MORE OF WHAT HOODLUM FILM FIXERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT FILMING IN ETHIOPIA, EAST AFRICA
FILM LOCATIONS IN ETHIOPIA
More of what location scouts and film fixers in Ethiopia have the following to say about a few noteworthy film locations
Bahir Dar
Bahir Dar, with its wide avenues of palms and scenic lakeside location, is one of Ethiopia’s most attractive towns. Located on the southern shore of Lake Tana, it is an ideal base from which to explore the lake and surrounding area, which includes the blue nile falls.
Once no more than a sleepy fishing village it has grown in size during recent times and palm-lined avenues and lakeside vistas make it an attractive place to stay. There are good amenities for travellers and the town itself has become an important industrial centre partly as a result of the hydro-electric dam built at nearby Tis Abay.
Danakil Depression
The Danakil Depression is found in Northern Ethiopia, close to the border with Eritrea. With parts of Danakil 100 metres below sea level, this is one of the lowest places on Earth and also one of the hottest in average yearly temperature. Access is difficult as the area is only passable for 4×4 vehicles and accommodation is scarce meaning visitors camp each night at fixed sites. Arguably one of the best places to visit in Ethiopia, those that do make the journey are rewarded with some of the most extraordinary landscapes anywhere on earth.
Two active volcanoes, Mount Ayalu and Erta Ale have large lava lakes, whilst the Dallol Sulphur Springs is a photographers’ dream. The Awash River ends in a huge salt mine, where workers carve rough-hewn blocks of salt for sale, an extraordinary sight to behold.
Gonder
Up until the beginning of the 17th century, Ethiopia had what was locally referred to as a ‘mobile capital’. But in 1632 Fasilidas took the throne and proclaimed Gonder as his capital, where it remained for the next 200 years. As king and emperor Fasilidas not only ushered in a period of relative calm in Abyssinia’s turbulent history he also built a stupendous fort at this strategic location – added to by his successors – most of which is still intact. Wandering around the fort’s spectacular turreted citadels, vast banqueting halls and bathhouses leaves you in no doubt whatsoever as to the importance of this Christian kingdom 400 years ago.
