Some stretches of road have become legends in the cycling community. The crossing of the Blue Nile Gorge in Ethiopia is one of those rides. It’s deep. It’s steep. And the high-altitude sun will sap your strength. Cycling across the Blue Nile Gorge with a fully-loaded touring bike will test your mettle. It’s not for sissies. So of course, we had to give it a go. We wanted to see the spectacular scenery, but also to test ourselves, and prove we could do it. Our legs and our lungs were pushed to the limit, but it was totally worth it to conquer the second-biggest canyon ride in the world.

Cycling south through Ethiopia, we were intrigued that in many of the towns everyone would specialize in one, single type of business. There was the garlic town, the cowhide town, the charcoal town, the wood post producing town, the moonshine town, the chili pepper town, the bamboo furniture town, etc, etc. We wondered if this was because someone in a town figured out a good way to make money, and everybody else soon got in on the act. Over the next few days, as we rode from town to town, we enjoyed seeing how each community had carved out its own niche, and contributed to Ethiopia’s rich heritage.

After a 10-day rest in the mountaintop city of Gonder, we were eager to get back on the road. Accompanied by our new cycling companions, a couple from France, we headed south through Ethiopia’s teff heartland. Fertile plains were punctuated by occasional mountain ridges, providing a variety of interesting scenery - including the giant stone hoodoos, with names like Devil’s Nose and the Finger of God.

For several years we have wanted to trek in the Simien Mountains. Once we began cycling in Ethiopia, we could make that dream come true. In the company of two other cyclists, we set off on a 3-day journey across the Roof of Africa. Along the way we encountered several groups of the famed Gelada monkeys, as well as several other species unique to the Ethiopian Highlands. And it all had the backdrop of stunning mountains, rugged cliffs, and heart-pounding ascents reaching more than 4,000 m (13,350 ft) into the sky.

Entering Ethiopia, we left the flatlands of Sudan behind. Over the next couple of days we would climb rapidly onto the Ethiopian Highlands, ascending nearly 3,500 m (11,250 ft). Because of the unique challenges Ethiopia presents, many have called it the most challenging country in the world to bike tour. It is not for the faint of heart. Along the way we encountered breathtaking scenery, massive hills, a strong military presence, some friendly and not-so-friendly locals, rock-throwing kids, and a collection of castles right out of a storybook.