(Note: a much more comprehensive article has been written on theascent of Ras Dashen.) We'd been eyeing it ever since our first trek in Simien, in November 2015 with the agency Allibert Trekkingwhere it wasn't on our itinerary. So we decided to round off our October 2016 trip by climbing the Ras DashenEthiopia's highest peak, the 4th highest on the African continent. Not a difficult climb, but physically demanding.
First of all, you have to get to theAmbico (3200m altitude). Starting from Sona, it's a good 7 hours' walk, alternating between ascents and descents. But the scenery and paths are, as usual, magnificent. We pass through the small town of Chiro LabaThis is the terminus of the track that crosses the Simien massif from Debark, and from where we set off again the following day, after climbing Ras Dashen.
The next day, we set off at 4am for a climb of around 1,400m, which we completed in 6 hours. The paths and tracks are easy, sometimes a little steep. Only the final section is tougher, with a climb of around 50m, which is easy but makes for a fine finish to the ascent! The view from the top is magnificent, and rewards us for having made the effort to take the drone up!