Natural Wonder · Debark, Ethiopia
Simien Mountains
Simien Mountains National Park is the largest national park in Ethiopia. Built 1969.
Photo: Hulivili via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Debark, Ethiopia |
|---|---|
| Type | Natural Wonder |
| Built | 1969 |
| Architect | C. W. Nicol |
| Area | Area: 412 km² |
| Coordinates | 13.1833° N, 38.0667° E |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Simien Mountains is known for
Simien Mountains National Park is the largest national park in Ethiopia.
About Simien Mountains
Simien Mountains National Park is the largest national park in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, its territory covers the highest parts of the Simien Mountains and includes Ras Dashan, the highest point in Ethiopia. It is home to a number of endangered species, including the Ethiopian wolf and the walia ibex, a wild goat found nowhere else in the world.
History
The park was established in 1969, having been set up by Clive Nicol, who wrote about his experiences in From the Roof of Africa (1971, ISBN 0 340 14755 5). The Simien region has been inhabited and cultivated for at least 2,000 years, initially erosion began to reveal that the clearing began at the gentle slope of the highland valley but later expanded to a steep slope. The national park was one of the first sites to be made a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, inscribed in 1978 because of its outstanding biodiversity and spectacular landscape.
Planning a visit? Visit the official Simien Mountains website — the official site has the current visiting information.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Debark |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Gonder Airport (GDQ) |
| Distance from the airport | 62.3 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Gondar Airport (GDQ) · Azezo, Ethiopia · 62.6 miles away
- Axum Airport (AXU) · Axum, Ethiopia · 81.7 miles away
- Mekele Alula Aba Nega Airport (MQX) · Mekele, Ethiopia · 100.6 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Ethiopia
More natural wonders
Frequently asked questions
What is Simien Mountains?
Simien Mountains National Park is the largest national park in Ethiopia.
Where is Simien Mountains located?
Simien Mountains is in Debark, Ethiopia. Its coordinates are 13.1833° N, 38.0667° E.
How do I get to Simien Mountains?
The nearest town is Debark, and the nearest airport is Gonder Airport (GDQ), about 62.3 miles away (straight line).
When was Simien Mountains built?
Simien Mountains was built 1969.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simien_Mountains_National_Park — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q504315 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- http://simienmountains.org/ — Official website of the landmark / managing body.
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.