Our visit to Ethiopia, November 2007

First views from the air

The Ethiopian Highlands. 3,000 metres above sea level but not mountains. A plateau with a patchwork of fields right up to the escarpment edge. A temperate climate. Some hills with remains of native woodland rise above the plateau, and a view onwards to a volcano in the rift valley

Small groups of houses amongst the fields. Some thatched, some with tin roofs. Eucalyptus trees are typical around the houses. Due to population growth the land is overused leading to soil erosion. Here it is eroded down to the rock.