A world-travelling YouTuber who left his desk job behind to embrace life on the move in 4×4 vehicles has named an African country he was glad to leave in his « rear view mirror ». Dan Grec, an adventurer from Australia, decided to quit his job and chase his dream of experiencing “all the adventures that are possible out there,” travelling across five continents and 65 countries—including the legendary 19,000-mile Pan-American Highway from Alaska to Argentina.
He also visited 35 nations in Africa, a journey that took three years as he drove around the entire coastline of the continent, where he made « thousands of unforgettable memories ». Some of the highlights included « hearing lions roar » while sitting outside his Jeep, being invited into people’s homes to share food, watching a family of giraffes, and even « petting a cheetah ». It wasn’t all quite so carefree, however, as Dan also admitted there was one country where he « didn’t feel safe ».
Dan, who has also written a book about his travels, said: « On all my travels to date, the only country I didn’t feel safe in and was happy to see in my rear view mirror was Ethiopia.
« At the time of my visit, it was a complicated place politically, and there was a lot of unrest and anger towards tourists because all the tourist money was going to tour guides from the big city, not the rural areas where the tourists were actually visiting. »
He clarified that he doesn’t want to give the country a « bad wrap », though, and is keen to return to experience the country properly, noting that he knows lots of people who « love it ».
Dan said: « I know tons of people really love the country, so I feel bad giving it a bad wrap. I really want to go back sometime so I can properly enjoy it. »
A landlocked East African nation bordering Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia is the continent’s oldest independent country.
A rugged and diverse nation viewed as the cradle of mankind, it is thought that Ethiopia’s history could span back to the earliest hominid populations. Its population speaks a whopping 82 languages, with more than 200 dialects.
Sadly, however, prospective travellers need to be aware of some potential dangers. The Foreign Office has issued travel warnings for parts of Ethiopia, advising against all travel to some areas, and all but essential travel to others.
In its safety and security section, the Foreign Office warns that terrorists are « very likely » to attempt attacks in Ethiopia, stating that they could be indiscriminate and take place in « places visited by foreign nationals ».
It has also noted that tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea are high, with a possibility that the security situation in the north could deteriorate rapidly.
Other potential risks include civil unrest, arbitrary detentions (this has occurred with British nationals in a limited number of cases), mugging, theft near Bole International Airport, kidnapping in some areas, and landmines.
