Cyber Ethiopia

Only a short drive south of Addis the urban centre can be forgotten in the cool shade of the Menagesha Forest. The forest covers the majestic hill which towers south of Addis. From the top the countryside can be seen for miles in all directions, and the city is laid out before the viewer like a map. Visiting Menagesha is a favourite day trip for Addis residents, not only for the wonderful walks through the forest, but also for the plentiful game which is preserved by the Parks service. The Forest Menagesha is the big forest visible from almost all over Addis. Although the more visible side of the mountain is not so heavily forested, behind the forest is thick and wonderful. To get there you have

to drive quite far south down Jimma road, over 30 kilometers from Menelik Square and about 12 km past Alem Gena where the Meta beer factory is. The drive is definitely worth it. It is easy to forget how wonderful it is to be surrounded by thick trees when you live in Addis. Menagesha is a serious forest. It is large and diverse, with a large variety of tree and bush species. Admittedly, a lot of the forest is second or more growth eucalyptus, but much of the rest is thick indigenous forest, with tropical style vines and moss growing amongst the trunks. Picnic at Menagesha There are a number of paths marked in the park, which take you through attractive glades to sites like ‘the biggest tree in the forest’, or the waterfall. It is the walk itself that is nice – with the recently recycled air from the trees, the fresh moist cool of the shaded forest, and the paths with the dead tree trunks and little streams to cross. At the very top of Menagesha there is a signboard with a map that shows the various paths in the park. They are all worth a stroll. Another major attraction of Menagesha is the wildlife. This is not a major game park, but without too much difficulty you can see the fetching Colobus monkeys. They are very large black and white monkeys, with monk like faces and long tails with big white tufts on the end. If you’re lucky you can see them from the road, especially in the thick sections of the forest over the two little switchback bridges you cross on your way up. If you have no luck there, then the two picnic areas on the way up are good places to find Colobus too. Other visitors, more diligent or luckier than me, have seen bushbuck and other animals as well. There are a lot of somewhat faded interpretative signs in Menagesha which describe the flora and fauna. There are also several places to stop for a picnic. If you persevere all the way to the top, which takes two hours from the outskirts of Addis with a good car or a mad driver, you get a couple of rewards. One is the big lodge at the top, which is closed, but nevertheless quite impressive. The other is a map which shows you some of the places you can visit, including some large old first growth trees. Colobus at Menagesha I did experience a cautionary tale during one trip. Although the Menagesha forest is a wonderful place to visit from Addis, and certainly the highlight picnic spot, the rule of thumb that you don’t go there during the rainy season should be strictly followed. The road up to Menagesha is gravel, and gets very steep and rough near the top. This is fine in a four wheel drive in the dry season, but in rain the clay soil turns into something resembling ice. If you don’t want to find yourself like me sliding sideways down a road with frightening drops on either side, then don’t try this road in the rain!! I know I never will again! Getting there Menagesha is out the Jimma Road, which departs from Mexico Square. Like all the roads leading out of Addis, Jimma Road is a pleasure to drive. Not. Like all roads leading out of Addis, Jimma is a maze of taxis, buses and pedestrians, all intent on making your trip as long and dangerous as possible. On the even more negative side, Jimma is the centre of a lot of the construction related to the Addis Ring Road, which means it is particularly difficult just now (and probably for the next couple of years). If you live in the Old Airport area, however, as I do, then Jimma is the easiest way to get out of Addis, something which I recommend regularly for residents here. You begin to get an impression of the countryside when you go through the ALERT land, which has a wonderfully large and relatively untouched forest donated by Emperor Haile Selassie for a Leprosy treatment centre. The river which flows through the land has a new bridge being built across it, which makes it more congested than usual. After this brief rural interlude, you are back into the urban experience, and traffic, for a while. The first major town outside of Addis is Alem Gena, which is where the turnoff to the Butajira road is. Continuing straight gets you to Jimma and the far Southwest. There is an alternative route, which joins the Ambo road. It is more ambitious than Jimma road, but if you live out that side then it may take a similar amount of time. It is also easy to take a wrong turn and end up on the road. There is a small village on the way up, and you must take one of two turnoffs to the right or you end up on the Ambo road.