Debark' Favorites

Favorite thing: Getting organised for a hike I Debark is pretty straight forward! The National Park Office is about a ten minutes walk on the Gondar road. The Officers speak good English and will recommend some routes depending on how many days you want to go. Next step is to make a decision if you want to hire a guide, a cook or mules with drivers. The National Park Officers will introduce them to you. Also they will help if you need to rent some cooking/camping equipment. When all this is clear you have to pay the park entrance fees and will get a bill for the rest.

Guides & Rangers: Its compulsory to hire an armed scout but not a guide. The difference between them is that guides speak English, rangers are probably retired soldiers who don´t! Both of them know the area very well!

Mules & Mule drivers I was happy that I didn´t had to carry all my equipment myself! The muledrivers were very nice and helpful people. They take care about your luggage and will prepare and pitch up your tent when you arrive at the camp sites.

A cook seems to be a bit decadent but I regret that I didn´t had one. The cook will do the shopping for you if you still have to stock up in Debark. On the hike the meals will be prepared when you arrive at the camps or in the morning when you get up breakfast will be ready. …and don´t forget by hiring a cook who is only 20 Birr a day you give somebody the opportunity to earn some money.

Prices Guides – 70 -100 Birr /day
Scouts – 30 Birr / day
Mule drivers 20 Birr /day
Mules – 20 Birr / day
Cook – 20 Birr / day

All the scouts, guides, mule drivers and cooks should supply their own food but it might happen that they will run out of it after a few days. Better buy more than you need and help them out. It will be appreciated very much.

Hiking the Simiens sounds like travelling with a caravan but its not like that! Usually the mule driver and cook will take a different track to arrive before you to start doing preparations.