The plane glides slowly down over the parched earth of Ethiopia’s Rift Valley and approaches the lush greenbelt that surrounds its capital city of Addis Ababa. The airport teems with people, many of them Ethiopians returning to their homeland as tourists. The language and the proliferation of tall, stately people, coupled with the sight of masses of purple jacaranda trees lining the roads that lead out of the airport, leave little doubt that we have reached a destination both exotic and mysterious as well as, for the moment at least, overwhelming.

At an altitude of 8,000 feet, Addis Ababa is the third highest capital city in the world after La Paz, Bolivia and Quito, Ecuador. During the dry season, October through May, the air is clear and invigorating with an average daytime temperature of 61 degrees. The city, whose Amharic name means “new flower,” blends the old and new as it grows haphazardly with little planning or zoning.

In fact, the 2-year-old Sheraton Hotel, a model of modern design and luxury, sets amid the city’s squalor of mud and wattles. The United Nations complex, equipped with the latest in high-tech equipment, and the exclusive Hilton, with its priceless collection of native art and natural hot mineral-springs pool, are a stone’s throw from the Mercato, the oldest, largest and busiest outdoor market in Africa.

Addis Ababa has become Africa’s diplomatic capital and hosts more than 90 foreign embassies and consulates. Several regal palaces, the late Emperor Haile Selassie’s train, Trinity Cathedral, Africa Hall, the Piazza (an upscale shopping center), the National Museum and various art galleries make it easy to spend several exciting days exploring this eclectic North African city.

Transportation within Ethiopia’s cities and throughout the country is readily available. The blue and white taxi system, which operates in most cities, is convenient and inexpensive. In many of the smaller towns, you can travel virtually anywhere in two-passenger, horse-drawn garys, which offer considerably more adventure than conventional taxis. Walking is safe at night and in crowded markets. Rental cars are available for those who wish to explore the country on their own, but the road system in Ethiopia can be substandard in places. Ethiopian Airlines links all the major Ethiopian cities with daily flights, as well as routes across Africa and regular flights to Europe, Asia, the United States and the Middle East. A rail service operates daily between Addis Ababa and Dira Dawa (14 hours) and from Dira Dawa to the port town of Djibouti (seven hours).

Ethiopian cuisine can be an adventure, with injera and wot its staples. Injera, Ethiopian bread, is a fermented pancake made from a locally grown grain called teff. Wot may consist of chicken, beef, lamb or vegetables cooked with a variety of spices and a fiery-hot pepper called berbere. The injera is torn into pieces with the right hand to scoop up the wot. Additionally, it is not unusual for your host or hostess to feed you by hand. Alicha, a much milder chicken or lamb dish flavored with onions and ginger, is also popular. Awaze, a complex, spicy sauce, usually is available on the table. Fresh fish, especially the Nile perch talapia and catfish, are popular and served a variety of ways. The local wines, including Guder red, and several popular beers are excellent. It is safe to eat virtually anything as long as it is cooked, but it’s best to avoid uncooked vegetables and unpeeled fruits. Bottled mineral water, ambo, is available everywhere and is recommended in place of tap water.

Accommodations throughout the country range from luxury to comfortable to basic. The Sheraton and Hilton in Addis Ababa are equal to the finest hotels in the world. I recommend at least one night’s pampering at one of these establishments while recovering from travel fatigue. The pool, spa, restaurants and tranquility offered at these hotels will help prepare you for the adventure that lay ahead. In cities throughout the country, government hotels are generally clean and comfortable with sporadic running water and even occasional hot water. Their real claim to fame is location, as most are set amid or within walking distance of local attractions. The Goha Hotel in Gondar, a short drive from Addis Ababa, offers spectacular views of the surrounding area. In Harar, I would avoid the substandard Harar Ras in favor of the more convenient and slightly upscale Hotel Belayneh, which boasts a rooftop terrace where management serves breakfast and dinner. Needless to say, outside Addis Ababa, accommodations are priced modestly.

The country’s population is a mixture of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, Sunni Muslims and a few minority groups. Ethiopians are tall, slim and dark with expressive brown eyes — a combination so attractive you just can’t help but photograph these beautiful people, especially the children who are more than flattered to have their pictures taken. Ethiopians are honest, friendly and hardworking. In fact, very little crime exists in the country, though poverty and panhandlers are rampant. Children will ask for a birr in exchange for a small service. Ethiopians are educated in the villages through grade eight, and those who show promise are sent to Bahar Dar for high school and possibly university.

SUBHEAD: The Historic Route
Many visitors follow the Historic Route consisting of five cities — Lalibela, Gondar, Lake Tana, Harar and Axum — all served by Ethiopian Airlines. Each of these cities features a well-built tourism infrastructure with adequate hotels, restaurants and tour guides that offer visitors a distinct look at Ethiopian life.

Lalibela is a remote village situated below a flat-topped mountain 148 miles south of Axum. King Lalibela carved his name in stone with his legacy of the 11 world-famous rock-hewn churches of Roha. These churches carved out of and into the bedrock are said to be the eighth wonder of the world. Although the churches are close together, it’s impossible to see everything in one day. The most spectacular of the churches is the Church of St. George, which is built in the shape of a cross and sets in a deep pit. If you look down from the rim, you can see the huge cross covering the church’s roof. The other churches, all attended to by elaborately garbed priests, are either free standing or attached partially to the mountain. Until Ethiopian Airlines built an airport just south of Lalibela, the only way to reach this remote village, formerly the nation’s capital, was on the back of a mule up a winding, dusty track. A major road into the area is planned for future development.

Gondar, built in the 17th century as the second capital of Ethiopia, is often described as the City of Castles. King Fasilidas built the first and largest castle here in 1632, and his descendents added their own castles within the city’s fortified walls. Today the castles and palaces stand empty and the gold, ivory and jewels that adorned their interiors are gone. Restoration continues in the slow, steady pace that characterizes much of Ethiopian construction. Patient men sit and chip rocks as women stir vats of concrete and young boys carry long poles on their shoulders. Strolling through the park-like grounds, one can easily visualize the former grandeur of Gondar. A short distance from the castles is the Bathing Palace, which once stood in a pool of water channeled from the nearby river. The pool is empty except during the annual Timket or Epiphany celebrations when it is filled over a period of several months and children are allowed to swim. In this area, visitors also will find the small Debre Berhan Selassie Church, whose interior walls and ceiling are decorated with intricate paintings depicting biblical and historical lore. The use of cameras within the church is prohibited.

Lake Tana and Bahar Dar are emerging as resort areas for Ethiopians and foreign visitors. Built in the 1950s with wide, palm-lined boulevards, Bahrar Dar is the most modern city in Ethiopia. Lake Tana, which covers almost 1,860 square miles, has 33 islands accommodating a number of churches and monasteries where monks, mystics and religious men lead quiet, hermetic lives of prayer. Some of the islands are off-limits to women, but others, such as the monastery Ura-Kidanemereth on the Uhra peninsula, are accessible by motor launch from Bahar Dar and open to all visitors. Another attraction in the area is Tissisat Falls. Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile and the Tissisat Falls are formed as the famous river drops more than 50 meters on its journey to join the Sudanese Nile. The falls are most spectacular in the rainy season, but they are difficult to reach by foot during this season.

The walled city of Harar, among the country’s oldest cities, was founded in the seventh century. For more than 300 years, it has been recognized as the fourth most-sacred Islamic city in the world. The nearest airport is at Dire Dawa, an hour’s drive over a well-paved road traversed more frequently by sheep, goats and camels than by cars. With five strong gates, Harar is a major tourist attraction hosting more 90 mosques, with both Christian and Muslim marketplaces providing for the needs and customs of the two religions. After dark a bizarre production unfolds outside the city’s gates. “The Hyena Man” sits with a pail of meat and feeds spotted hyenas from a stick held in his mouth. The hyenas, which come from the surrounding hills, grab the meat quickly and retreat. Visitors are encouraged to participate, but few are brave enough to hold the stick in their mouths and stare into the fierce eyes of these ugly, furtive beasts. The fainter at heart feed the animals by hand.

Axum, in the northernmost part of Ethiopia, is off-limits at this time to tourists due to the country’s ongoing war with Eritrea. This small town is the final resting place of Africa’s most famous monarch, the Queen of Sheba (Saba). The area also houses the elusive Ark of the Covenant, allegedly held in the Church of Saint Mary of Zion and guarded by a monk who denies entry to all.

Today these are Ethiopia’s main attractions and they are indeed impressive. Lesser known but accessible to the truly adventurous are white-water rafting on the Nile, national animal parks and the remote areas of the Rift Valley, the Simien Mountains and the Danakil Depression, one of the hottest places on earth. As well-paved roads and airports continue to be built, these areas will become an integral part of the Ethiopian tourist experience as well.