Ethiopia is not short of spectacular back country to go and visit. These trips are always filled with incredible sights and adventures. Getting to meet as diverse a group of friendly people who are always so welcoming, just adds to the exploration.

We were lucky enough to have done a safari into the Southern section of Ethiopia recently. This beautiful landscape is quite far from the usual tourist trails and boasts some wonderful places to see. Ever grateful to the skills of the Tropic Air team, we managed to cover some vast and remote wilderness area where we descended into a massive crater where salt harvesting was being done in the shallow pool in it’s depths.

We spent time with the Borana and witnessed the passion at how they looked after their livestock at their “singing wells”. Both men and women worked tirelessly to bring water up from deep under ground to a trough at the surface so their stock could drink. All the while singing beautiful melodic songs to the rythm of the work. We crept high above the surrounding countryside on great granite rocky hillsides in which only the birds and monkeys would wander. One absolute highlight though, as well as seeing some wonderful wildlife (Oryx, Gerenuk, Kudu, Grants Gazelle, Warthog, Zebra, Forest Hogs, Ostrich, Hyaena among others) and spending great time with the Borana, was seeing 5 melanistic serval cats in one afternoon (sadly no photos managed!). This will remain etched in the memory for time immemorial.