Simien Mountains, Ethiopia

Organising a trek into the Simiens without a credit card and a slick expedition company was an adventure in itself.

Before sensational views rewarded the blisters, we had to figure out the permit system and hire our team. A cook who took Sam shopping for provisions in the local market. Mule guys to guide our beasts of burden. And our armed scout, Mulo.

We felt safe from any bandits with a local whose AK-47 made up for his lack of stature. He led the way and took delight in spotting wildlife for us: an Abyssinian wolf, lammergeier falcons and walia ibex. The gelada baboons needed no-one to point them out.

The views though were enough to leave anyone gasping. The Simiens are not peaked mountains so much as the original high flatlands from which the rest of the country has eroded away. Of this unique serrated geography Imet Gogo is the clear highlight.

The culmination of our 6 day trek was the 4,400 metre summit of Bwahit. Chigrellum - No problem.

Gondar, Ethiopia

In the fortress town of Gondar we were besieged by travel fatigue but did summon up the energy to admire an astonishing African site. The enormous castle complex built in the 17th century by a line of Ethiopian emperors.

Timkat at Lalibela, Ethiopia

Christianity has been rooted in Ethiopia for 1,500 years. The rituals of the Orthodox church have evolved here in near isolation into a quite extraordinary religion. In 2011 (or 2003 by the Ge'ez calendar), festivals are celebrated as fervently as ever. None more so than Timkat, the Epiphany.

To witness the spectacle in Lalibela was a special privilege; this is the site of a lost wonder. Following the 12th century crusades, Jerusalem was recast here in Ethiopia as a score of churches carved directly from solid rock.

The engineering feats, with their exquisite painted interiors, formed merely a backdrop to this festival period. Priests in their finery led a long procession of pilgrims and locals to a sacred site for worship. A vigil through the night, prayers and chanting were followed by days of jubilant and rowdy dancing, feasting and water-splashing celebrations.

To escape the fray we explored the warren of excavated tunnels. We found ourselves scrambling towards a dim light only to be surprised by a cheery hello from within a small rock alcove. This friendly hermit seemed quite unperturbed by his unexpected guests.

Once the mobs had cleared we could admire the churches, not least the cross-shaped Bet Yiorgis.

Timkat Procession (video clip)

Priests lead the procession as they carry the mysterious Holy of Holies under the shelter of gaudy brollies.

Walking in Wollo, Ethiopia

Ethiopia has long been on our places-to-go list for its fascinating history and beautiful people. First we stretched our car-withered legs with a TESFA walk. This sustainable tourism project guided us through a pastoral landscape of surprising ruggedness.

We relaxed into a steady plod along the sheer cliff edge from one village to the next, every night put up in tukuls - traditional-style mud huts for tourists. The local villagers looked after us well, fueling us with popcorn and buckets of coffee.

Leaving us plenty of time to simply admire the view from our high plateau and glean scraps of understanding about Ethiopians and their unique culture.

Except for a brief Italian misadventure, Ethiopia has never been colonised, and we were beginning to sense a toughness, an aloof cynicism, in the way us 'ferengi' were viewed.