Source: Winter tale
(Wintertale)Over New Year this year we went to Ethiopia, our first visit to the Horn of Africa, to visit the Bale Mountains National Park and Lake Langano, one of the Rift Valley lakes in Ethiopia. The visit to Bale Mountains National Park was particularly anticipated – we have had the park on the “must visit” list for some time, however owing to the basic nature of infrastructure in and around the park it looked like a tricky destination to cover in a satisfactory manner during a two week office holiday. (Alas travel horizons are a little more limited without a full year of travel time at your disposal!). We were therefore excited to hear of the exciting plan of former British Army officer Guy Levene and his wife Yvonne to break new ground for Ethiopian tourism by opening a high quality eco-lodge inside the National Park and wasted no time in booking our stay at Bale Mountain Lodge. They were kind enough to allow us to visit before the official opening of the lodge and while some aspects were still in construction the quality of the lodge and the driving ambition behind it were clear to see. Without any templates or established models to follow it is a bold move indeed to create a new tourism product for Ethiopia from the ground up, however high quality buildings have been completed and local employment as guides, drivers, lodge staff and construction workers has been created at good rates. Like any very remote lodge managing the logistics and supply lines is a full time job requiring a firm hand to keep things running smoothly however with cars, drivers and guides provided visitors will be able to explore this unique and remarkably diverse national park as never before. Fore more, please click here