Ethiopia MTB - Secret Compass

Ethiopia MTB
Ride the simi en mountains
12 - 25 Oct 2014
THE COUNTRY
The Simien Mountains are a spectacular
mountain range nestled in the north of
Ethiopia. Massive erosion over the years
on the Ethiopian plateau has created one
of the most spectacular landscapes in the
world, with jagged mountain peaks, deep
valleys and sharp precipices dropping
some 1,500m.
The park is home to some extremely rare
animals such as the Gelada baboon, the
Simien fox and the Walia ibex, a goat
found nowhere else in the world.
Expedition
fact box
The Simien Mountains have been
designated a UNESCO World Heritage
Site due to their unique ecosystem
and phenomenal scenery which rivals
Colorado’s Grand Canyon.
The region offers awesome singletrack riding for mountain bikers and a
great physical challenge (riding and
trekking at altitudes of up to 4500m) as
well as great views, wildlife and varied
interaction with friendly local people.
Dates: 12 - 25 October 2014
Duration: 14 days
Maximum team size: 12
Cost: £2,499 (ground costs only)
A network of paths hewn over the
centuries connects the villages that are
dotted throughout the mountains, which
lend themselves perfectly to challenging
mountain biking.
The Simien region has been inhabited by
human settlers and cultivators for at least
2,000 years. Surrounding the mountains
are diverse cities such as Aksum, where
over 100 hand-carved stone monoliths
can be seen.
Higher altitudes support an incredible
array of plant life such as giant lobelia,
yellow primrose, everlastings, lady’s
mantle and mosses (Grimmiaceae).
Lichen drapes the high-altitude forest
trees while the ridge tops and gorge
sides support coarse grassland with herb
thickets and creepers.
Alternatively, in Gonder, curious 15thcentury churches and palaces still stand
scattered within the many districts
and quarters. Ethiopia is a wonderful
and welcoming country and we are
priviledged to be able to offer this
pioneering MTB adventure there in 2014.
iti nerary
October 2014
12th
13th
14th
15th
16th
17th
18th
Land Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa to Gondar
Drive to Sankaber, travel to Simiens
Prepare bikes and kit, acclimatisation ride
Ride Sankaber to Gich: 13km
Ride Gich to Chenek: 18km
Ride Ambiko to Ras Deshan (summit Ethiopia’s
highest peak at 4,543m) to Ambiko: 26km
19th Ride Ambiko to Sona
20th Ride Sona to Mekarebia
21st Ride Mekarebia to Muli
22nd Ride Muli to Adiarkay
23rd Relax/ contingency day: enjoy Ethiopia!
24th Travel back to Addis Ababa
25th Expedition ends, fly home.
highlights
• One of the first organised MTB expeditions
into the high Simien Ranges.
• Scenery on a par with Colorado’s Grand Canyon.
• Riding past wildlife and through remote mountain villages.
• Awesome singletrack hewn by centuries of use in the cradle of humanity.
• Riding to the summit of Ras Dashen, Ethiopia’s highest peak.
reality of travel
This s a recce expedition. It will be
the first time that we have run it
and although a huge amount of time
and effort has gone into its planning, there will be unknowns that will
be out of our control. The expedition
will also be physically touwgh! You
have to go up to come down! We
will be pushing and at times carrying our bikes on large sections of
uphill. Don’t worry, it will be worth it!
expedition ai ms
The aims of this exploratory expedition
are to summit Ras Deshan, Ethiopia’s
highest peak at 4,543m and to ride
from Sankaber to Adiarkay. Exploratory
in nature, only one mountain bike
expedition into the Simien Mountains
has been attempted before, by a small
group of professional bike riders fom
Spain. Few have ridden the peaks
and plateaux of this magnificent area,
making this expedition all the more
intrepid.
2014
This pioneering expedition hopes to
challenge the preconceived notions
of Ethiopia as a poor, famine-riddled
nation, as beamed around the world
during the 1980s in the era of Bob
Geldof’s ‘Band Aid’.
Through this expedition, Secret
Compass intends to illuminate a
country of outstanding natural beauty,
heartwarming locals and a richly diverse
culture with a tangible sense of pride
and self-respect.
In total, over 20 large mammal species
and over 130 bird species occur in the
UNESCO-protected park. The mountains
are home to five small mammal species
and 16 bird species endemic to the
Eritrea and Ethiopia region, as well as
an important population of the rare
lammergeyer, a spectacular vulture
species. The park’s richness in species
and habitats is a result of the great
altitudinal, topographic and climatic
diversity, which shapes its Afromontane
and Afroalpine ecosystems.
2014
practicaliti es
Food, transport and accommodation:
We will stay in comfortable guesthouses
when possible. The rest of the time we
will wild camp, at times in local villages.
We will eat food sourced locally and
cooked for us by local staff. We will be
flying to Gondar and then use local 4×4s
or minibuses to travel to the start point.
Mule support: When in the mountains
local mules will support us and they will
take your main pack and meet us at
night, so you will carry just a day-sack
with your provisions for the day.
Getting there: We operate on a land
only basis. You must book your own
flights but we can suggest airlines and
flight times. Further information will be
provided upon booking.
Expedition price: all our expeditions are
priced on a land only basis, giving you
maximum flexibility when deciding how
to get to and from the expedition.
What is included:
•Full services of a Secret Compass
expedition Leader with local guides
and drivers
•All meals
•All transport as per the itinerary
(incl. Addis Ababa to Gondar flight)
•All accommodation (Including tents)
•All permits.
What is not included:
•Local airport taxes
•Tips to local guides
• Beverages & personal spending
•International flights
Team members should have a robust
spirit. Our expeditions are achievable by •Personal equipment. Upon booking
you will receive a kit list and we also
people with an active lifestyle. It will be
have links with kit hire companies.
tough at times, when going uphill you
will be required to push or carry your
bike which is demanding at altitude. You You’ll receive a comprehensive set of
must be fit enough to ride up to 25km a Travel Instructions prior to booking or on
request, which detail all the information
day, carrying/ pushing up to 10kg pack
+ your bike, over mountainous terrain at you need to join the team.
altitudes up to 4,500m, in an equatorial
climate. Expect conditions to be cool
and windy when we are on high exposed
ground.
warni
warni ng
ng
2014
2014
Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO):
FCO Travel Advice highlights potential
hazards people might experience when
travelling abroad.
You will need insurance that provides
cover for emergency repatriation in case
of a medical emergency is compulsory
for all expeditions.
Given the nature of destinations offered
by Secret Compass it is inevitable that
from time to time, some itineraries
contravene this advice. While Secret
Compass takes the safety and security
of its clients extremely seriously, we will
not necessarily cancel a trip because of
the FCO advice.
You should be aware that many standard
insurance policies may not cover you
adequately for all aspects of a Secret
Compass trip and so we strongly
recommend that you purchase a
suitably designed insurance policy.
It is recommended therefore that clients
check this advice at www.fco.gov.uk
before booking and contact us if they
have any queries or concerns.
Please see our website for further
information, FAQs and insurance advice.
our approach
Our expeditions are exploratory
in nature. They are not organised
tours. We strive to go to places and
work in areas that others do not,
so our expeditions require a robust
and spirited attitude. We will likely
be camping for the duration of the
expedition, walking long distances and
relying on local food sources which
can vary in quality. This adds to the
character of the expedition and allows
you to get under the skin of the places
we travel through, and to have an
awesome adventure.
We put the structure in place to
enable the team to have an amazing
adventure and achieve the aim of the
expedition. Our background in the
military ensures that we have a robust
planning process prior to the start of
the expedition. We have contingency
plans and incident and emergency
plans in place for likely (and unlikely)
scenarios. However, luckily this is
not an organised tour. It will not go
smoothly! The nature of the areas we
operate in mean that we will encounter
a number of issues which may hinder
the potential success of the expedition.
There will be any number of frictions
to our success as a team, which make
the expedition more interesting and
are often the best parts when looking
back. These are likely to include,:
2014
Local Bureaucracy. Our relationships
with local people are crucial to our
success. Often there is no established
visitor protocol so occasionally we get
caught up in local power struggles
or disagreements. With years of
experience in delicate negotiation,
we enjoy the conversational chess,
especially through an interpreter!
Transport infrastructure. The areas we
travel to are remote and infrastructure
is often inadequate or non-existent.
Roads flood, bridges collapse and
vehicles get stuck. We thrive on
overcoming such challenges!
Weather and natural events. The
monsoon comes early, landslides block
key paths, and driving snow all make
for a more interesting time...
Local partners. We can only do what
we do with the help of people in
the communities we travel through.
They work extremely hard and are
incredibly generous in their hospitality
to us. Please remember that they
are from a different culture and will
not have the same concept of time,
environmental responsibility or
‘customer service’. They will be late,
may be unreliable (in our eyes) and
will do things completely differently to
us. We respect their outlook on life and
and ask you to do so as well.
Ethiopia MTB
2014
Ride the simi en mountains
Further Information
When you make a confirmed booking, or on request, we will send you our
confirmation pack with complete pre-departure information giving you details
on visas, health and vaccinations, packing lists, suggested reading on the
region, insurance, photography and other useful tips to make the expedition
more enjoyable.
SECRET COMPASS (Ltd)
A UK registered company 7746209
Email: info@secretcompass.com
Tel: +44 (0)20 3239 8038 (UK)
Tel: +1 347 6900182 (US)
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www secretcompass com