Ethiopia

Traveller Ian Wright Ian begins his exploration of Ethiopia in the northern highlands of Axum. He visits the oldest church in Ethiopia, which is supposedly the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant, and also attends a native wedding. An 8-hour bus journey takes Ian south to Lalibela in time to attend the most important festival on the Ethiopian calendar, Timkat. After the celebrations Ian visits the 11 churches hewn out of rock, which the locals believe were built by angels. He also finds out how aid donated by the West has helped Ethiopia since the famine of 1984. Ian's journey takes him to Bahar Dar, where he visits the spectacular Blue Nile Falls and samples some of the local cuisine with a couple of fellow British travellers. From Bahar Dar, Ian travels to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. After drinking coffee with the locals, he goes bargain-hunting in Mercato, the biggest outdoor market in the whole of Africa and is pampered in a local hydrotherapy centre. The town of Harar is Ian's next stop, where he takes part in the popular pass-time of chewing a plant known as chat. He visits the Hyena Man, who is famous for feeding hyenas with his bare hands - surely one of the world's most bizarre tourist attractions. Flying via Addis Ababa once again, Ian travels south to Shashemane, passing through Lake Langano, one of several giant lakes in the heart of Ethiopia's great Rift Valley. A local Rastafarian community invites him to attend a coffee ceremony. The final leg of the journey takes Ian to the very south of Ethiopia, to the town of Arba Minch and the Mago National Park. He has his fortune told from a goat's intestine by the Hamar tribe, takes part in the bizarre macho ritual of cow jumping and is challenged to a stick fight by a member of one of Africa's fiercest tribes, the Mursi.

Seasons: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17
TMDb: 8.5/10
  • Country: AU, GB, CA
  • Language: English
  • Runtime: 52

Other episodes for this season

Syria, Jordan & Lebanon
Episode 1 - Syria, Jordan & Lebanon
Ethiopia
Episode 2 - Ethiopia
Cuba & Haiti
Episode 3 - Cuba & Haiti
Pakistan
Episode 4 - Pakistan
Outback Australia
Episode 5 - Outback Australia
Southwest USA
Episode 6 - Southwest USA
Central Africa: Uganda & Eastern Congo
Episode 7 - Central Africa: Uganda &...
Argentina
Episode 8 - Argentina
South Africa & Lesotho
Episode 9 - South Africa & Lesotho
Philippines
Episode 10 - Philippines
Peru
Episode 11 - Peru
Northern Spain
Episode 12 - Northern Spain
Hungary & Romania
Episode 13 - Hungary & Romania