Simien Mountains

Simien Mountains

The Simien Mountains, part of the Ethiopian Highlands, is located in the Amhara region of northern Ethiopia, northeast of Gondar. It is a World Heritage Site and contains the Simien Mountains National Park. The National Park is Ethiopia's largest park, it was founded in 1969 and is the brainchild of Clive Nicol, who wrote about his time in the park in his book From the Roof of Africa. Due to its outstanding biodiversity and spectacular landscapes, the National Park was one of the first sites to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978. In 1996, it was added to the List of World Heritage in Danger. This was due to the serious decline in the populations of some of its characteristic native species. It is home to several endangered species, including the Ethiopian Wolf and the Walia Ibex, a wild goat that occurs nowhere else on earth. Also found in the Simien Mountains are the gelada and the caracal, a cat. There are more than 50 species of birds in the park. Among them is the Bearded Vulture with its 3-meter wingspan. The mountain range is made up of plateaus that are separated by valleys and rise to mountain peaks. The highest mountain in Ethiopia is Ras Dejen at 4550 meters, and the second highest peak is Kidis Yared at 4553 meters. Other noteworthy peaks include Mount Biuat at 4437 meters. As one of the few places in tropical Africa where snow falls regularly, the Simien Mountains are remarkable. Due to their geological origin, the mountains are almost unique. Only the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa were formed in the same way and are therefore similar in appearance.