Landscapes worth appreciating
Eritrea is endowed with a variety of spectacular topographic landscapes.
They include the high-lands, eastern escarpments, eastern and western lowlands, coastal areas and islands. Eritrea is endowed with rivers, river beds and natural harbours. The vibrant landforms offer the most distinctive destination for tourists. The natural topography consisting of volcanic mountains, flat topped hills, wide plateaus, marvelous escarpments, rugged mountains, undulating plains, unspoiled and spectacular coasts and pleasing islands provide great potential for the tourism industry. In a mere two-hour drive, one can experience three seasons and see diverse landscapes.
Eritrea’s landscape is naturally decorated with various rock types, fogs and mists and varied climate. It has a breathtaking beauty filled with clean, cool fresh air. There are volcanic landforms which include unmodified lava sheets, created lava cones, old dykes and volcanic mountains in different corners of the country. There are also numerous mountain features which are natural reservoirs of resources as they are made of rocks of several mineral deposits.
Eritrea’s mountains provide plenty of opportunities for hiking, photographic tourism and landscape appreciation. They are also very good grounds for sport-based tourism like mountain climbing and biking. Furthermore, they have historical importance as many of them had significance during the armed struggle for independence.
One of Eritrea’s natural attractions, the Eastern Escarpment, is found east of the central plateau, the eastern highlands and upper Anseba highlands. The eastern escarpment is characterized by its two rainy seasons and the Green Belt whose scenery is stunningly beautiful. It is ever-green and provides excellent scenes for bio-diversity based tourism and bird watching. The ever-green tones of the Green Belt vegetation overshadow the earth colors on the steep slope platforms of the eastern escarpments. The play of light and shade on the landscape etches the shapes in relief, enhancing their coloration and making the escarpment landforms look somehow even more grand and monumental.
The other main attraction of Eritrea is its coastal area bordered by flawless and unspoiled beaches. It is defined by the presence of extensive visible corals and shells. It is a perfect venue for snorkelers. It has all the essential properties for a serene beautiful holiday destination. Parallel to this are the naturally beautiful and striking group of islands that are dispersed along the Red Sea. The Eritrean islands offer a convenient environment for scuba diving, snorkeling, yachting, itinerating, and fishing. The Red Sea remains “the world’s unspoiled tropical paradise”.
The Danakil Depression, where the lowest point on earth is found, is also the other prominent feature of the Eritrean landscape. There are various landform features along the Danakil Depression such as headlands of lava rocks and crater of an extinct volcano.
Eritrea’s terrain provides a great potential for tourism. It offers a lot of opportunities for tourists who are into ecotourism, hiking, bird watching, wildlife and terrain appreciation.
The landform scenery of Eritrea has a powerful potential for tourism. The breath-taking mountains and coastal configurations are great fascination for tourists. The magnificent topography provides an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. The landform belongs to its owners but the beauty of landscape belongs to those who behold it and appreciate it.
Sources: Tourism Special Edition
MOT 2012