Wubetu Shimelash was born and raised in the Simien Mountains National Park in the Northern part of Ethiopia, where his family still lives. As a child, Wubetu took care of his family’s 200 sheep, a few cows, and horses in the mountains. He spent the days in the mountains with his animals searching for food and the nights sleeping in a cave with them. It was here in the mountains that Wubetu’s entrepreneurial mindset grew. He started to make hats and bags from sheep’s wool which he sold to tourists in order to buy more sheep and increase his herd. He would also take tourists for rides on his horses and let them explore the mountains with him and his animals. As a result, Wubetu became more independent, creative, adventurous, outgoing, and friendly. At the same time, his passion and love for nature grew.

When he started school, Wubetu found similar ... Read more

Wubetu Shimelash was born and raised in the Simien Mountains National Park in the Northern part of Ethiopia, where his family still lives. As a child, Wubetu took care of his family’s 200 sheep, a few cows, and horses in the mountains. He spent the days in the mountains with his animals searching for food and the nights sleeping in a cave with them. It was here in the mountains that Wubetu’s entrepreneurial mindset grew. He started to make hats and bags from sheep’s wool which he sold to tourists in order to buy more sheep and increase his herd. He would also take tourists for rides on his horses and let them explore the mountains with him and his animals. As a result, Wubetu became more independent, creative, adventurous, outgoing, and friendly. At the same time, his passion and love for nature grew.

When he started school, Wubetu found similar opportunities for entrepreneurship and engagement with nature and tourism. He had to walk five hours barefoot to and from school every day. As difficult as this journey was, the gorgeous views of the mountains and wildlife motivated him for this long trek. His entrepreneurial mindset that started inside the cave followed him to school. He made shoes by cutting and carving old car tires to make his hiking easier. Not only that, but he also made more shoes and sold to tourist in order to buy school supplies for himself and his siblings. Similarly, on the way back to his home from school, Wubetu often would join tourists and hike back with them, since his home was at the national park camp. He turned a disadvantage into an advantage and used the long treks as an opportunity to learn English and to improve his communication skills with tourists.
Wubetu also worked as a tour guide in the Simien Mountains National Park for four years. Wubetu always tried to make the journey of his tourists fun, memorable, and adventurous. Tourists appreciated his friendly approach, energy, enthusiasm, positivity, and an open mind to explore new adventures. Wubetu always concluded their journey by inviting them to his family's house to celebrate their last day with a traditional Ethiopian Coffee ceremony.

Living abroad in the USA, Wubetu didn’t have the opportunity to be a shepherd and make hats while living in a cave. However, the experiences he had as a child in the Simien Mountains and the lessons he learned as a shepherd continued abroad with new opportunities for his entrepreneurship. While he was still in college, he started a company that provided affordable storage services where he was able to develop skills in Sales and customer discovery. In 2017, Wubetu CO-founded Simien Eco because he wants you to have the opportunity to visit the miraculous mountains, immerse in the beautiful Ethiopian culture, and the hospitality of the people in his community. At the same time, he saw this as an opportunity to support children’s education in Simien Mountains who are still walking five hours looking for education. Wubetu understands and has experienced how a major lack of resources at school affects the productivity of students and he wants to be part a solution for this problem. Not only that, but Wubetu also saw this a way of helping his community by creating job opportunities through Simien Eco Trek. Wubetu believes that tourists who choosing travel through Simien Eco Trek will not only gain convenient and efficient tour services but also you are part of a solution for a good cause that we stand for.

Thank you for choosing Simien Eco Trek!