This is how the Ethiopian Tourist Board try to promote their country (there are thirteen months in the Ethiopian calendar).
I used to live in Ethiopia. Last year I went back for a three week holiday and have been meaning to post some of the photographic results online for some time. In part, to hopefully encourage some people to visit the country. It’s not the most obvious travel destination but it is immensely rewarding – especially for a photographer (as you may glean from the shots below and in my Picasa album here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/108754603928585029221/albums/5861050940762746...CNro2Zf8xan8JA.
Hawzen youth, Tigray K5 + DA21 Ltd
Maryam Korkor rock-hewn church, Tigray K5 + DA21Ltd
Boy, Gondar K5 + DA*50-135
Monk, Kibran Gabrael monastery, Lake Tana K5 + DA*50-136
Mercato market, Addis Ababa K5 + DA21Ltd
I know of several people through various forums who have come to Sri Lanka and travelled here independently, but not of anyone who has been to Ethiopia. If anyone is looking for an unusual destination to travel to, then Ethiopia is hard to beat for historical, geographical and socio-cultural impact. It is a quite phenomenal place to visit as a tourist (which was a revelation to me, as I hadn't encountered this aspect to the country when living there), and not as far off the beaten track as you might expect (the few hotels were full of ferenji - foreigners [literally 'Franks', arising from medieval contact between Europe and this part of the world] on organised tours). It is also utterly unique - there really is no other country like it in the world (unless you perhaps count Eritrea, which shares its history and was until recently part of Ethiopia).
In addition to the northern (‘historical’) circuit there is also the southern circuit that takes in the ‘tribal’ peoples of the remote areas adjoining northern Kenya, Uganda and Sudan. These have always held less interest for me – in part because I’ve always been slightly troubled by voyeuristic aspects of tourism in such areas. But the southern circuit is also no doubt a stimulating and naturally beautiful place to visit. And somewhere with great photographic potential. Possibly more than the north – I have seen some impressive photography from the south along the lines of Leni Riefenstahl’s famous photographs of the Nuba in neighbouring Sudan.
I have to say the thirteen months of sunshine angle is a bit specious – as, while most days see some sun, there are times (notably the long rainy season) when it clouds over persistently (see eg. The photo of Lake Hayk in my Picasa album). But if you time it right you’ll get plenty of sun along with everything else the country has to offer.