deepen the knowledge of the geographical features that makes Ethiopia unique. The environment is Afromontane – such the ones that can be found in Bale, Simien or Choke Mountains – and Ethiopian wolves and gelada baboons can be spotted among a vegetation of giant lobelias and erica. But is a grass, festuca – Guassa in Amharic – that gives the name to the area. And the grass is one of the reason that helps to understand the terms “Guassa Community Conservation Area”: this area has had an history of a community-based natural resource management system for at least 400 years, and is one of the oldest known conservation system in sub-Saharan Africa.
People that live in Guassa speak Amharic, they are believers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, peasants that live in small villages strongly tied to the parishes. But is by visiting a Menz village that you can have the opportunity to appreciate the rooted traditions of the area, from the architecture of stone to the finest handicrafts.
Day 1. Addis Abeba – Guassa Community. Leave Addis Ababa in the morning and arrive in the afternoon to the Guassa Community Conservation Area. Walk before dinner. Overnight at the Guassa Community guesthouse.
Day 2. Menz and Mehal Meda. Architecture and handicraft in the village of Menz. Visit the largest open market in Guassa area, at Mehal Meda.
Day 3. Hiking and back to Addis Abeba. Walking to the nearby mountaintop offers great view over the Guassa plateau and the chance to spot the Ethiopian wolf. Drive back to Addis Ababa after lunch and arrive in the late afternoon.