Ethiopia's landscape is splendid, the people are welcoming, the sense of history is tangible and you won't have to worry about crowds of tourists. Ethiopia is the only country in Africa never to have been colonised, and its people have a proud tradition of fighting for their independence. Ethiopia has every variety of scenery, from the peaks of the Simien Mountains to the Omo Valley, tropical forests, beautiful Lake Tana and the Tissisat (Blue Nile) Falls, savanna and deserts. Bale National Park in Oromia is home to many endemic mammals and birds. For big game safaris, there are the Omo and Mago National Parks in the Southern Region, with their fascinating Mursi and Harmer villages. But it is the history and culture that stand out with the likes of Axum with links to the Queen of Sheba and the Ark of the Covenant, Lalibela with its renowned rock-hewn churches and Gondar, the 'Camelot of Africa' with its castles that make Ethiopia is truly unique in Africa.