Discover the National Geographic difference. National Geographic first reported on Ethiopia back in 1925, when the country was called Abyssinia and future emperor Haile Selassie was still a soft-spoken regent known as Ras Tafari. Our reporter traveled by mule caravan and celebrated Christmas among thousands of pilgrims at the subterranean churches of Lalibela. Since then, our scientists and writers have helped tell many more stories about this intriguing place. A treasure chest of fossils has been uncovered here with National Geographic’s support by the likes of the Leakey family and Donald Johanson, who excavated 3.2-million-year-old Lucy in 1974. Today, National Geographic Emerging Explorer Zeresenay Alemseged and other Society–funded paleontologists continue to make groundbreaking finds. Ethiopia’s present-day human story is equally fascinating. In the Omo Valley, tribespeople with lip plates and loincloths carry on their ancient traditions in the face of the encroaching modern world. We explored these societies in a March 2010 National Geographic magazine article “Africa’s Last Frontier,” and one of our newest Emerging Explorers, humanitarian and Omo Valley native Lale Labuko, has brought us valuable insights into the traditions of his people. Lale’s experiences inspired us as we crafted our new trip to Ethiopia, which combines the country’s riveting tribal life, its religious history, and its vital contributions to paleontology. What’s more, Lale or one of his colleagues will join us for our time in the Omo Valley, sharing an insiders’ perspective and ensuring that our encounters with the valley’s tribes are genuine and meaningful. And in Addis Ababa, we’ll meet with a leading paleontologist for a firsthand account of some of the most game-changing fossil finds in history. Ethiopia is a fascinating place to explore, but seeing it through the eyes of our experts makes all the difference.
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Clockwise from top left: Children of the Suri people in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley use clay and crushed minerals to paint their skin; a line of moai face the sea on Easter Island; a keel-billed toucan in Costa Rica; a historic church in the colonial heart of Bogotá, Colombia; India’s endangered Bengal tiger.