Ankober

Ankober was the capital of the kingdom of Shewa in the nineteenth century, the seat of Menelik II before he moved the capital to Addis Ababa, and it sits on a ridge at around 3,000 metres right at the lip of the escarpment, with the ground dropping away thousands of metres toward the Afar lowlands. The palace site on the hilltop is largely ruined, with foundations, a rebuilt church and a view that explains why it was chosen. The escarpment below is the only known home of the Ankober serin, a small seed-eating bird described in 1976 and found nowhere else, which brings birdwatchers, along with gelada troops on the cliffs. A lodge on the ridge serves as the base and the drive up from Debre Birhan is short.

What you actually see

• The palace ridge - foundations and church on the hilltop site.
• The escarpment edge - the drop toward the Afar lowlands.
• The Ankober serin - the endemic bird found only on these cliffs.
• Gelada troops - highland primates along the escarpment.

When to go

October to March for clear weather and views over the lowlands. Mornings give the best chance of the escarpment view before cloud rises. The serin is resident year round but easier in the dry months.

Honest expectations

Little of the palace survives beyond foundations and a rebuilt church. The serin is small, drab and hard to find without a specialist guide. It is cold and windy on the ridge. Facilities amount to one lodge and there is little in the village.

Nearby

Debre Birhan lies west; the Afar lowlands drop away east.