Chiselled and cut like jagged daggers rising from the dusty lands of northern Ethiopia, the Simien Mountains rarely fail to leave onlookers awed. Sweeping over an area of more than 220 square kilometers, they have formed from rapid erosion of the highland plateau that was once formed by volcanic action, leaving sheer-cut cliffs and bluffs in its wake. These make for observation points with fantastic views, and hikers can delve into one of the many trekking trails that weave through the landscape to spot bushbuck and baboon, roaming wolf packs and sturdy ibex housed in the giant Erica forest (essential to the fauna’s biodiversity). Guided excursions in the area led by qualified Simien Mountains National Park tour guides help reveal the curious geological processes behind the breathtaking vistas, not to mention the jumping klippspringer and endemic gelada monkey too. It is also interesting to spy out the native populations of the region, many of who now reside in the old villages of the Ethiopian Jews of the 15^th century and are famed for their hardiness and traditional ways.