Travel Guide Senafe

The last Eritrean town before the border with Ethiopia, the town of Senafe was named according to the question «Sana'a fen? ", which means in Arabic "where is Sana'a? ", asked by Yemeni merchants who went to the region regularly and grimpaient to try to see their native land. Occupied during the recent conflict with Ethiopia, Senafe was largely destroyed. Still today, the constant tensions between the two countries are feeling intense and it is impossible to ignore them, even because of the military stationed everywhere. So it's not to visit the city itself that you come to Senafe, but to climb at the top of Amba Metera from where the view over the surroundings is absolutely magnificent. The road leading to the summit starts behind the church of Kidane Mehret. To be sure to take the least complicated path to reach the summit, it is better to use the help of a local guide because, without being of extreme difficulty, the ascent is more or less easy depending on the path you take. Finding someone to guide you will not be a problem, you will probably even have a group of children that will follow you throughout your ascent. It takes between 45 and 60 minutes to reach the metal cross at the top. The brave who will begin their ascent at dawn to take advantage of sunrise on the plain will be greatly rewarded! The church of Kidane Mehret, where you can go back to Amba Metera, can visit. This is the only example still existing in Eritrea of a construction method used previously and called "monkey head" (because of wooden beams incorporated into walls outside the church and looks like rows of monkey skulls). Completely renovated in 2007 thanks to the support of the French Alliance in Asmara, it would be a shame not to turn around.