Ethiopia among 20 of the best new adventure holidays (Sunday Times)

Lost temples, enchanted forests and poisonous frogs await you on these challenging adventure holidays, says Chris Haslam.

February 10, 2008
If your idea of immersing yourself in local culture involves a yoghurt-based spa treatment, and your concept of an adventure is the latest Wilbur Smith on a sunbed by the pool, you might want to turn the page.
If, however, you judge a holiday by the number of jabs you need and the variety of parasites you pick up, stay with me, because you’ve never had it so good. Mysterious destinations once accessible only to professional explorers can now be booked as easily as a beach break in Benidorm.
To prove it, here are 20 of the newest, most exciting trips on offer, with a rating for fitness. If this is low, and you can walk a mile with a daypack, you’ll be fine. If it’s high, you’ll need to be capable of walking for seven hours a day on tough gradients, lugging your kit, without crying.
And among Brazil, Australia, Nepal and Guatemala is:
IN THESIGER’S FOOTSTEPS: ETHIOPIA AND YEMEN
It’s still rough, and the Red Sea Explorer expedition offered by Wild Frontiers (020 7736 3968, http://www.wildfrontiers.co.uk/ ) is no stroll. Flying into Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, you’ll traverse the Awash to Djibouti before crossing the Red Sea to Aden and plunging into the beautiful void that is the Empty Quarter. The 17-day trip costs £2,300; flights start at £600 with Ethiopian Airlines (020 8987 7000, http://www.ethiopianairlines.com/ ).
Fitness: low
Best time to go: September to March