New bus for TravelHouse:

From June 2006 we have a new Iveco 16 seats airconditioned Bus (see the pictures). Our cutomers are very satisfied from the confort and service that the new bus offers.

A Drive along the Massawa-Assab Road , Jun 21, 2006

Before the construction of the Massawa-Assab road, when there was no telephone communication, it was common for people who went to work in Assab to disappear for a long period. Some one who went to Assab was considered like someone who completely vanished. It was difficult for the residents of Southern Red Sea Zone to travel to the sub zones of the regions by land, let alone to other zones of the country.

There was no regular road which connects Massawa with Assab, especially before independence. Military trucks used to travel in convoys in order to assist each other at times of difficulty. In the area, the finest road being the 60 kilometer Massawa-Foro road, used to take at least 3 hours, the village elders narrate. The 85 kilometer Foro-Gelalo road was full of rocks and it took 5-6 hours. It was difficult to travel beyond Gelalo.

The Gelalo-Diwelo and Diwelo-Tio road is very sandy. Only Military vehicles which don’t have difficulty traveling in sands were able to pass through that area. The road from Tio, all the way to Beluley, was even worse. Especially during the rainy season, the rivers in the area carry big stones and erode the area which makes it more difficult to travel. Even though it is only 200 kilometers, it used to take a vehicle the whole day to cross the area. Yet another rough section, the 350 kilometer road from Afhambo through Wadi to Beilul and Assab used to take a day long harsh travel. Particularly the narrow Afhambo-Wadi road was full of turns and twists which made it a dangerous journey, journalist Taezas Abraha said. In many parts of the Southern Red Sea Zone, it used to take equal time to travel on foot or use a vehicle.

The lack of road used to create another problem also. Expecting mothers were forced to give birth at home or travel to Assab by boat. Even other patients didn’t have any alternatives but to travel to Assab by boat. Traveling in boats had its own dangers. Lack of public transport hindered the people from developments which follow from trade, tourism and employment that could follow. They were unable to make the best use of their natural resources specially fishery and salt.

The people of the area had been working on food for work campaigns to improve the roads and feeder roads. The Ministry of Public Works Southern Red Sea Branch completed the ‘earth work’ of the Afambo-wadi-Beylul-Assab road. The work was not completed as early as it was planed however, because of shortage of man power and machinery.

, understanding the importance of the area the Eritrean government decided to make the Massawa-Assab road a main highway. Consequently, three national constriction companies Gedem, Rodab, and RTCD started working on the area. The first assignment was to lay the earth work of the Massawa-Assab road. Rodab and RTCD were assigned to work on the Massawa-Gelalo road while Gedem Construction Company was assigned to work on the remaining Gelalo-Assab road.

The Tio-Assab road passes through Sehawta and Corub along the Red Sea coastline all the way to Edi. Subsequently, the road crosses the volcanic areas of Obel and Berasole and passes through the plains of Bhita and Adbaro. Next, the road passes along the Red Sea coast and reaches Assab. Since the rivers disappears in the sand before reaching the coast, its being along the coastline saves the road from possible erosion.

The road demanded serious preparation above all. The companies involved in the project carried the responsibility considering the importance of the project. Managers of the project state that it was common to work more than 10 hours a day in the hot weather. In addition to the heat, members of the Warsai-Yikealo who were engaged in the construction work had to stand the blinding sandstorms to successfully complete their work.

After finishing the earth work of the 130 kilometer Massawa-Gelalo road, Rodab and ARTCD finished their assigned task. The work, including constructing bridges and asphalting, was left to Gedem Construction Company.

After finishing the earth work of the Massawa-Assab road and building bridges, the company started asphalting the road in 2005. The asphalting work has already reached Foro.

Parallel to that projects described above, many infrastructural activities had been implemented in the area and some are underway. Jetties equipped with facilities for freshwater supply, ice plant and cold storage, workshop, fish receiving station as well as fuel station were constructed at a cost of 18 million Dollars in Gelalo and Tio. Before that project, under the Project Semhar-Assab, Jetty, Ice plant, fuel station and boat factory were constructed. All this will no doubt play a great role in implementing the study which shows that we can fish 70,000 tons of fish per year with out exhausting the supply.

The construction of the road will also play a role in the development of tourism in our country. The establishment of the Duty Free Zone in Massawa will also enable the Red Sea coastlines to have banks, hotels and other businesses and create job opportunities. Those who are leading their lives by farming will get the chance to participate in trade, fishing and other activities. Communities which are already s trade centers such as Foro, Gelalo, Edi, Tio, Berasole and others will flourish more and will have more residents.

Thanks to the construction done, the time it takes to drive from Massawa to Assab is already reduced from three days to a one day. After the asphalting is completed, it will only be a few hours drive.

© Copyright 2001-2005 Shaebia.org

Birdwatchers look for birds in a narrow valley by an Eritrean village

Birdwatching tourism ready for take-off in Eritrea
High above a rocky cliff top south of Eritrea's capital, Asmara, an Augur Buzzard glides overhead, its broad white wings outstretched.

Down on the ground, Ken Harte, 70, an American tourist and passionate birdwatcher treads past a narrow valley's candelabra trees and prickly pear, hoping for a rare glimpse of a species not yet recorded in the Horn of Africa country.

"The holy grail would be the Blue-Winged Goose," he said, adjusting the cameras hanging from his body.

"There are vague reports of it being found in Eritrea, but as far as I know no reliable records."

Eritrea's diversity of forest, desert, mountain, and beach -- lying between 2,234 km (1,396 miles) of Red Sea coastline and mountains thousands of metres high -- provide a rich variety for birdlife, experts say.

"Ethiopia-Eritrea are one of Africa's birding hotspots possessing 861 species, including the 30 species endemic (to the two countries)," Jose Luis Vivero Pol wrote in his 2001 book, "A Guide to Endemic Birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea."

Of these 30 species found nowhere else, some 13 have been recorded in Eritrea, attracting birdwatchers keen to expand the lists of rare species they have seen.

"(Thirteen) is a tremendous number for a country this small," said Harte, grinning through his thick beard and boasting that in just two weeks, he has seen 10 of the 13 endemic species.

Harte suspects there were another two species not yet recorded -- the Blue-Winged Goose and the Abyssinian Long-Claw -- though their sightings have not been confirmed.

"Now and again, someone will say yes, they've seen it," he said.
"But there are no photographs or expert sightings."

Despite its impressive birdlife, Eritrea's poverty, crumbling infrastructure and semi-permanent war footing with neighbouring Ethiopia have made it unattractive as an ecotourist destination.

"With little tourist infrastructure, Eritrea is likely to appeal to the more adventurous or pioneering birder," the African Bird Club says on its Web site.

Nearby Kenya boasts several safari parks with luxurious lodges and specialist guides to help birdwatchers scour the bush for new species to tick off their "seen it" lists.

By contrast, Eritrea has no nature reserves on land and lacks even basic tourist services.

Plans are afoot to gazette national parks to protect wildlife, but these are still in their early stages as the authorities grapple with the more immediate concerns of extreme poverty, drought and tensions with Ethiopia.

The Eritrean government, which fought a 30-year war with Ethiopia and finally got its independence in 1993, is keen to find new sources of revenue for its 4.6 million people and lessen dependence on donor aid.

But tourism industry officials say the country is years away from becoming a destination for tourists, let alone ecotourists or specialist birdwatchers.

"The birdwatching tourism industry has yet to be invented in Eritrea," said Solomon Abraha, a travel agent in Asmara.

But he added: "It would benefit people especially in the rural areas." Abraha said he wanted to set up lodging throughout Eritrea to attract nature lovers, but he said the country first needed to get on the tourist map, something that could take time for Africa's youngest nation.

"The potential is immense, but we need to be able to create awareness," he said.

Until they do, Eritrea may have to content itself with being a birdwatcher's frontier country.

-Reuters-

Eritrea Luxury Week

Our Luxury Week is based in the capital, Asmara, at the Albergo Italia which re-opened at the end of 2005 as the country’s first luxury, boutique hotel. The huge investment made by the owners in the refurbishment is testament to the country’s growing confidence since gaining independence from Ethiopia in 1993.

Situated on the edge of Eritrea’s highland plateau and enjoying an excellent year-round climate, Asmara (1) has one of the world’s most concentrated and unspoiled collections of Art Deco architecture, some of the finest examples attributed to Frank Lloyd Wright. From its period as an Italian colony, the country also boasts wide, colourful boulevards lined with jacaranda trees and bougainvillea.

The stay in Asmara includes a half-day sightseeing tour and plenty of time for individual exploration. However, we have not completely forgotten our routes as the holiday also includes two private excursions by 4WD vehicle where visitors can enjoy a taste of the country outside the capital. Visit our dedicated Eritrea website now for further details. Prices from £1490 including flights, tours and for a limited time only, a free upgrade to a wonderful split-level duplex suite room.

(1) The city has been put forward as a site for full UNESCO World Heritage status.

for booking and reservation please visit www.undiscovered-destinations.com