About Us

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About Us

Simien Mountain Tours is an Ethiopian-German owned Tour company which officially started its tour operations in 2018, founded by two Ethiopian brothers. Combining their personal and professional travel experience and interest, they formed Simien Mountain Tours to bring the fascinating history and culture of Ethiopia to the world.

From modest beginnings, our company focused on providing unique experiences, through tailor-made programs and personalized service. With an emphasis on quality and professional service we have quickly risen within the ranks of tourism service providers within Ethiopia and are constantly evolving with this vibrant, flourishing industry.

As Ethiopia and its tourism sector develop, we are excited to bring new, innovative experiences to our guests.

Who We Are

Zigiju / Ziggy

German & European Market Sales
Ziggy is a co-founder of Simien Mountain Tours who was born in the Simien mountains who then studied Tourism Management as well as Geography in Gondar and Bahirdar Universities respectively. He now resides in Germany and has been working the tourism industry for the last 15 years.

Dawit / Dave

Tour Operation and Guide

Dave is a founder of Simien Mountain Tours and was born in the Simien mountains national park where he grew up as a shepherd boy. He graduted at Debark vocational school in Tour Guiding and has been working as a Tourist Guide for the last 8 years all over Ethiopia.

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Our Staff

Our staff bring many years of professional and personal travel experience to ensure every booking is handled with excellence and professionalism. We are truly dedicated to providing quality service and expert knowledge to our clients, from the initial point of contact through the end of their stay and often long after they have returned to their home country.
Our fleet of 4WD vehicles, minibuses and Coaster buses will meet the needs of any group size. Our vehicles are driven by professional Ethiopian driver/guides with expert knowledge in their country. All drivers are well-trained and English-speaking and make wonderful travel companions for our guests. For larger groups, we have a large staff of well-trained guides with proficiency in a variety of languages, including French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Czech.

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Our Values

Our values are simple and are focused on the client experience and the impact and contribution to Ethiopian society and development.
We appreciate that every opportunity to travel and experience new cultures is a privilege that must be cherished. We are committed to ensuring unforgettable experiences and professional service.
We believe that tourism should benefit the local communities of a destination. To that effect, we support community-based tourism projects and organizations that focus on societal development.

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Our Services

We have welcomed many different types of visitors to Ethiopia including individuals, groups, business travelers, photographers, student groups, volunteers, and meeting & conference organizers.

The services we offer include, but are not limited to:

Vehicle hire with driver
Domestic flight bookings
Hotel reservations
Transfer service
Professional guide service in English, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Russian, Czech and other languages.

What our customers say about us

     EXCELLENT  
     Based on 19 reviews 
    
 
 
   
 
 
        
   Yuval Balas 
 December 7, 2023
 
 
 Verified Wonderful Trek to Ras Dashen Summit
Great Agency, Reliable and Well organized. We climb Ras Dashen in a 3 days tour from Gondar. Everything was organized perfectly, always felt like someone taking care of me, and care that I'll enjoy and feel good. The staff are amazing, and I learned a lot about the area during the trek. The Simien Mountains is a wonderful place with stunning views, animals, and local villages. I'll for sure return to this area, and to Ethiopia and hope to do more activities with Simien Mountains Tours.
  
 
       
   Decrochelune 
 January 24, 2020
 
 
 Verified Wonderful Trek organised par Dawit - Ras Dashen Tour - in Simiens Mountains
We had a great trip in November 2019 in this big and beautiful country that is Ethiopia. We asked Dawit (Dave) and his agency Ras Dashen Tours for the organization of a trek in the Simiens Mountains. We were delighted with all the services (guide, equipment, food ...). Dave is very friendly, available and always on hand to answer our questions. He is a reliable and good person on whom you can count. He even found us a vehicle with driver for the rest of our stay.During the trek, David - park guide - accompanied us. He did everything to make these three days unforgettable with the desire that we keep a good image of his region and his country. Professional, discreet and playful, he was a perfect guide. We recommend it : David Bewket (mail : davidbewket@gmail.com - téléphone : +251924506117).Bruno
  
 
       
   TripInMyWorld 
 September 15, 2018
 
 
 Verified Fantastic Simien Day Trip!
I recently took a day trip to the Simien Mountains and what an amazing trip it was! My guide, David Yohannes of Ras Dashen Tours, was a terrific young area native with extensive knowledge of the landscape, as well as the flora and fauna. As a wildlife photographer, I’m always searching for the easiest, safest and most affordable way to travel with all my equipment. David understood perfectly and he put together a day trip that met all my needs. We traveled with an excellent driver named “Bizuayehu” in a reliable and sturdy Toyota 4x4, along with a requisite armed guard named “Jamal”. They took me to all the major sites that one would go to on an overnight excursion, and not only was I able to see the spectacular Jinbar Falls, but I got to spend over an hour mingling with a 200+ troop of Gelada monkeys, and I also got to see a pair of Klipspringers, several Bushbucks, an Ethiopian Jackal, and a plethora of birds that included Auger Buzzards, Griffon Vultures, and a much-coveted life-list addition, the unusual Thick-billed Raven. It was awesome! My only regret was not having more time to spend with this wonderful guide. So if you have the time, I highly recommend several days (or more!) camping with this cordial and knowledgeable young man. But if you only have a short time, you couldn’t do better than planning a day trip with him!
  
 
       
   Kuty777 
 July 13, 2018
 
 
 Verified Dave - excellent guide for the Siemens Mountains
We were a group of five Israeli friends between the ages of 58-78 hiking in the Siemeyen Mountains. The trek we chose was 3 days with local guide Dave. Dave is a native of one of the villages in the Siemian Mountains, knows the region very well and has a good knowledge of the names of the places, the flowers and the trees and the birds (one of them is an ornithologist and the other is a tour guide in Israel).Dave excelled in leading the trip, he was very good, setting the pace and adjusting it to the group while hiking to the top of the mountain. The chosen route ranged from 3200 meters and reached 3600 meters.Dave mastered English at an excellent level and showed concern and sensitivity to the group and fascinated us with his personality.In short it is very recommended to travel with him.
  
 
       
   Gregoire D 
 January 23, 2018
 
 
 Verified Simien Mountain National Park
I went to Ethiopia only for ten days with a friend and Simien Mountain Park was the best part of our trip. I found Dawit Yohannes on a forum where he was already really well recommended.We spend two nights and three days, it is the minimum if you want to enjoy the national park. We were with his all best team and we have fun even if it was cold we did not fell it at all. Thanks to the great food of Quaeshel. Dawit is really nice, he had a lot of things to tell about Ethiopia history, society and natur and he is never bored to answer to you questions!!We had the chance to spend christmas with him and his friends in Debar. Dawit's service does not stop when you trip is over. He also helped to book our bus ticket to Axoum and give some tricks for the rest of our trip.We already come back to Ethiopia and do another trek with his team. (daveyohannes@yahoo.com or whatsap +251 91 364 4690), you won't be disapointed
  
 
       
   cvanwinkle23 
 August 27, 2017
 
 
 Verified Amazing, easy experience with Ras Dashen Tours
Four of us (mid-30's) trekked with Ras Dashen Tours in April, 2017. We had a fantastic time and Ras Dashen organized everything and made the trip very easy. All you need is a daypack and they do the rest: transport, carry your belongings, set up your tent, guide you through the mountains, and to top it off make some delicious meals at the end of a hard day's hike. Very responsive and easy to work with. Very great value for money. Would hike with them again and highly recommend them to fellow travelers looking for an off-the-beaten-path adventure in one of the most spectacular landscapes on earth.
  
 
       
   Katerina H 
 May 10, 2017
 
 
 Verified Excellent Tour
Ras Dashen Tours beats traditional well known agencies such as ETT by miles. You will be able to tailor your adventure and the team will do their best to accommodate you request. We were on a private tour rather than being paired with strangers to make a count. Our experienced guide David, grew up in Simien Mountains as a shepherd so he knows the place by heart. He was attentive and able to respond to any of our requests and even unexpectedly surprised us with beer when we were watching a sunset in Geech in 3,800. But the best part of the tour is mere fact that you will not need to worry about absolutely anything. Your guide will show you the best spots, you armed guard will make sure you are safe, your cooks will perform magic in these high altitudes and mules will carry the heaviest pieces of the luggage. All you really need to do is to enjoy, relax and sometimes a bit challenge yourself during the hike. You will be rewarded – Dave will arrange for you an amazing traditional dinner in Gondar. We have continued our trip beyond borders of Simien mountains visiting Lalibela, Mekele, Erte Ale volcano and stunning Dallol Depression. Dave was extremely helpful throughout the trip making this experience unforgettable.
  
 
       
   getachew2014 
 February 6, 2017
 
 
 Verified Good guide
When I was in the simen mountain I had great fun with my guide and the nice weather thank you a lot the food was excellent wow I am happy to visit again
  
 
       
   sara c 
 January 27, 2017
 
 
 Verified A must -see place
i had an amazing 3 days long trekking in the simen mountains with ras dashen tour. everything was perfect: the guide, Dave, extremely kind and knowledgeable, plenty of foods, good equipments. highly reccomended!
  
 
       
   hollyalonso 
 December 18, 2015
 
 
 Verified Dave Yohannes, outstanding guide in the Simien Mountains
Dave Yohannnes led my daughter and me on a 4-day trek as an official guide in the Simien Mountains World Heritage Site. He was outstanding in terms of making us comfortable, for instance conjuring up a mule for me when the going got too tough for me at the high altitude, and in answering every question on the birds and plants of this amazing habitat. He referred to the bird book as his 'bible.' Perhaps the most important plus is that he grew up in a village in this area, and could illuminate the human aspect of life in the villages we were walking through. We shared in a coffee ceremony in a tukul, and my daughter, a cellist, got to play the instruments of one of the local players. He loves this terrain deeply, and has a great sense of humor. He himself grew up as a shepherd from age 6-12. The tourist guide training program of which he is a part only allows 69 official guides, and he is one of them. Many delights are in store on this tour--such as observing hundreds of gelada monkeys at very close range, ie sitting among them!