The Zara Yacob Trail has rode out and back again!

We rode over the Entoto hills, across the rivers of northern Shoa and through the forest of Menagesha Suba – and even sometimes into the night! – all the way to the mountains between Debre Berhan and Ankober.

Susan, Renate, Peter, Ercihan, Richard, Walter, Kinni, Angela, Lisa, Betsey, Ann & Yvonne, were the first to ride the Zara Yacob Trail. They did not grumble when the day proved longer than foreseen & were tough as well as considerate horsemen and horsewomen. Nor the unseasonably late rains, nor cold nights could thwart their good humour as they sat wrapped up in gabis and joking about the day – one rider pointing out that the ZYT should rightly now be known more appropriately as the Zara Yacob Raid… (that must have been Peter).

Thank you all for your good company.

Jigsaw, Tatek, Suviel, Guduma, Simbad, Borak, Fitsum, Bora, Kenya, Tasso, Beka… were all good company as well as good steeds too, and not only bravely took us over dale and hill, they also risked riding back on an Isuzu truck all the way from Debre Berhan! (now that’s what I call a raid).

And finally, thank you Meheret for a wonderful job all around keeping everything together, and to Elias on horseback and at camp, and to the backup team on the road: Werk Nesh, Hanna, Ayale, Setota, Dida and Debelu as well as Kenenisa. And a special thanks to Sintayehu for all of those piping hot soups on all of those cold nights.

Enjoy the pictures!