Travel Vaccines and reflections of Africa – The Simien and Bale Mountains, Ethiopia

Adventure, Africa, Personal, photography 2 Minutes

 

dsc_0032

If you have travelled to Africa it is most likely you would have been required to have a yellow fever vaccination – still required in many countries

I got my Yellow Card, proof of vaccination 20 years ago on my first trip to the African Continent.

Being in the Melbourne, Australia COVID 19 lockdown it is a good chance to reflect on the need for vaccination and travel and the relationship between the two.

The Simien Mountains

The Simien Mountains are a World Heritage alpine area in the North of Ethiopia

Its also called the water tower of East Africa providing the source for the Blue Nile

The Blue Nile provides 80% of the water that reaches Egypt, flowing through Sudan where it meets with the White Nile to form the Nile River

 

With peaks up to 4,550 metres within the vast sprawling alpine range

A range of deep gorges, rugged peaks and waterfalls plummeting thousands of metres

The Simiens have unique flora and fauna

Such as the Giant Lobelia

The endemic Gelada (or bleeding heart baboon) and Olive baboons

And if you look closely a Walia Ibex

It was a three night trek through the Simiens

Camping in the Alps

Amazing sunsets and the high plateau

And watching the moon rise over the cliff tops from the gorges

The Bale Mountains

The Simien Mountains are in the North East of Ethiopia and the Bale Mountains in the South East

Almost bookends at each end of the Ethiopian Central Highlands

The Simiens in the Amhara Region and the Bale in the Oromia Region

The Bale Mountains are drier less dramatic that the northern bookend

These mountains are the catchment for the Jubba River system

Which flows across Ethiopia and Somalia to the Indian Ocean

The Bale Mountains are more easily accessed than the Simiens

Far better for catching sightings of the Ethiopian Wolf

And the amazing bird life

Also In the Bale Provence toward the Somalian Border is are the Sof Omar Caves

Its well over a decade since I travelled in these mountains with my family.

And yes a vaccine for Yellow Fever was compulsory

Maybe compulsory vaccinations will be more widespread for travellers in the future given COVID-19

Published by a piecemeal adventurer

A lover of travel, nature, and the environment. A sailor and a motorcyclist

Published

23 thoughts on “Travel Vaccines and reflections of Africa – The Simien and Bale Mountains, Ethiopia”

    1. Thanks Tim, Ethiopia is a fascinating country both in history and landscape. Im sure a lot has changed since I was there, but the mountains will remain much the same.

      Reply
  3. Kym Gordon Moore – Kym Gordon Moore is a marketing and communications professional who holds an MBA with a concentration in Marketing. She has over 30+ years of combined experiences in part, but not limited to multi-media writing accreditations, developing and directing brand marketing communications for small businesses and corporate senior-level executives, leading and developing corporate social media strategies, successfully creating and launching B2C and B2B newsletter marketing campaigns, developing community outreach partnerships, creating and distributing corporate press releases, and tracking ecommerce and web analytics. She holds certifications that include HubSpot Academy Inbound Marketing, Google Analytics Platform, My Media Tutor Spokesperson Ready, Leveraging Vendor Relations and Marketing Experiments Email Marketing. Her computer competencies involve working with software applications in Microsoft Office and Navision, CandyPress, Word press, Google Analytics, ExactTarget/Salesforce programs and GIMP. Kym is the author of Wings of the Wind: A Cornucopia of Poetry, Diversities of Gifts: Same Spirit, and a contributing author to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Mom. She mentors young and aspiring poets and volunteers to facilitate poetry forums. Her mission is to use poetry as a platform to foster greater awareness in the fight against illiteracy and aliteracy, by introducing elements of poetic diversity and education among children and adults.
    Kym Gordon Moore says:

    Amazing photos! 🙂 Did you really get that close to the baboons?

    Reply
      1. Kym Gordon Moore – Kym Gordon Moore is a marketing and communications professional who holds an MBA with a concentration in Marketing. She has over 30+ years of combined experiences in part, but not limited to multi-media writing accreditations, developing and directing brand marketing communications for small businesses and corporate senior-level executives, leading and developing corporate social media strategies, successfully creating and launching B2C and B2B newsletter marketing campaigns, developing community outreach partnerships, creating and distributing corporate press releases, and tracking ecommerce and web analytics. She holds certifications that include HubSpot Academy Inbound Marketing, Google Analytics Platform, My Media Tutor Spokesperson Ready, Leveraging Vendor Relations and Marketing Experiments Email Marketing. Her computer competencies involve working with software applications in Microsoft Office and Navision, CandyPress, Word press, Google Analytics, ExactTarget/Salesforce programs and GIMP. Kym is the author of Wings of the Wind: A Cornucopia of Poetry, Diversities of Gifts: Same Spirit, and a contributing author to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Mom. She mentors young and aspiring poets and volunteers to facilitate poetry forums. Her mission is to use poetry as a platform to foster greater awareness in the fight against illiteracy and aliteracy, by introducing elements of poetic diversity and education among children and adults.
        Kym Gordon Moore says:

        Awesome! You’re an amazing photographer! 🙂

      2. Thanks very much Kim, the trips I did to Africa were quite a while ago. It’s been great getting out the old photos and reflecting. We are in a hard lockdown here in Melbourne so it fills in the time. Some more blogs from those trips to come

      3. Kym Gordon Moore – Kym Gordon Moore is a marketing and communications professional who holds an MBA with a concentration in Marketing. She has over 30+ years of combined experiences in part, but not limited to multi-media writing accreditations, developing and directing brand marketing communications for small businesses and corporate senior-level executives, leading and developing corporate social media strategies, successfully creating and launching B2C and B2B newsletter marketing campaigns, developing community outreach partnerships, creating and distributing corporate press releases, and tracking ecommerce and web analytics. She holds certifications that include HubSpot Academy Inbound Marketing, Google Analytics Platform, My Media Tutor Spokesperson Ready, Leveraging Vendor Relations and Marketing Experiments Email Marketing. Her computer competencies involve working with software applications in Microsoft Office and Navision, CandyPress, Word press, Google Analytics, ExactTarget/Salesforce programs and GIMP. Kym is the author of Wings of the Wind: A Cornucopia of Poetry, Diversities of Gifts: Same Spirit, and a contributing author to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Mom. She mentors young and aspiring poets and volunteers to facilitate poetry forums. Her mission is to use poetry as a platform to foster greater awareness in the fight against illiteracy and aliteracy, by introducing elements of poetic diversity and education among children and adults.
        Kym Gordon Moore says:

        Well my friend continue to stay encouraged. I frequently take out old photos I took years ago and reminisce about times that seem so simple now, but ones that I truly cherish. Stay safe! 😀

  10. Pingback: Travel Vaccines and reflections of Africa – The Simien and Bale Mountains, Ethiopia – ESSE

Leave a Reply to a piecemeal adventurerCancel reply